Best Dog-Friendly Camping near Arco, ID

Holy Cow! It really was like camping on the moon(except the wind) or on a volcano. This is a barren place due to the volcanic nature of the land, but it was very pretty and the campground was set up in an almost ingenious way to provide privacy for most sites. There were essentially two loops, but the loops had lots of twists and turns and ups and downs in order to squeeze in the most number of sites with the most privacy. I ended up with a deep site where I could set my tent up between some lava rocks to get some semblance of a wind break. From inside my tent I could not see any other sites(which was really nice), but I could see my neighbors from my picnic table. No fires are allowed(which I found interesting since we were camped on a lava flow), and there are no showers(someone told me that maybe I could get a shower at the KOA in Arco, but I didn’t bother). In fact, water is somewhat restricted- there were signs stating RV’s could not fill up, but all were welcome to fill personal water jugs. Even the dish washing station was closed at the restrooms. Speaking of which, the restrooms had flush toilets and sinks with cold water and were fairly clean if a bit outdated. Definitely get some hiking in while you are here. There is a nice trail from the campground that connects to the North Crater Flow trail, and if you have some stamina climb the Inferno Cone for great views(watch the ground for cinders that look like glass!). Get a permit at the visitors center to go into the lava tube caves(its free but required). I only hiked in Indian Cave as I wasn’t comfortable with the pitch black dark of Boy Scout and Beauty Caves by myself. Definitely check out the town of Arco, the first in the nation to be powered by nuclear energy. Not far from Arco is the nuclear power plant, decommissioned, where you can take a free tour. Back at the campground there is one last important note- you have to pay the electronic ranger for your campsite, and NO cash is accepted. Only credit cards.

This campground was an great place to stay while in Lava Hotsprings. It's a two minute drive to the Hotsprings, which are amazing. The campground is clean and very well maintained. Cleanest shower houses and bathrooms we have seen at a campground in a long time! The camp hosts are friendly and the park is very pet friendly! I would highly recommend this spot if you are stopping in Lava Hotsprings for any amount of time!

Mt. View is in the small city of Arco ID, close to Craters of the Moon National monument. Reserving space was easy on line and making a change to our reservation was easy via email. The park has lots o trees and the sites are roomy. The owners are friendly and helpful. 24 hour laundry is available. The restaurant serves delicious BBQ, southern style in a small, homey setting.

We stayed here 1 night in mid-October, 2024. Bulletin board directed us to our reserved site. never saw any of the staff and received our welcome email at 9 a.m. the next day as we were departing. Poor trees are half dead. Stay was OK except for the racket from a neighboring property with massive loudspeakers blasting reveille in the a.m. and an annoying, caterwauling rendition of the Star-Spangled Banner at sunset. Nutty Arco.

We stayed here on our way to Yellowstone. Has most of the usual KOA amenities: clean bathrooms, pool, cabins, full hookup RV spots, and a few tent spots. Even has a couple of teepees. Very friendly staff and a well stocked store/deli. Near Craters of the Moon National Monument. The town of Arco was charming and has an interesting history as the first nuclear-powered city in the US. If our travels take us this way in the future we'll camp here again!

For our family's first vacation in our new travel trailer, we foolishly chose to visit the KOA campground in Arco, Idaho. We had informed them of our late arrival around 11 PM. Upon arrival, they handed us a map and pointed to a campsite number. None of the spots were properly marked, but surrounded by other trailers, we assumed we were in the right place. The next morning, we discovered the bathrooms were absolutely revolting, clearly not cleaned for days, despite a sign claiming daily cleaning. Mud on the floors, mold and mildew in the showers, overflowing trash, and toilet paper strewn about—it was utterly disgusting. When we returned later that day, a staff member immediately confronted us, accusing us of lacking a reservation. We provided the requested documentation, and they disappeared. Then the owner or manager approached us aggressively, violently pointing out our supposed error on the map and ordering us to move everything to the correct spot—right behind where we had parked, already occupied by another family they had mistakenly placed. In a menacing tone, he begrudgingly decided to relocate the incoming family to our original spot. This whole scene unfolded in front of numerous families at the KOA, with no regard for our embarrassment or the other campers' discomfort. After this disgraceful ordeal, we decided to just pack up and leave, not even bothering to request a refund. As we were packing, the manager approached, still not apologizing, but handed me a receipt for a refund that I never asked for nor wanted. I informed him firmly that this was not about money but about their appalling mismanagement. I intend to dispute the refund because this KOA should not be associated with such incompetence and filth and I will not accept hush money.

It's a free campground ran by a disabled vet. He can't and won't charge anyone, though lately has been allowing donations to pay it forward and help with things like recovering the power installation etc. Come make a friend, share a beer, hang as long as you want as long as you're not a jerk. Dogs are welcome and the place is named after one.

What a great campground, we had site #27. The RV pad was pretty level and overall a super clean site with a creek. Great deal for $30 in the off season. Also very dog friendly, and a cool playground for kids. Some things that would have made it 5 star for us was better signs/lights as it was very confusing for arriving after dark, and offering ice would have been nice, but super close to store and also would’ve liked WiFi. Not a huge deal though, with AT&T we got 3 bars. Definitely will be back next year!!

I love this place I was a little stressed out because I was driving quite a distance and wasn't sure if I was gonna make the cut off time but I did and they were supernice superfriendly dog friendly AC units the only thing is it took a while for the room to cool down it would have been cool if they were able to set that air conditioner about an hour before arrival but no biggie it's just right in the heart of ATV central the reservoir only downside is there's no real espresso coffee shop if you're from Washington you know you know But highly recommend I would stay here again for sure.

This is what you would expect in the wilderness of Idaho! A unique location, and an experience worth having!

Please obey posted fire safety warnings as Idaho is plagued by enough man made wildfires each year!

Have fun and leave no trace!

Craters of the moon is a truly unique experience, that can only be found in Idaho. Highly recommended!

Incredible views after driving through most of Idaho this spot is a relief! Water /fishing access ,private spots , even one really nice paved spot close to entrance , don’t miss the turn it’s near a cattle gate on the gravel road

This is a decent spot if you need a place to stop in between Idaho Falls and salmon. Nice and quiet middle of nowhere spot for a middle of nowhere drive. There are a ton of other campsites and sleeping opportunities along the highway north of here that are part of the birch recreation zone.

This is an amazing secluded spot deep into the Sawtooth Mountains of Central Idaho.  We've been coming here for years and my fathers been coming here since the 60's.  Not much has changed except for better upkeep of the roads and the occasional vault toilet that are scattered across the area.  The campground is free to stay at and has a dispersed feeling to it.  There are no developed rings or tables but you can tell where people usually set up camp.  For the most part this is an RV campsite mostly because of how the spots are arranged.  You could put a tent in here if you wanted but there are way better spots just up the road out of the RV'ers reaches.  These forests are pretty wild still so definitely keep an eye out for black bears.  We haven't seen any Grizzly in this area but they are definitely in the Salmon/Challis area which isn't too far away.  Also if you're from Idaho this is a good spot to ride around on your motorcycle or ATV and get some pristine alpine fishing in!

I loved this campground we showed up in the early afternoon on a Thursday and they had plenty of spots still available. You are completely immersed into the lava landscape at this campground I really enjoyed it. The sites were nice size bathrooms were very clean lots of families and friendly people. A must if you are in Idaho. Note: if you plan to walk through any of the caves you need to visit the visitor center to get a permit.

I was happy to find this low use campground in the middle of the summer, when almost everything seems like it’s packed to the gills. There are ample trails that are available kicking off straight from the campground into the wilderness, for hiking, walking, snowmobiling, mountain biking, etc. Sites are big and able to accommodate even larger RVs (although the guy across from me struggled to fit his 30’ rig in his spot, he did it!). Some of the best that Idaho has to offer and definitely a hidden gem.

I have never been to a campground like this. Considering all they have to work with are rocks, it is a good campground right next to the visitor center. The only reason I'm giving it 3 stars is because it's just not my style. Don't be expecting Idaho streams and trees. You are truly in a remote area here at Craters of the moon. I highly suggest going down in the caves where you can crawl in the lava tubes. If you are planning on camping here in the summer, be prepared for extreme dry heat.

This place was great! $8 because water is off for the season, I guess...normally $20. All facilities are closed so it’s just camping and exploring the park which is all within walking distance of the campground. Very friendly ranger working the front! Level sites on pavement. No fires allowed unless propane or grills. Very windy! Get a spot that has rocks on your west side to hide lol! This place was a great stop for a evening/night! Not a lot to see but what’s there is really cool! A must see if you’re passing thru Idaho down to Utah.

Really cute private campground right off I30 near Lava Springs, Idaho

Some highway noise. Very clean sites. Vault toilets, clean and decorated nicely. Really wish they had a bathhouse and place to wash dishes. Firepit. Picnic table with flower pot was really a nice touch. Level, gravel, back in sites. Prices a bit high for just water and electric $40 to $55 They also rent tiny trailers, $55 a night. Lots of tent sites as well. Grass playground. Creek nearby. No camp store but they do sell firewood. Owner Annie, super friendly and accommodating. Refunded two nights since we wanted a shower. Only charged $5. 9/5/19

Super cute little campground with nice custom touches for the bathrooms. It sits down in a valley near one of the main roads in Idaho so it's not super quiet during the day but they are really good about enforcing quiet hours and people are very respectful. 

It has a creek that runs by it and it has easy access to Lava Hot Springs in town. This is a great site for families with kids with easy access to local restaurants and fun at the springs water park. 

The sites are part of a large field and are ideal for RV privacy but tents are more exposed. I didn't end up setting up a tent in my site, I slept in my car so I had more privacy.