Best Tent Camping near Mesquite, NV

Several tent camping areas surround the desert landscape of Mesquite, Nevada, with options ranging from established campgrounds to dispersed sites. Tent campers can choose between Virgin River Campgrounds, which offers five tent sites with shade and river access, or venture to more primitive areas like Valley of Fire Dispersed camping or Paiute Wilderness Area. These tent-focused destinations provide varying levels of amenities and isolation within an hour's drive of Mesquite.

Most tent campgrounds in the area have minimal facilities, requiring campers to bring their own water supplies and pack out trash. Valley of Fire Dispersed camping features dirt pads with established fire rings but no restroom facilities or potable water. The Paiute Wilderness Area allows walk-in tent camping with more seclusion but similarly lacks amenities. Access roads to many primitive tent sites require careful navigation, particularly after rain when dirt roads become muddy. Cell service varies considerably between locations, with Valley of Fire Dispersed offering reasonable coverage while more remote tent areas have limited connectivity.

Tent campers appreciate the dramatic desert landscapes and night skies visible from these primitive campsites. The Joshua trees scattered throughout Beaver Dam Wash provide natural beauty and limited shade for tent placement. Areas near Virgin River offer cooler temperatures compared to town and opportunities for dogs to roam freely. A visitor commented that Valley of Fire Dispersed camping provides "hills on one side and an open plain on the other" with beautiful territorial views. During summer months, tent campers should prepare for extreme heat with appropriate shelter and water reserves, while winter brings cooler temperatures and occasional flash flood risks in low-lying areas.

Best Tent Sites Near Mesquite, Nevada (9)

    1. Virgin River Campgrounds

    2 Reviews
    Littlefield, AZ
    13 miles

    $25 / night

    "I'm so excited to have this property on our platform. Your host Brandon has put a lot of work into this property. Campsites have plenty of shade and the river is nearby."

    "We where very glad to find a peacfull, quiet, clen and clear sky campground in a beautifull desert location.

    We are very pleased to recommend Virgin River campground"

    2. Paiute Wilderness Area

    3 Reviews
    Littlefield, AZ
    18 miles
    +1 (435) 688-3200

    "There are dozens of trails to explore and access to VOF state park is easy. I had been wearing Coleman boots but found them to be too hot already for this trip so have switched to Fila."

    "In my typical fashion we don’t like to camp too close to others and we were able to do this in spectacular fashion."

    3. Beaver Dam Washington Dispersed Camping area

    4 Reviews
    Littlefield, UT
    20 miles
    Website
    +1 (435) 688-3200

    "Basic fire rings in several areas."

    "Unlike other reviews, I did not see any garbage or trash anywhere.  I have Verizon and had excellent service. Could not hear any road noise from the highway. "

    4. Valley of Fire Dispersed

    26 Reviews
    Overton, NV
    39 miles
    Website
    +1 (702) 515-5000

    "Found a flat spot next to a fire ring after traveling down a bumpy road"

    "Some rough road getting in and to some of the spots, but popular area with lots of fairly flat spots and fire rings."

    5. Veyo Pool and Crawdad Canyon

    4 Reviews
    Veyo, UT
    44 miles
    Website
    +1 (435) 574-2300

    $25 - $100 / night

    "Awesome campground tucked in the river valley directly outside of Veyo and 30 minutes outside of St. George! "

    "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."

    6. Pine Canyon Dam

    1 Review
    Caliente, NV
    47 miles
    Website
    +1 (775) 726-8100

    "Easy to get into the park and easy to get situated.

    All dirty, with concrete pads for your RV or Trailer.

    Not a bad spot, felt safe and headed out the next day during our commute."

    7. Zion Base Camp

    2 Reviews
    Hurricane, UT
    49 miles

    $25 - $35 / night

    "This campground provides a great place for groups and a central location for a lot of awesome things in Southern Utah. Each campsite has a firepit and picnic table."

    8. Mathews Canyon Dam

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    Caliente, NV
    48 miles
    +1 (775) 726-8100

    9. Pine Park Campground

    Be the first to review!
    Enterprise, UT
    50 miles
    Website
    +1 (435) 652-3100
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Recent Tent Camping Photos near Mesquite, NV

6 Photos of 9 Mesquite Campgrounds


Tent Camping Reviews near Mesquite, NV

468 Reviews of 9 Mesquite Campgrounds


  • C
    Nov. 18, 2019

    Westside Campground — Sand Hollow State Park

    Sand Hollow State Park

    Sand Hollow is a beautiful man made lake with bright red sand and clear waters. This park allows for motorized and non motorized boats, off road vehicles, rentals, camping and dogs.

    There are very limited spots by the water to camp, and fires are only allowed in specific fire rings. Outside firewood is not allowed. There is also an entrance fee to enter the park, National Park Passes will not work here.

    There are nice day use areas, and areas designated for camping. Tents and RVs allowed, although most access roads are covered in thick sand. I would not recommend taking a low clearance vehicle. There is also a small restaurant for food and vault toilets for use.

    You cannot camp around the entire lake. The back portion is fenced off, only allowing half of the lake to be occupied. I chose to camp as far away from the other campers by the backside of the lake. It was a very beautiful, sandy spot right by the water. However, it seemed like the other people staying at the park had no sense of respect or personal space. We set our tent up around 2:00pm and we constantly had ATV's, families with dogs off of the leash, fishermen etc walking/driving right through our site. This continued even through the night until quiet hours. Light and sound travel very well over this lake, so someone drunkenly singing with their buddies across the lake sounds like they are right next to you. People are driving their cars at all sorts of hours blinding you with the reflection off of the water. There are Park Rangers that drive around but don't seem to do anything. There was litter everywhere hidden in the sand. There are a couple of trees and bushes that provide some shade but I would recommend bringing a shade tent. There are also a couple of metal tables with attached chairs at some campsite locations.

    This would be a beautiful location to visit for the day with your family. I would not recommend camping here overnight unless you don't enjoy personal space, respectful neighbors, quiet hours or humming RVs.

  • MThe Dyrt PRO User
    Oct. 1, 2023

    Atlatl Rock Campground — Valley of Fire State Park

    Nice rocks Hot weather

    Arch rock campground is further up the road from Atlanta campground. It used to be a first come first serve campground, but just this month changed to a reservation system. If a site is not reserved and it is after 3pm, you can pay the iron ranger $10 for the site. Arch rock sites are more scenic than the other campground, but also more primitive with just vault toilet and water spigots distributed throughout the camp. No electricity. Desert big horn sheep do frequent the area. It can be very hot temperature. Sites are only modestly separated with little screening. Though the sites further up the loop are more dispersed. Each site has sun shade, table, fire ring, and 12’x12’ tent pads. No T-Mobile.

  • Emily F.
    Jan. 11, 2022

    Atlatl Rock Campground — Valley of Fire State Park

    Walk-in Site #21

    We were tent camping in #21 which is a walk-in site and my fav of the three walk sites of this area. Only about a 45 second walk but there are only three campsite on this side of the rocks and it’s quiet. Once spigot for water. Trash cans. 2 mins walk to the bathroom. Tent pad, fire pit, grill, picnic table. It was perfect.

  • t
    Sep. 22, 2021

    Quail Creek State Park Campground

    Nice place to stay with a dog

    The campground is small and clean with 1 restroom (no showers) and located next to the reservoir. The site was beautiful and scenic from all sides. We tent camped for 2 nights. Each site offers a shaded pinic table, fire pit, and tent pad. Most other sites are within eyesight but for a campground we felt that we had enough distance (plus the shade cover) to give us some privacy. There are no trees or hardscape to keep all sites out of view but there are lots of karge creosote bushes. There are trails and easy access to the reservoir and watercraft rentals (i.e. jet skis, paddleboards, kayaks). The staff was friendly too. We enjoyed our stay and loved how dog friendly everything was.

  • Joanne S.
    Oct. 26, 2019

    Atlatl Rock Campground — Valley of Fire State Park

    One of the nicest parks I’ve camped in!

    PROS: • Restrooms w/ flushing toilets • Showers w/ hot water • Parking within your site, loved the proximity • Faucet w/ running water on site • Fire pit w/ removable grill • BBQ grill • Covered picnic bench • Covered metal garbage cans walking distance from your site • Pet friendly • Visitor Center driving distance from site (within park) w/ items i.e. fire wood, fire starters, etc. • Lots of hiking trails to choose from! We drive to all of our trails

    CONS: • You have to be very patient to score a site. The sites are first come, first served — no reservations and the signs have always said that the campgrounds are FULL when I go here, apparently they’re not. My gf had gone earlier to the park bc I had to work and she had to scout for a spot. Initially, she was not able to find anything so she went for a hike then returned and scored a spot. Patience is key! • RE sites 16 or any that are up against a boulder. These sights are like megaphones. Everything said and done in these sites could be heard from very far distances. Night 1; musicians graced our ear drums with guitars sounds and singing. Night 2; family tortured our eardrums with their screaming child (sound echoed!) and conversations that had TMI written all over them. This is me venting but just be aware if you’re staying in any of these spaces and don’t be a d*€% in general :)

    Overall: love this place! Great for beginners in the world of camping. It eases you into it (w/ the access to toilets and showers) rather than straight roughing it off the bat.

  • Matthew K.
    Dec. 6, 2020

    Snow Canyon State Park Campground

    Not what we had hoped

    We reserved several nights here, based on the expectation of cell reception and electric. I'm working remotely, so these are must haves. When we got there, we found that there was zero service on either of our carriers, and no WiFi available.

    Only the RV sites have power, and the RV sites were pathetically small. They were basically parking spots with tiny shared picnic tables between them. It looked more like a Walmart parking lot than a campsite. Very disappointing.

    If you're able to go without power and internet, the tent sites were fairly nice. But if you need either, look elsewhere.

  • Emily L.
    Apr. 30, 2019

    Arch Rock Campground — Valley of Fire State Park

    One of my favorites

    My friends and I came here as somewhat of a celebration vacation. We had a little trouble our first night because we arrived so late and the campsites are first come first serve, but the next day we were able to score two of the walk-in campsites. Both have fire rings and a picnic table, and it provided us with enough privacy to truly enjoy our space, but we were close enough to cook dinner and have fires together at night. It’s so incredible laying in a smooth rock cove, eating hot dogs and laughing with your friends! I love the walk in camp sites here and will probably be back in the future

  • Les W.The Dyrt PRO User
    May. 31, 2021

    Echo Bay Lower Campground — Lake Mead National Recreation Area

    Echo bay RV village

    This is for the Echo Bay RV Village. Overall a very nice park. Has a whole sheet of rules though. No fire rings at the sites, only at two central locations. No generators but this area has full hook ups. Most of the rules appear to be broken regularly such as storing fuel at the site, more than two pets, noise etc. But it was a fairly nice park, however for the price I will stay at the rv village at Boulder beach.

  • John L.The Dyrt PRO User
    Mar. 10, 2025

    Valley of Fire Dispersed

    Nice spot to boondock

    Found a flat spot next to a fire ring after traveling down a bumpy road


Guide to Mesquite

Tent camping near Mesquite, Nevada offers a variety of scenic spots where nature lovers can unwind and enjoy the great outdoors. With options ranging from well-equipped campgrounds to more rustic settings, there's something for everyone.

Tent campers appreciate these amenities

  • The Virgin River Campgrounds features picnic tables, showers, and trash disposal, making it a convenient choice for families and groups.
  • At Veyo Pool and Crawdad Canyon, campers can enjoy a spring-fed pool, flushable toilets, and a market for snacks and supplies.
  • For those seeking a more rustic experience, the Valley of Fire Dispersed offers free camping with fire rings, though it lacks amenities like water and toilets.

Explore local attractions

  • The Paiute Wilderness Area is just a short drive from Mesquite and provides access to numerous trails and stunning desert landscapes.
  • Campers at Beaver Dam Wash Dispersed Spot can enjoy the unique beauty of Joshua trees and starry nights, perfect for nature photography.
  • The Zion Base Camp is conveniently located near Zion National Park, offering a great base for exploring one of the most beautiful national parks in the country.

Tent campers should check out unique features

  • The Pine Canyon Dam is a peaceful spot with free camping and no permit required, ideal for a quick stop during travels.
  • Campers at Mathews Canyon Dam can enjoy a serene environment, although it lacks amenities like electric hookups and showers.
  • The Veyo Pool and Crawdad Canyon is perfect for families, offering activities like rock climbing and crawdad fishing right at the campsite.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is the most popular tent campsite near Mesquite, NV?

According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Mesquite, NV is Virgin River Campgrounds with a 5-star rating from 2 reviews.

What is the best site to find tent camping near Mesquite, NV?

TheDyrt.com has all 9 tent camping locations near Mesquite, NV, with real photos and reviews from campers.