Dune buggies are zipping around all night… finally stppped around 1:30 am. Loud drinking parties too. Sad cause it’s a beautiful spot.
We luckily got the last spot in the campground on a hot day in May. The goal was originally to spend the day on the lake and then end the day hiking the Fire Wave so it wasn't super hot. Well, we woke up at 7:30 and it was already getting hot and busy so we decided to head up to the Fire Wave to start the day. We finished the short 1 mile round trip hike before 9 am and it was already 90+ degrees. By that time of day there were hundreds of people hiking all around out campsite so we headed out for the day.
I think coming here when it isn't a break or the weekend would be ideal. We just happened to pass through during the busy weekend when the Vegas vacationers came out for a day trip.
I drive through here during the week in March and it was silent and desolate. Absolutely beautiful to be out there solo. Water is scarce so be prepared for that. Also, swim beaches are not near Valley of Fire so be prepared to drive through the beauty of Lake Mead Recreational Area to get to a place where you can jump in. This place is amazing! The igneous rock takes your breathe away.
Ended up here as a last minute change in camping locations, and it didn’t disappoint. Spots are a little rough, with some concrete tables (a couple with missing benches) and other spots with old weathered wooden tables. Saw a mountain lion while out on a stroll in the campground, which was exciting. Will be back for sure, when it warms up and the cold wind that comes out of the canyon isn’t so bone chilling.
We go camping here every year. Campsites are spread out nice. They have 3 walk in sites that are away from the other sites, those are our favorite ones. It's not far to walk your stuff up to the sites.
Both primitive camping and full hook ups. Lake is nice for fishing and boating, but has concerns of swimmers itch. Come prepared. Lots of rzr riding.
I was able to hike up this mountain near St. George and it was quite amazing! We got good pictures over the town and it was a great leadup to Zion. Very easy access to hike.
Probably best to avoid in summer. The weather is really hot and, being in the desert virtually no shade. The lake is fun to swim in and the water is clean. Zion is within an hour drive. We stayed a few night in September and as soon as the sun set an incredible amount of gnats would come out making it impossible to keep any headlamps/lights on. The bathrooms were clean and the views were great but the gnats were definitely annoying. Winter would probably be better.
Individual camping spots along a river valley with steep climbing walls. Camp almost directly at the base of your climb.
Very limited camping spots, but also features a fully finished spring-fed pool, concession area, flushable toilets and hot showers.
Crawdading in the river is available. Bring a bucket or get one at the concessions.
Lots of kids and families in the pool, most of whom clean up after themselves. A great little gem for climbers and families.
Wifi is available at the pool, at some of the close sites, you may pick it up. Cell service is limited.
I could sit all day and watch the clouds! It’s a beautiful, clean spot to stop and camp for a day or two.
Pulled in and got lucky space open right across from the restroom/showers, beautiful weather. Several animal sightings Bighorn Sheep, large lizard and prairie dogs! Great time!
Sand Hollow State Park Camping is such a good time. The summer nights by the beach camping out with your people and your dogs is one of my favorites. The beach is mostly clean, sometimes rude people leave behind garbage but the main culture their helps out to maintain a clean peaceful and fun environment! The rangers are awesome! Highly recommend it.
2.5 mike hike in, 300 ft elevation gain, easy trail to beautiful overlook of southern Utah. Camp is a sandy open area next to the overlook and cliffs of Snow Canyon State Park. Free to camp. Great for backpackers!
On your way from Vegas to Zion there is a very short stretch of Arizona you pass though and if you blink you near miss this area. But when you stop and take a closer look you will find that there is a pretty cool campground at the Virgin River perfect for a short getaway on your way.
I stumbled upon this space completely by accident. I was taking a turn thinking I might find some gas and instead found a campground with very reasonable rates (only $8).
When I first pulled down the long gravel road I was starting to get a little concerned then I noticed an opening to the river and nearby a structure which I discovered was a flush toilet bathroom.
I was intrigued how I had never known this place was here because it seemed to be quite an established little campground.
Sites had wide open views of the skies and the mountains surrounding. They each had fire rings and picnic tables. All in all very impressed with this little desert oasis. Some areas were covered pavilions great for use for any group. Sites were spread about in a way that did not feel cramped in any way and it really felt like a stay here would be one of relaxing, even if you did have neighbors.
Because I wasn't prepared to have even found this site I wasn't expecting to camp, so instead I hung out at the grounds for a while and enjoyed the calm of the waters through the day use area. I checked out the kiosks with information and made a mental note of how nice this site would be on another trip this way. I for sure will return to this area after enjoying the day use area so much and seeing how nice the grounds were.
Definitely a leftover from Lake Mead's hayday (they never would have spent this much money without the draw of the lake), this is a very nice campground, tucked away in a State Park (that is a beautiful state park)
This lake is very close to Sand Hollow State Park, it's a nice lake, with good campgrounds and they do not have the same problems with Swimmer's Itch
This is a very unique State Park, it's a campground, it's a lake, it's a sand dune and its hardcore rock crawling trails. This review is for the campground that has full hookups and is primarily for boaters, as in, no OHV allowed. I will review the other if The Dyrt ever makes a separate entry. This is a very well ran park, the facilities are top notch and the lake is fun. The bad? It is VERY hot in the summer, and the shoreline of the lake has a bad case of the Swimmer's Itch
I arrived late and left early (read in the dark), so I didn't really get to see much of the area, but it provided a VERY welcome rest stop for a weary traveler.
When the lake was high, this was an awesome campground to stay at. Now, it's still a nice campground, but it becomes ridiculously hot in this area and there is no easy access to recreational water to cool off.
I'm surprized and happy to see that it's still open and well maintained.
This is a review for the lower campground, aka the one closer to the marina, and the store.
This review is for the Lower Campground. The desert scenery is beautiful in this canyon, and you can hike down to the river, which you're going to want to do if you are there between March and late October because, well, its Arizona. I the late fall through early spring, this is a very nice place to camp without freezing. Sunrise and sunset cast beautiful light onto the canyon walls
It is great for anyone wanting to have fun for the day or the weekend!
Absolute Silence at night. Even when the campground is full. stars so bright. Longhorn everywhere. If you can sleep in the desert, this is the place to stay. it’s perfect.
this place was so awesome! it was our first stop on a road trip, and I couldn’t have picked a better campground! the park rangers were friendly, there was a camp host to help us out, the bathrooms were clean and showers warm, and the scenery was just amazing. 10/10, wIll return :-)
We stopped here instead of staying at Zion and were pleasantly surprised. you can bring paddle boards and boats to relax and enjoy the lake. They even have scuba diving. while we were there is was very hot so we just cooled off in the lake and played in the water. not many people were there so it was very quiet.
This is a nice spot and we enjoyed our stay. Great scenery, nice to have a shade and table. While it wasn't private, we didn't feel right up against the other sites.
Not being from Utah, the hours limiting when you can come and go from the campground were annoying. We arrived the first night after they closed, so we had to park on the street and carry our tent and bags down a desert hillside to our spot. We still enjoyed our stay, I'm just pointing it out for others who haven't come across this before. Where I'm from if a campground has hours, it means there won't be someone there to pay when they're closed- that's not the case here. You actually can't get in if they're closed.
This is a very hot but wonderful place to visit! Coming back a for a second go this summer (2018) showing my kiddos the wonders of the desert life. It is best to go later when the sun is cooling down although it will still be hott! Seeing Elephant Rock, the lizards, and crawling around the wind whipped terrain made me feel like I was a child again on a new playground. Bring water and take in the heat!
There’s always a ton of people here! But there is plenty of space, you barely even notice. It’s always a family favorite when we go to Southern Utah
Literally the friendliest camp ranger in the world- gave us so much good info on the park and surrounding area. The campground is set on a gorgeous reservoir, get site QU18, it is the best (says me and the friendly park ranger)! Farthest from the rest of the sites, and right by the water. Good tent pad, fire ring, picnic table, and shade structure.
I'd been wanting to visit Valley of Fire for months, but we can get out on a six-hour trip in the summer, winter, and spring only. Summer would be too hot for us Arizonans trying to escape the high temperatures, and I've heard the springtime is really, uncomfortably windy there. So. Winter won and we found that it's quite possibly the best time to visit Valley of Fire. The daytime temps were in the mid-60s, and the nights went into the low 40s. What I forgot was that Nevada is on Pacific time so sunset was early at 4:30, but we kept a campfire going and enjoyed the evenings even if we had to come in for the night by 9 pm. That made waking up to awesome sunrises more enjoyable anyway.
We stayed at Atlatl Campground, which is first come/first served. When we arrived, we saw a lot of RVs and nearly lost hope, but there was one spot where we could park our 25ft trailer and it turned out to be one of the best campsites there. Site #8's tent pad, grill, table, and fire ring are behind a huge rock, so if privacy is what you're after this is the place! However, the site doesn't have hookups, so if you're looking for those you would have to be in the more open spaces. They aren't right on top of each other, but there isn't a lot of things blocking views of other RVs. We found the non-hookup sites were more desirable here in terms of camping ambiance. Besides, no hook-up sites were open so it wasn't a decision we had to make. :) We could hear generators occasionally, but for the most part this place was very, very quiet.
The hosts are friendly and keep the place neat and tidy. The restrooms and showers were clean, with flush toilets and hot water in the showers. The dump station was fine, and there is fresh water available to fill your tank. Also, each site has a water spigot, so that was handy! You can't easily fill your tank because the spigot doesn't have rings to connect a hose, but it's doable. We know this because we forgot to fill our tank before getting our spot. We were so worried about getting a space. Ha! It worked out.
The campground is surrounded by giant red rock formations, and there are some in the middle of it, too. It's perfect for kids and adults both to climb for hours and days. It's kind of like Joshua Tree, but the rocks are easier to climb on--closer together and the spaces between aren't as sketchy. Plus the rocks are soft sandstone so they don't scratch as much. It really is fun to explore all around the rocks and see the park from high vantage points.
It's the desert, so expect a lot of dust. What I hadn't expected was so much sand on the hiking trails. I find it difficult to trudge through soft sand, so although the park's popular hikes are short, expect them to be more of a challenge due to the sand. The awesome views make up for it, though. Bighorn sheep, awesome rock formations, slot canyons, so many different colors, and even ancient petroglyphs are pleasant distractions from the workout on the legs. Don't miss the Fire Wave, White Domes, and the hike to Mouse's Tank. Very cool.
Our T-Mobile service came and went with the wind all through the park.
Overall, Valley of Fire did not disappoint. We were busy and entertained and loving being there at this perfect time of year.