Best Campgrounds near Pahrump, NV

You'd think that being nestled in the Red Rock canyon area the views from here would be amazing. Maybe they are in one or two spots, but nothing of the sort in the RV area. 

I choose the RV spots since they seemed the furthest from what is a dense camping area; made to feel more so since there are no trees or anything to block the views of your neighbors 15 feet away. To call these RV spaces would be a stretch. It was a gravel parking lot with picnic tables and a few fire pits. And again, with no views at all since it's in a bit of a bowl shaped recess. 

No cellular service until you get a mile closer to the highway, so be prepared to go off line.

I will compliment the bathroom as being adequate. 

No host on site. That didn't matter to us.

Conditions in the region change fast and can be extreme. Be prepared.

The access to mountain bike trails was nice, even though we had to cross into some disallowed spaces to access them.

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 here many times in the past several months worth of dates spread over 2005-2007, 2013, 2018, and 2025. Nice upgrades since my first stays including the shaded structure spots.

This place is clean, a bit noisy, and very busy (busy-ness, loudness, light pollution are my reasons for only 3 stars).

I don’t remember hearing the gun range in the past but heard it each time I stayed recently (8 nights Mar-May 2025).

Typically booked but have been able to find a spot that was unoccupied (but reserved by someone else) by coming in late night/early morning; 5/5 on that this season.

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.