About a dozen sites with 30 amp electric around a big gravel parkingot. Picnic table. No water, no dump, restrooms out of order. Store clerk was friendly.Free camping across the road at museum, which is closed.

We stayed here in April on a weekday, there were only 2 other campers here. It is a first come first serve campground. Because it dropped to 17 degrees while we were here we opted for the electric thinking it was $16 as previous campers have stated but we were informed it would be $25 each night plus tax. In addition the lady in the gi...moreWe stayed here in April on a weekday, there were only 2 other campers here. It is a first come first serve campground. Because it dropped to 17 degrees while we were here we opted for the electric thinking it was $16 as previous campers have stated but we were informed it would be $25 each night plus tax. In addition the lady in the gift shop was very rude. That being said the proximity to Petrified Forest cannot be beat.

We pulled into this place around 4pm on a Thursday and spent the night. We had a few other neighbors parked but still plenty of space for everyone. There are a few spots with covered picnic tables, and we got one of those. We were heading east so in the morning we just drove through the petrified forest (highly recommend that) and cont...moreWe pulled into this place around 4pm on a Thursday and spent the night. We had a few other neighbors parked but still plenty of space for everyone. There are a few spots with covered picnic tables, and we got one of those. We were heading east so in the morning we just drove through the petrified forest (highly recommend that) and continued on 40. Really awesome place to stop if you just need a secure place to park.

We stayed here three nights to be able to have two full days in the park. Well worth it. At the northwest side of the road to the park gate is the gift shop and parking lot camping with electrical. And I think that is still $16/night. We stayed on the southeast side of the road with no electricity and no cost. Both sides have picn...moreWe stayed here three nights to be able to have two full days in the park. Well worth it. At the northwest side of the road to the park gate is the gift shop and parking lot camping with electrical. And I think that is still $16/night. We stayed on the southeast side of the road with no electricity and no cost. Both sides have picnic tables. We always had neighbors who came in late in the day and left when the park gate opened in the morning. When we got here, we just pulled into the free non-electrical side and setup without checking at the gift store. This side also has a gift shop building, but it is closed and boarded up. It is all a very tired looking area but we would stay again because of the ease of touring the park from here.You can see on google earth that there is an additional fenced area to the NE of the area on this side directly off the entrance from the road. The additional area has plenty of space and nine concrete pads. It seems like the entrance to that area is blocked with a petrified stump, but a big pickup could still squeeze into it. I don't know what the status of that area is.There are no restrooms available on this side at all. The gift shop has rest rooms but there were signs on them saying they are out of order and closed. I don't know if that is short or long term. So you must bring your own pot to pee in. There are restrooms 2 miles up the road at the park museum and the park is open from 8 to 5. There is nothing to do here other than chat up the neighbors, tour the gift store, or go into the park.The gift shop has an amazing collection of rocks that deserves a good long look. The lady at the desk when I was in there was very pleasant.The park is open 8 am to 5 pm. There is a gate on a timer that automatically opens at 8 am to let visitors in. That gate closes at 5 pm, but it has a motion sensor. It will open to let visitors out after 5:00 so you won't get stuck inside the park. The rangers seem to be at the popular spots to hustle folks along at about 5, but I don't think they are particularly pushy. We were always out at about 5.This parking lost has a minor slope to it. We easily leveled a 30 ft trailer. It is dirt/gravel. There would be some spots to avoid when it was wet. We had a picnic table and ramada, both rather beat up. It feels safe and secure. We were gone all day both days. It is flat country and nothing to stop the wind. This free side is a little tighter to move around in, but there is lots of room for big rigs on the other side. It was easy to get our 30 ft trailer in here while it was empty. It would have been a little trickier if this side had been full.

Anyone that dreams of staying under the stars as close as you can get to staying in the petrified forest should stay here one side is for anyone who wants to plug in. $16 super cheap for sleeping around chunks of petrified wood and gazing at the night sky. Bad WiFi so if that is a big deal to you don’t stay here. If it’s not and you wa...moreAnyone that dreams of staying under the stars as close as you can get to staying in the petrified forest should stay here one side is for anyone who wants to plug in. $16 super cheap for sleeping around chunks of petrified wood and gazing at the night sky. Bad WiFi so if that is a big deal to you don’t stay here. If it’s not and you want to just enjoy it you will love it. You need to have your own bathroom too no staying in a car here.

Petrified Forest Gift Shop recommended we stay free at closed Crystal Forest Shop across the street. Must be totally self contained. Has “spaces” and picnic tables but that’s all. Negative past reviews on previous ownership but seems like no one is there now.

Picture this: as you turn off highway 180 to the entrance to Petrified Forest National Park, there are two gift stores, one on your left and one on the right, both just before the park gate (park closes at five pm). The one on the right does not charge for camping and offers no services, per Campendium. I did not confirm this. ...morePicture this: as you turn off highway 180 to the entrance to Petrified Forest National Park, there are two gift stores, one on your left and one on the right, both just before the park gate (park closes at five pm). The one on the right does not charge for camping and offers no services, per Campendium. I did not confirm this. The petrified wood store and campground on the left give you a 30 amp electric-only site for $16. The rest rooms in the store are closed. There are no rest rooms in the campground. You must be self-contained to stay here. The campground is just a large dirt and gravel area. Our site was muddy because it had rained a bit. It’s certainly quiet out here in the middle of nowhere. Probably the biggest surprise, and a good one, based on other reviews, is that I have four bars of 3G AT&T service. The person inside was very friendly and let me choose my own site.The access and location are superb to visit Petrified Forest NP, but the campground itself is a bare bones operation that needs a real makeover.

One thing that is unique is that there is petrified wood bordering entire park and each site. That being said, I do agree with another post that staff inside store was not the friendliest. It could be the general disposition of the worker that was off-putting though, nothing in particular. She did not allow us to pick a site, just assi...moreOne thing that is unique is that there is petrified wood bordering entire park and each site. That being said, I do agree with another post that staff inside store was not the friendliest. It could be the general disposition of the worker that was off-putting though, nothing in particular. She did not allow us to pick a site, just assigned us one, so we ended up with 3 RVs packed together on the same side of park when nicer sites were open and empty on the opposite side with more shade. They don’t accept debit/credit cards for purchases under $10, and items are very expensive in the shop. Sites are small with a concrete slab and picnic table at each site. Electric hookups only, no water or dump station close by- that we were able to find. Closest store/gas was 17 miles down the road. You are truly out in nowhere here. Nothing remarkable nearby to see from your site, lots of desert terrain. You are right near the entrance to the Petrified Forest, so that’s a bonus. We actually had decent service with Verizon. It remained 2-3 bars and we were able to use the internet and stream with only a couple of short buffering breaks.

The price is right and is dependent upon the amenities you are looking for. We stayed on the west side which has electric only. There is no dump station and no water. Both of the rv parks on this intersection are first come, first serve. The west side is electric only. The east side has water and I am not certain about dump sta...more The price is right and is dependent upon the amenities you are looking for. We stayed on the west side which has electric only. There is no dump station and no water. Both of the rv parks on this intersection are first come, first serve. The west side is electric only. The east side has water and I am not certain about dump station or service. When we arrived the only places available were located on the west side. The gift shops associated with this place are very expensive for most things, especially petrified wood. I have seen where people felt that the staff was not very friendly, however we found them to be helpful and very nice. The shops are fascinating to just walk through and look at the various items for sale. It is also a museum of sorts and has some interesting displays which I found much more entertaining than the one we saw in the petrified forest. We did find some reasonable geodes and petrified wood in the East museum shop for $2/lb. If you want petrified wood check out Dobell Ranch near here., Their prices are much better and the experience is unforgettable. We really enjoyed their sense of humor here. There is an old car in the parking lot with a great big piece of petrified wood in the back of it. Hilarious! It is a must see to believe type thing. We would definitely stay here again. There is not many places to camp near the Petrified forest and no rv camping in the forest. There is limited permit tent camping in the forest. This place does not allow tents (I think there is no place to put them) but they have teepees they rent out m, I believe. We had a nice trip, met some interesting people and enjoyed visiting the museums here. We had limited cellular service. Plenty to make calls, texts, and slow internet searches. Not enough ummph to stream however on Verizon.

This was a decent place. Electric only, nice new cement slabs with picnic tables. CLEAN! We were the only ones there for the night. Absolutely zero AT&T cell service. Drove 10ish miles toward the interstate to get service.

This could have easily been a good experience but the people at the office were so unfriendly. The rate has gone up to $15 plus tax. No one else was in the park and they insisted check out time was 10 am which doesn't Allow any time to see the park before leaving. I asked if we could have an extra hour or 2 since there was obviousl...moreThis could have easily been a good experience but the people at the office were so unfriendly. The rate has gone up to $15 plus tax. No one else was in the park and they insisted check out time was 10 am which doesn't Allow any time to see the park before leaving. I asked if we could have an extra hour or 2 since there was obviously plant of empty space and they adamantly said NO! I didn't take time to check out the crystal campground across the street but it had a sign that said free camping which we didn't notice until we had parked at this one.

lady very nice. Great stay over and only one other camper. Stayed end of June 2020

$12.00 plus tax. The Lady in the gift shop was very nice and helpful. Ask info about camping and she set me up at a site with shade. Yes first come first serve. Have about 10 sites with 30 amp hookup. No water or dump. Has a nice picnic table at each site too. We got there about noon and there was no campers. Only thing I can say it t...more$12.00 plus tax. The Lady in the gift shop was very nice and helpful. Ask info about camping and she set me up at a site with shade. Yes first come first serve. Have about 10 sites with 30 amp hookup. No water or dump. Has a nice picnic table at each site too. We got there about noon and there was no campers. Only thing I can say it that its a win win situation.

We stayed one night as we were just passing thru. Next morning the owner comes by saying she let us stay since we arrived late the night before but asked us not to stay another night. She didn’t kick us out or anything but It seems like she does not want anyone camping there as long as the park and gift shop are closed (which I underst...moreWe stayed one night as we were just passing thru. Next morning the owner comes by saying she let us stay since we arrived late the night before but asked us not to stay another night. She didn’t kick us out or anything but It seems like she does not want anyone camping there as long as the park and gift shop are closed (which I understand) even if you are self contained. For any future boondockers coming through here I would wait until the park opens back up to try to camp here again. Seemed like a nice lady though. I would definitely camp here again if the park was open. The night sky is beautiful, it’s super quiet, you’re out in the middle of nowhere. I had two bars of Visible (off Verizon network) and phone calls could be made but internet was slow. Husband had no service with tmobile.

This place was the only free spot for the area we needed to be in. It's convenient, quiet, and the police drove by at night for courtesy checks. We went in the next morning to give them some business, as most businesses that offer free camping expect. The lady was complaining the whole time we were in there about how she only wants...moreThis place was the only free spot for the area we needed to be in. It's convenient, quiet, and the police drove by at night for courtesy checks. We went in the next morning to give them some business, as most businesses that offer free camping expect. The lady was complaining the whole time we were in there about how she only wants customers who aren't there to just use their facilities. Obviously it is a little rude to only use a business for it's bathrooms, but why offer free camping (a use of your facility) or have a sign that literally says clean restrooms if you don't want to offer it? While checking out, the lady working wouldn't help me unless I was 6ft away. I understand that this is during the coronavirus update, but why be rude about it? She also made it clear to her co-worker that she is not to be near us. I honestly wish I would have just told them to keep what we were buying. We were only trying to give a little thanks for offering the free camping, but we left feeling like we were totally unwanted there. It's really hard to be a full time RVer during this time. It's hard to find a place to stay, it's hard to find resources, etc. And it really sucks when people aren't understanding, especially when they offer a free camping spot (something many full timers are looking for).

This is a parking area outside the gift shop, right outside entrance to Petrified Forest National Park. There are 2 sites on either side. 1 lot has the museum with free RV parking. The other lot has 10 electric plugs with a gravel pad and picnic table each. We were one of about 5 RVs that night. You pay $12.78 at the shop, get a ...moreThis is a parking area outside the gift shop, right outside entrance to Petrified Forest National Park. There are 2 sites on either side. 1 lot has the museum with free RV parking. The other lot has 10 electric plugs with a gravel pad and picnic table each. We were one of about 5 RVs that night. You pay $12.78 at the shop, get a key to unlock the electric box and return the key. Checkout is 10 am the next day. Lock the padlock on the box when you leave. It rained overnight and we had to step into red muddy spots.

This was a nice place to stay, right at the south entrance to Petrified Forest National Park. We stayed here March 2-3, 2020, and the price went up in January to $12 (plus tax). Looks like there were a handful of sites across the street for free. Either option would work. Depends if you need the electric or can boondock. There were sev...moreThis was a nice place to stay, right at the south entrance to Petrified Forest National Park. We stayed here March 2-3, 2020, and the price went up in January to $12 (plus tax). Looks like there were a handful of sites across the street for free. Either option would work. Depends if you need the electric or can boondock. There were several other campers in the lot. Plenty of room to maneuver and back in. It was a bit windy, but otherwise pretty quiet. Not much traffic in the road right next to the campground. There was a gift shop at this campground and a museum across the street at the free campground. One thing we couldn't figure out was why there were so many old, broken down (flat tires) cars parked at each place (about five or six cars in each parking lot) all day and all night. Weird. But we felt safe and would stay here again.

Convenient stopover right outside the south entrance of The Petrified Forest. Self contained rigs only, no restroom, water or trash.

Stayed here for 1 night in February. The gift shop/museum were closed when we arrived (5:30 PM) due to the winter storm and the park being closed. Thank goodness one of the electric boxes was unlocked so we had power for the night. If you plan on using electric call ahead of time and ask them to unlock a box! Southern entrance to park ...moreStayed here for 1 night in February. The gift shop/museum were closed when we arrived (5:30 PM) due to the winter storm and the park being closed. Thank goodness one of the electric boxes was unlocked so we had power for the night. If you plan on using electric call ahead of time and ask them to unlock a box! Southern entrance to park is right there! Pay $20 to enter and spend the day. We left the RV parked until about noon at the site and once the gift shop opened up we went in and paid. The gift shop closed early the night before and didn’t open until about 11 the next day! The lady inside was flustered when we paid and said she tried to knock on our door and she didnt know what was going on...I explained about them closing early and opening late, that I found them on harvest, and that we even called hours before we arrived. She didnt seemed thrilled to have us but we still had power for the night so whatever. Only negative is the service here. We would stay again if we had to and show up in the early part of day before they shut down. Gravel lot, pretty level, quiet. Wonderful restaurants about 18 miles away.

Ok. I got a little confused with what I was reading here. There are TWO different campgrounds here, not one. Crystal Forest, on the right hand of the road pulling in, is free, but has no electricity. It does have some sites with picnic tables and canopies over them. Sites are pretty level and some nice views. Some sites are pull throug...moreOk. I got a little confused with what I was reading here. There are TWO different campgrounds here, not one. Crystal Forest, on the right hand of the road pulling in, is free, but has no electricity. It does have some sites with picnic tables and canopies over them. Sites are pretty level and some nice views. Some sites are pull through and some are back in. Little picnic areas with fake teepees adds to it's funkiness. Dumpster on site.Now, the other campground is on the left when you pull in, has no name on it. This one has power at the sites. All sites are back in some have picnic tables, but not all. This camp is $10.00 per night. The camp is closer to the highway, so you can hear the traffic when there is some. Traffic is light. Sites 1-6, I would only use if you have a small rig. There is a wash that runs right through those sites and with a big rig, you will never get level! There are some trees at this camp making it nice on a sunny day. The rest of the sites, 7-12 can handle bigger rigs, but anything more than 36 feet would be pushing it. 30 amp hook ups at most sites.Big thing. None of these camps have water or sewer or BATHROOMS! Either campground. You need to be self contained. Be prepared coming out here. The closest town, Holbrook, is 20 miles away.

Glad to find an electric site for so cheap. Pretty quiet and right at the south entrance to the petrified forest.

You have your choice of free camping with no hookups, or 30 amp electric for $10.00/night. Due to the high temps, we chose the site with electric so we could run the AC. This appears to be a little used resources. It is located at the south entrance to the park. With a senior pass, entrance to the park is free. This was a great exper...moreYou have your choice of free camping with no hookups, or 30 amp electric for $10.00/night. Due to the high temps, we chose the site with electric so we could run the AC. This appears to be a little used resources. It is located at the south entrance to the park. With a senior pass, entrance to the park is free. This was a great experience.

This is the only place in the area south of Petrified Park. It's quiet at night. Electric hookups only. Watch out for the ants! Don't walk around outside in pants that drag on the ground, or you might have a load of biting ants! We hope our unpleasant experience of a bite will help others be vigilant. We noticed one fifth wheel had whi...moreThis is the only place in the area south of Petrified Park. It's quiet at night. Electric hookups only. Watch out for the ants! Don't walk around outside in pants that drag on the ground, or you might have a load of biting ants! We hope our unpleasant experience of a bite will help others be vigilant. We noticed one fifth wheel had white powder all around his levelers.

We stayed in the pay campground on the west side, the free campground is on the east side. The only hookup you get is 30 amp electric (though we discovered after having to reset the breaker that it's actually rated for 20 amp service). Electric boxes are locked so you must arrive from 11am-6pm to get your site unlocked. We stayed a wee...moreWe stayed in the pay campground on the west side, the free campground is on the east side. The only hookup you get is 30 amp electric (though we discovered after having to reset the breaker that it's actually rated for 20 amp service). Electric boxes are locked so you must arrive from 11am-6pm to get your site unlocked. We stayed a week to see the large supermoon since this area stays clear for night viewing - we never saw more than 1-3 other campers stay each night, so you don't have to worry about availability. There's no water or dump - the employees in the gift shops said their well water is awful and they wouldn't put it in their car or give to their dog. They only use it for sanitation purposes (restroom). You can buy bottled drinking water and beer (most plentiful item there) in the gift shop. There are 10 total electric sites. Sites 1-4 has a trench that will make backing a trailer into difficult without possibly scraping the back end on the ground. They're short as well so they're best suited for truck/van campers. Sites 5-10 are flat and better for longer rigs, and all sites are level. All sites are back-in but there's lots of room to maneuver making it easy. It's next to the highway but there is seldom any vehicle driving past, especially at night so it's peacefully quiet. You're right at the entrance to the national park at the end where the concentration of petrified wood sites are. There is a picnic shelter at the visitor's center where we found a water spigot and have been filling our 5-gal containers for free, vs driving 18 miles to Holbrook and paying the KOA campground $5 to refill the RV tank. We work online and must have good Verizon LTE signal wherever we camp - our Jetpack gets 50-60% signal strength without even turning on the WE boost. We really enjoyed our week-long stay and would choose to stay here if passing through again.

Crystal Forest Gift Shop is actually two stores and two campgrounds (one owner for both). Driving towards Petrified Forest, the campground the left side has 30 amp electric sites for around $10 a night and the one on the right is free. Both campgrounds have fairly level gravel spots, but be prepared for mud on a rainy day. Neither ha...moreCrystal Forest Gift Shop is actually two stores and two campgrounds (one owner for both). Driving towards Petrified Forest, the campground the left side has 30 amp electric sites for around $10 a night and the one on the right is free. Both campgrounds have fairly level gravel spots, but be prepared for mud on a rainy day. Neither has a dump station or water. Even though the campsites are situated next to the main road (Hwy 180), this out of the way location offers very little traffic and road noise (at least during the off season). This is good place to camp if visiting the southern part of Petrified Forest National Park (where the trees are!). It is convenient located 1/2 mile from the southern park entrance.