Campgrounds and RV parks near Carey, ID

The main draw is Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve, a roughly 750,000-acre landscape of lava flows, cinder cones, and lava tubes centered on the Great Rift. The seven-mile Loop Road accesses short family trails like North Crater Flow and Devils Orchard, plus the cave area. A free permit from the visitor center is required to enter any cave, part of a screening program to prevent the spread of white-nose syndrome to bats. Silver Creek, south of Carey, is a well-known catch-and-release fly-fishing water managed in part by The Nature Conservancy. To the north, the Pioneer Mountains and Sun Valley area (about an hour west via Highway 20) add hiking, hot springs, and mountain biking. Backcountry hiking within the monument's preserve is allowed with an overnight permit from the visitor center.

The prime RV season runs late May through September. Lava Flow Campground inside Craters of the Moon is accessible by vehicle roughly May through November depending on snow conditions, and the monument itself remains open year-round. The Loop Road is typically closed to motorized travel from mid-November to mid-April so it can build a snowpack for cross-country skiing and snowshoeing. Summer daytime highs on the lava plain often exceed 28 C, and the black basalt radiates intense heat, making shade and water critical. Spring brings unpredictable weather, with snow still possible in March and April and wildflowers appearing on the lava fields in late May and June. Early fall is generally dry and settled, with cool nights and quieter campgrounds after Labor Day. Winter tent and snow camping is possible at Lava Flow via walk-in once the Loop Road closes to vehicles, water is turned off in the campground, and services along Highway 20/26/93 are limited. Several private RV parks in Arco and Carey close or reduce operations from late October through March.

This is high-desert RV country. Elevations around Craters of the Moon sit near 5,900 feet, so overnight temperatures drop sharply even in summer, and afternoon thunderstorms with wind gusts are common. Shade is scarce on the lava plain, and awnings should be retracted when leaving a site. Lava Flow has flush toilets and drinking water spigots during the main season but no hookups on general sites, no showers, and no dump station. The Park Service asks visitors not to fill RV fresh water tanks from the campground spigots. Private parks in Arco and Carey provide full hookups, dumps, and Wi-Fi of variable quality. Cell signal is weak to nonexistent inside much of the monument. Come prepared with extra fresh water, sun protection, sturdy closed-toe shoes for sharp lava, and a headlamp for cave exploration. Wood fires are prohibited inside the monument; charcoal in the provided grills is allowed.