Best Equestrian Camping near Mount Charleston, NV

Summer time might not be the best time to try to camp in southern Nevada but with mild fall and winter this campsite leaves a lot of options for those looking for an outdoor adventure.

I spent much of early spring at Red Rock enjoying the facilities, the hiking, the vistas and yes the camping. This campground does accept reservations for group sites however individual sites are walk up first come first serve and with those mild weekends they do fill up quickly. Weekdays are suggested if you can make it out as it is a bit easier to get a site during those days.

One thing most do not consider with camping at this location is the proximity to the Las Vegas strip and all the tourists which that includes. This campsite is coveted and many who wish to venture beyond the brights lights find themselves at this nationally acclaimed facility.

A few things to also consider before traveling here:

1- No cell servIce at the campground for any provIder, fact is unless you hike to the peaks you wIll not fInd any cell service for miles.

2- Campground sometimes appears full when in fact people are parking here instead of camping so do not get turned away without a quick once through the campground itself.

3- No hookups for electrIcal or water at individual sItes. If you must have power you will want to consider alternative sources.

RV campers as well as tent campers are able to stay at thIs locatIon however It does sway a bIt more toward tent campIng In way of spacing and availabilIty.

Cost to camp are $15 for single tent campers like myself. ThIs Includes a pIcnIc table and awning but more Importantly proximity to the park itself. Most don’t inquire about stay length but for a blogger lIke myself I had to know and elected to ask, because who wouldnt want the best vIews In the area as long as possIble! 14 days!!

Great campground really close to Vegas (at night you can see that light beam from the Luxor). It appears that they keep adding more awnings over the picnic tables, and there are nice little benches around the fire rings. No showers, but nice bathrooms and you can get cell service (if that is important to you). There's also a nice grocery store close by. If you are coming to Red Rock to climb, you will have plenty of friends here. There are a couple of nice trails through the dessert, and there are supposed to be big horn sheep but I didn't see any.

This campground is an easy few miles outside of the suburbs of Las Vegas. So easy in fact, I needed cell service and was able to drive five minutes to an Albertson’s grocery store parking lot to make a phone call and use the internet browser on my iPhone. As a local I was opposed to this new construction so close to Red Rock for this reason. The park doesn’t feel like a getaway as much as other parks.

The campground is closed during the summer months when it reaches 100 degrees Fahrenheit by 7 AM. We camped in January and it reached the low 60s in the day and dipped to the 30s with rain at night. Spring or fall weather is much better fro tent camping. We were comfortable in an RV.

Most sites had steel roofed canopies and all had a fire ring and grill. The driving paths are pea gravel and the roads are gravel and desert dirt. They are well maintained and a few years ago benches and railroad timber barriers were installed. Bathrooms were very clean with a bunch of sanitizer and toilet paper. Drinking water spigots were also clean and had good water pressure. No hookups are available for RVs.

Overall, this campground earned 4 stars because the views weren’t as impressive as the actual park. The park is a very short drive down the road but waking up with beautiful views is something I look for. And the proximity to the city didn’t offer the feeling of isolation I like in a camping trip. It was convenient but the city lights could be seen glowing over the hill and the sky wasn’t as dark for stargazing as I prefer on a camping trip.

If going here, the park is a world class rock climbing destination and bike riding or driving driving the scenic loop are my recommended activities.

Had an overall good experience camping here! Plenty of spaces, both big and small, with some far enough from the main road so you don’t hear traffic. Small pieces of trash left behind from other people here and there. Some hikes are located very close to camp as well.

Keep in mind that fires may not be allowed if a No Fire mandate is being enforced. Fire pits in this campsite will have a little yellow flag in them as a reminder as well as a large sign at the entrance to the camp stating the same. This does depend on the season or climate at the time you are going. Small propane stoves for cooking are still allowed nonetheless.

The campground is good place to spend the night to visit the canyon (as of November 2020 there is a $15 entrance fee & they recommend making reservations prior to visiting). The campground is on a flat stretch of land next to base of canyons. During our stay it was extremely windy knocking over our tent (yup staked down & guy lined).

At drive up I was starting to feel a little disappointed on how close the neighboring city is, but once you’re at the campground & canyon you forget the city is a five minute drive away. (Reason why I reviewed it 4 vs 5- sorry!)

Overall great spot for a weekend family trip.

I stayed in Vegas for several months and found this to be one of my homes away from home. Sure I was close but I also wanted to get out of the house and camp where the weather was nice. During fall and winter this place is great, even into early spring (although rain can get you from time to time then). I visited with my friends constantly and hiked many of the trails.

I loved the camping spaces out here because they opened right up into the park itself and you could literally hike from there to an adventure or drive into the main entrance and find something deeper into the park.

While those are the pros, with that also come a few cons. Coyotes are very predominant in this area so you will want to make sure if you travel with pets they are not left unattended and you will also want to make sure you put food away.

Snakes, during fall and winter these are not bad because they are not out and about, but come spring they start to resurface. These aren't your nice little garden snakes either these are the really scary bad ones.

Spiders! yep they have all the scary things out here and they are the spiders which create webs that look more like they are taking over a tree. Again this begins in late spring so that is when my hiking always stopped.

During the right time of year this place is a goldmine of opportunity!!!