Best Campgrounds near Searchlight, NV

Searchlight, Nevada serves as a gateway to diverse camping experiences ranging from primitive Bureau of Land Management (BLM) sites to developed lakeside facilities. BLM Knob Hill Primitive Camping, located north of town, provides free dispersed camping with expansive desert views and Joshua trees stretching to the horizon. Approximately 14 miles east of Searchlight, Cottonwood Cove Campground on Lake Mohave offers established sites with basic amenities including drinking water, picnic tables, and fire rings. The surrounding Lake Mead National Recreation Area contains multiple camping options including Telephone Cove, which provides primitive lakeside camping with vault toilets but no hookups. Cree's Mobile Home Park in Searchlight itself offers full hookups for RVers seeking more amenities while maintaining proximity to outdoor recreation.

Road conditions vary significantly throughout the region, with many dispersed sites requiring careful navigation on dirt roads. As one camper noted, "The dirt road to the site was rutted but far from impassible even in our little sedan." Summer temperatures regularly exceed 100°F, making spring and fall the preferred camping seasons. Winter brings milder temperatures but occasional cold nights. The 14-mile descent to Cottonwood Cove drops approximately 2,900 feet in elevation, creating dramatic temperature and vegetation changes. Cell service is spotty in many areas, particularly in canyons and behind hills. BLM lands typically allow 14-day stays before requiring relocation, while developed campgrounds may have different reservation systems and stay limits.

Stargazing receives consistent praise from visitors to the area, with minimal light pollution outside town limits. Wildlife viewing opportunities include jackrabbits, songbirds, coyotes, and various desert species. Water-based recreation dominates at Lake Mohave sites, where "beautiful coves with clear water and soft sand" provide swimming and boating access. Campers frequently mention the area's quietness and seclusion as major draws. "Though the turn off is a bit hard to spot when it gets dark, the sites on Wee Thump Rd are very nice. Gorgeous views of mountains and Joshua Trees as far as the eye can see," reports one BLM camper. Limited services in Searchlight itself (primarily gas stations, a McDonald's, and a few small stores) mean campers should arrive prepared with supplies, especially for more remote locations.

Best Camping Sites Near Searchlight, Nevada (123)

    1. Cottonwood Cove Campground — Lake Mead National Recreation Area

    11 Reviews
    Searchlight, NV
    13 miles
    Website

    "Ranger Review: Midland X-Talker Two-way Radios at Cottonwood Cove Lower Campground, Lake Mead National Recreation Area, NV CAMPGROUND REVIEW

    Cottonwood Cove Lower Campground is located 14 miles"

    "No service, but it's just a short walk to the marina where you can get signal or they offer wifi. Each space has a picnic table, fire pit and grill."

    2. BLM Knob Hill Primitive Camping

    5 Reviews
    Searchlight, NV
    9 miles
    Website
    +1 (702) 515-5000

    "Very little noise from the nearby state route, though there was more light pollution than we expected. For its proximity to Vegas (1/2 hour) and LA (4.5 hours), it was a hidden gem!"

    "and the main dirt road goes As far as the eye can see you so there’s plenty of places to pull over park camp and enjoy your time when you first pull in there’s decent spots for big rigs but I wouldn’t drive"

    3. Six Mile Cove — Lake Mohave

    7 Reviews
    Searchlight, NV
    13 miles
    Website
    +1 (702) 293-8990

    $20 - $55 / night

    "Stay away from it. You’ll thank me later."

    "Went to set up camp on a saturday around 10am. It was packed! Day goers were gone by around 5pm. It was nice and peaceful, super pretty views. At night the stars are clearly visible."

    4. Searchlight BLM

    2 Reviews
    Searchlight, NV
    6 miles
    Website
    +1 (702) 515-5000

    "Need to drive some gravel roads to get there. We were all alone when we went to sleep and the only light or noise was from the nearby highway."

    "There was a small group that parked here and went off to ride, then zoomed back and zipped around the hills and jumps in this spot before packing up and going home."

    5. Cottonwood Cove Resort RV Park — Lake Mead National Recreation Area

    5 Reviews
    Searchlight, NV
    13 miles
    Website

    "My husband and I have been coming to Lake Mojave for years. This is our first campground we ever stayed at together. Marina is nice and has everything you’ll need."

    "Dumpsters were available but it was obvious that the people there that day were too lazy to walk a few ft ahead to throw their trash away in a dumpster that wasn’t full."

    6. Cree’s Mobile Home Park

    1 Review
    Searchlight, NV
    1 mile
    Website
    +1 (702) 297-1532

    $28 - $450 / night

    "ALOT OF PEOPLE GO OUT TO THE LAKE AND STRIKE OUT ON SPOTS BUT WITH THIS LITTLE HIDDEN GEM YOU STILL GET THE CLOSENESS OF THE LAKE BUT AWAY FROM ALL THE WILD NIGHTS."

    7. Cal-Nev-Ari RV Park

    2 Reviews
    Searchlight, NV
    13 miles
    Website
    +1 (702) 297-1115

    "Each spot has trees for shade and the surrounding mountains are a beautiful back drop during the day and definitely at sunset. There is a small casino next door with food and of course gambling."

    9. Davis Camp Park - Mohave County

    21 Reviews
    Bullhead City, AZ
    28 miles
    Website
    +1 (928) 754-7250

    "The Colorado river is beautiful and at your door step. Rent jet skis or go on a boat ride from the Casino across the river on the Nevada side in Laughlin."

    "Loved being able to set up our Napier Sportz tent with our Subaru at the river's edge on the Colorado River just outside of Bullhead City, Az. (across from Laughlin, NV). So clear!"

    10. Lake Mohave - Nevada Telephone Cove — Lake Mead National Recreation Area

    12 Reviews
    Bullhead City, AZ
    25 miles
    Website
    +1 (702) 293-8990

    "Telephone Cove is a beautiful and very peaceful location. We visited on a Tuesday in early April. Although it seemed somewhat crowded for a weekday, everyone we encountered was friendly."

    "Beautiful area just outside of Laughlin, Nevada. Right on a Cove of Lake Mead. Four Mile unpaved Road to get down to the lake and anywhere between 15 to 20 camping spots depending on group size."

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Recent Reviews near Searchlight, NV

841 Reviews of 123 Searchlight Campgrounds


  • MThe Dyrt PRO User
    Oct. 21, 2025

    Windy Point Campground

    Beautiful campground BEWARE of road

    One of the most beautiful places we’ve stayed. We came in on the 9 mile route and came down on the 11 mile road. Both roads required AWD/high clearance. I’m When we came down (Oct 2025) the 11 mile route also required off road tires and lots of skill. A storm blew through a couple of weeks prior and did some damage. Pretty sure BLM would have had the gate closed if the govt wasn’t shut down.

  • Bill B.The Dyrt PRO User
    Oct. 21, 2025

    Las Vegas RV Resort

    East side conveniences

    Staff personnel are very helpful and efficient. Las Vegas is spread out which makes it more convenient if you have your own vehicle to use. The option is to use a ride share (Uber or Lift). You do not want to use your Big Rig to get around. This park has approximately 75% long term residents, being here has converted us to stay at least, and probably we will stay even longer. The pool & hot tub are open year round.

  • e
    Oct. 15, 2025

    Cottonwood Cove Campground — Lake Mead National Recreation Area

    Great for access to lake Mohave

    Beware you also need to pay entry to Lake Meade recreational area. View from campsite itself isn’t great, mostly gravel hills, but the campground is a short walk from the lovely lake Mohave. Campground has clean, flush toilets. Some issues with rusty/dirty drinking water taps and animal faeces in some of the pitches. Overall fairly basic for the cost

  • e
    Oct. 15, 2025

    Hole In The Wall Campground — Mojave National Preserve

    If you visit the mojave desert visit this campsite!

    Gorgeous location, and a spacious quiet campsite. Great for stargazing! There are drop toilets which are very clean and plenty of drinking water near every site. There is a great 0.5mile walk to a visitor centre which has lots of info and wifi. If you visit ensure you enter through the road from the south - it has tarmac. The north road to enter is 15miles of washboard so is somewhat unsuitable for 2 wheel drive car

  • Kate S.
    Oct. 11, 2025

    Laughlin Avi KOA / Journey

    Dirty, Bad Water, No Wifi

    Stayed 3 nights. Mold in showers and mildew on shower curtains. You can tell they don’t clean the stall walls or scrub around the shower base because there is mold and gross stained calcium everywhere and marks on the stalls from water and dirt didn’t change from day to day. Water pressure was terrible in bathrooms; had cold showers most of the time. Campground manager has a Trump flag so that should tell you a lot. Office was closed during open hours. Laundry hours not ideal when you’re out all day at the beach. Wifi never worked but they claim they have it. Talked with other campers and they said it has never worked for them. Signal but it doesn’t stay connected. Surprised this place can even carry the KOA brand name. It’s so poorly maintained and dumpy.

  • Alisa P.The Dyrt PRO User
    Oct. 9, 2025

    Chloride Western R.V. Park

    5+ stars

    This place is great! It is super clean and the spots are big and level. Mike and Lori the owners are very friendly and really love having guest. They have some full time RVers but everyone here is polite and the park is very quiet. The laundry and bathroom facilities are clean and available 24 hours. The town of Chloride is rich with mining history and the locals are very friendly. We did a lot of ATV riding while here. Lots of rain recently made a couple roads a little scary but we went far enough to see some old mines. This is definitely a great spot to stop for a night or more, and at only $45 for full hook ups and WiFi worth the stop! We didn’t have any cell service but it wasn’t a problem since we didn’t have the WiFi

  • Connie H.The Dyrt PRO User
    Oct. 9, 2025

    King's Row RV Park

    Decent Place to Stay for a Good Price

    We stayed here for one night with our pop-up camper while passing thru Vegas. The park was about a 15-20 minute drive to The Strip depending on traffic. The park was quiet and we had no issues at all. We noticed security on the grounds at night. The manager was nice and helpful. We stayed in site 542 which was at the end of a row. The site was a little small but good enough for our stay. The bathhouse was clean and the showers were hot with good pressure. The laundromat was great. The park wi-fi had a good signal at our site.

  • D M.
    Oct. 8, 2025

    Snowbird RV Resort

    Retaliatory evictions, disagreement of manager,dog owner responsibilities

    ***SNOW BIRD RV RESORTS***

    NON LEGAL EVICTION 10/2/25

    VIOLATION OF LEASH LAW & PET OWNER RESPONSIBILTY***

    I Dennis Fagan, 10/02/2025

     recieved a notice from management . 

    The noticed stated that I need to pick up dog poo against the fence line, so maintenence workers dont step in it or should havevto pick up Dog poo when clening out at fence line. Since I dont own any pets I went to management.

    I informed her I don't have any pets, and my yard is clean of debris and trash. She stated it is tenants responsibility to pick up dog poo. I recited the rules that state, All dogs must be on leash and not tresspass into others lot. I Also stated it is the responsibility of dog owner to clean up after their animals and they should locate the dog owners and give them the notice and or fines.

    She said if you dont like it I will just terminate your lease, cause I am not arguing about this , I do not want to hear it. Threw her hands up and walked away to her office. 

     A new order of tenants responsibilitys newly made up and what circumvents the real and original rules of park to managements threats of termination of renting. 

    My lot is clean and neat and I do not own no Dog and feel not responceable to pick up after others dog craping on my lot. She/manager got pissy with me and said I was to be and had to pick up any dog crap on my lot. Which there's none. Then said or else I could move out and go to another park. I told her yea, I know that. And I know I'm not the one who's responsible for any dog crap being on my lot. That i dont even own a Dog. Then she threatened to terminate my rental space. Then in a beavalent tone, well them I'll write you up a termination of residency and refused to discuss this at all.

    So yesterday after she went off and end of her work day, sent a letter to vacate property, taped to my door. I found the rules of park sent to me and it dose not say anything about all residents having the job of cleaning up after other dogs on our lots. As a matter of fact it says the dog owners are not allowed to trespass on our lots even with dog. And those dog owner were responsible for policing there dogs and walking on leash and not allowed tresspass on other lots.

    So I think she pick a very bad hill to die on, but im going to fight her on this principal of making up punishable rules that were not part of any move-in rules given, emailed to me on day one. After eight months, to evict a 60 year old man cause anyone disagrees with her/ managements notions that everyone in park are responsible for the owners of dogs and the crap left behind the owner refused to pick up after there dog.

     Stated all others are required to pick up after anyone's dog that happen to trespass on our lots. When the rules state that they are not to trespass on our lots in first place. Second to have dogs on leash and third are not to trespass on other lots invading privacy of others.

    And was not in any of the previous move-in rules of park. I told her/manager my lot is clean and I keep it that way. That she can not be serious to make it our responsibility the clean up after others that violate the rules in first place, that don't pick up after there own dogs, when walking and they trespass on lots so dog can crap at fence line of bushes, just so there maintained crews dont have to deal with what is the responsibility of the park to go after the offenders of the real and expected rules of the park and make up new rules to get it resolved and not even address the real issue. No matter how un just or fair it may be. They burden with threats of eviction. Then threaten and actually evicte people cause we dont share her/managements circumventing the established rules and views to make up rules that try and replace the real parks rules on dog owners, to any and all none dog owners. That should pick up after there dogs when walking there dogs.

    To place fines to the violators and threaten to eviction to them. No dogs are allowed to be off leash and are not to trespass on others lots to cause destruction and mess up others area they are not allowed to be on in the first place. 

    Too, they should be fined as other parks do and if this issue keeps up then its the responsibility of management to evict those that are literally braking the rules and are trespassing onto other lots with there dogs. And allows those to check out what goods are at other people's lots. Making this a possible way to incurage for others to steal or take things off tresspassed lots. These that do not follow the real rules of park should bare retaliation of management, not the rule abiding and elderly citizens that mind there own place. 

    Her/management evicting me cause, I disagree of my being told I'm responsible for others dog owners lack of abiding and violating to, said rules. I find it absurd they would be evicting for knowing it is the true responsibility (of management) to find who is violating parks rules and to address them for there obvious infractions. To make it easier on there camp workers when trimming bushes and fence line as stated. As if its not possible that the camp workers should be having to work around the dog owners clear violations or should have to rack up said dog poo. Instead they'd rather place blame and responsibility onto elderly and other renters only. On made up new rules that are not in renters rules as they write is everyone's responsibility not managements.

    If they can enforce there rules in the first place and fine and kick out violators ignoring said rules as other parks do. We'd not have a dictators ego and stressing out others when not nessasary and violates the tenants peace of mind. To live without management harassment when they feel like imposing dictatorship rules over established rules that obviously are not being inforced.

    I think its a low handed disgraceful act of management to place sole responsibility on none dog owners of rule violations, done by others not the victims of someone violating the rules. And go to evicting persons that keep there lots well maintained and abide by the real rules set and given on first arrive.

     Saying no tenants have any rights to disagree with management that places and shifts responsibility of the owners of dogs to everyone else, so there camp workers don't have to deal with the poo in there way of trimming trees and bushes.

     And treaten to eviction anyone that don't want to jump and do there every made up rules to satisfy there egos as dictators not addressing or to inforce the rules of park and said violated the established rules. Then violate the rights of other tenants and stressing them out and placing a fear factor on everyone's heads, that they may serve an eviction on you if you disagree or dont feel it's our jobs to clean up after violators of rules we originally agreed to moving into park.

  • Alisa P.The Dyrt PRO User
    Oct. 7, 2025

    W Big Wash Road Dispersed

    Not for a big rig

    With all the resent rain the 2nd spot to camp the road has washed out a bit….very uneven ground. We decided to head back toward the highway to see if the spot closer to the road would be better


Guide to Searchlight

Camping near Searchlight, Nevada, offers a mix of beautiful landscapes and unique experiences. Whether you're looking to pitch a tent or park your RV, there are several campgrounds that cater to different needs.

What to do:

What campers like:

What you should know:

  • Limited Amenities: Some campgrounds, like Dispersed-jean/roach Dry Lakes, lack basic facilities. A visitor noted, "There’s no water, but very convenient, as it is close to Vegas."
  • Crowded During Peak Season: Expect busy weekends at popular spots like Davis Camp Park - Mohave County. One camper said, "I can see in summer or holiday weekends it could be a crazy busy place."
  • Fees and Reservations: Some campgrounds charge fees and require reservations. A camper at Cottonwood Cove Campground mentioned, "Must be done online, quiet, peaceful and only a couple other campers here."

Tips for camping with families:

  • Choose Family-Friendly Campgrounds: Look for spots like Canyon Trail RV Park that offer amenities like a pool. A reviewer said, "The park was very clean and the people super nice."
  • Plan Activities: Make sure to have activities for kids. One family at Willow Beach RV Park enjoyed fishing and canoeing, stating, "Emerald cove is amazing."
  • Pack Snacks and Drinks: Keep everyone happy with plenty of snacks. A camper at Davis Camp Park - Mohave County mentioned using park showers to keep from filling their black tank, indicating the need for planning.

Tips from RVers:

  • Check Road Conditions: Some roads can be rough. A visitor at Dispersed-jean/roach Dry Lakes said, "Road in is definitely not RV friendly."
  • Look for Full Hookups: Campgrounds like Canyon Trail RV Park offer full hookups, which are great for longer stays. A reviewer noted, "Full hookups, pool, spa, and a close proximity to Vegas."
  • Be Prepared for Heat: If camping in summer, be ready for high temperatures. A camper at Riverside Casino and RV Park mentioned, "Full hookups but did not get cold water this time of year."

Camping near Searchlight, Nevada, has something for everyone, from families to solo adventurers. Just remember to plan ahead and enjoy the great outdoors!

Frequently Asked Questions

What camping is available near Searchlight, NV?

According to TheDyrt.com, Searchlight, NV offers a wide range of camping options, with 123 campgrounds and RV parks near Searchlight, NV and 39 free dispersed camping spots.

Which is the most popular campground near Searchlight, NV?

According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular campground near Searchlight, NV is Cottonwood Cove Campground — Lake Mead National Recreation Area with a 2.7-star rating from 11 reviews.

Where can I find free dispersed camping near Searchlight, NV?

According to TheDyrt.com, there are 39 free dispersed camping spots near Searchlight, NV.

What parks are near Searchlight, NV?

According to TheDyrt.com, there are 9 parks near Searchlight, NV that allow camping, notably Lake Mead National Recreation Area and Mojave National Preserve.