Best Campgrounds near Amargosa Valley, NV

You need a permit to sleep on the roadside in specific areas of the park. I have slept in non-permitted areas (ie - illegal, non camping pullouts) a handful of times with no hassle and felt safe when this was needed for drowsy driving. I did get woken up and nearly ticketed by a ranger one of those times, which was when someone moved into my site at Emigrant while I was out exploring.

Many beautiful and relatively 2wd accessible areas of the park do allow “roadside” camping without a permit so long as you are more than 1 mile in, off the “main” road. For instance, Trail Canyon and others off West Side Rd, Telephone Canyon, and many others throughout the park.

Check online or with the rangers at Furnace Creek or Stovepipe. Grapevine ranger station is closed/not staffed in 2025.

Stayed probably 10 nights here this season between February and May. It can fill up quickly in the afternoon or evening, so plan to arrive early and, if going out to play, leave something to indicate your site is occupied.

This is tent only but I’ve slept in my small truck camper here and many sleep in vans or vehicles. I’ve seen quite a few small RVs here too.

Water is not potable year round, will be deemed not potable and/or shut off mid-May per convo with NPS employee. Fill at Stovepipe, Panamint, or elsewhere in summer. Showers, pool, WiFi available 10-ish miles away at Stovepipe for $10. No cell service at camp. Spotty 3G at Stovepipe.

Bathrooms are clean with no noticeable mold. Site can get VERY windy. Take care of your stuff. I’ve saved multiple tents here that weren’t properly secured while their owners were out for the day.

No shade here and the road can be loud. Traffic fumes can also be a factor, depending on wind direction, for those who are sensitive when people using the rest stop leave their rigs idling.

Overall, I recommend this spot as a single night or two but not for much more than that. It’s a great base close to showers but far enough out of the busier campgrounds and crowds.

We stayed at The Wild Mustang in our van and had such a great experience. After checking in with the host, we got permission to pull our van over the berm and onto the property—and it was perfect. It had amazing views and total privacy. You really feel like you’re in the middle of nowhere, in the best way.

The host was kind and responsive. The sunsets were gorgeous, and at night the stars lit up the sky—some of the clearest you will ever see. There’s a really peaceful, raw desert vibe here that made it easy to just slow down, unplug, and relax.

It’s easy to get to, but still feels remote once you're there. We’ll definitely be back next year!

Stayed here my first night at DVNP. There was a high wind event happening and most of the spots with tree coverage. It’s all FCFS right now so that was to be expected. All the sites were level and paved with dirt areas and picnic tables. The ground was too hard for me to get my tent stakes in so I didn’t put up my tent because of the wind. The bathrooms were clean and many of them around the park. Some RV hook up spots. This is a popular campground apparently and because it’s FF there was LOTS of traffic well into the night with people hoping to find any spot. Because of this constant traffic I wouldn’t stay here if you’re looking for peace and quiet and some star gazing. It’s a great spot for central location to the surrounding park though. And one of the few places in the park with decent cell service, at least for Verizon.