We arrived in the dark at 10:30pm on July 16th, 2018. 

We had a 3 day stay planned and were arriving very late. Some road construction prior to the 22 mile entrance road slowed us a bit adding an additional 30 minutes to our drive. You'll climb ~1600 feet over the 22 miles making the climb into the park an easy one. The park sits at 6200 feet and with that altitude you'll need to both hydrate well and be aware that you might feel some fatigue after a day or two. Summer is when all the construction is happening so plan accordingly (we ran into this several times). At the new Wingate Campground we stayed in, the place was all new for this season - we might have been the first ever to stay in that site. 

There are both flush toilets and pit toilets. As water is non-existent there, no water hookups are available. You must come with your own drinking water. There are sinks in the facilities but only for hand washing and no water filling of anything. Each site has a nice concrete covered area for the aluminum picnic table which is really needed for the harsh sun, which hits hard in the afternoon during the summer. Fires were not allowed due to high fire danger at the time (our fire pit has never been used). Firewood is available when fires are permitted but they bring it in from afar as there are no real trees either.

There are natural cactus everywhere which help protect the very delicate soil. Unlike campgrounds everywhere else, always stay to the paths.

The views, sunrise, and sunset are amazing from the site or from just down the road at the overlook. On the first morning I was greeted with the bright glow of red when I stepped from our trailer, it was breathtaking. 

The visitor center is just a few hundred yards back down the road and worth spending an hour or so, reading about the area, preservation work, and history.  As with all the national parks, they have a gift shop where you can get all types of things for your adventure including walking sticks, bandanas, water bottles, hats, patches, maps, books, and National Park Passports to name a few. There's also a coffee/food vendor located in the parking lot which is a nice treat. 

I highly recommend spending time at this location but would suggest either Springtime or better yet, Fall for your outing when the temperatures remain under 90.