Main Campground

Arrived to our site which was short and sloped sandy ground, no way to get our 28 ft class c in called office , no staff on site had to leave message, we managed to find a site that would work, waited to get a call,we decided to set up camp someone finally called back and I had to argue with her to stay in site even though it wasn’t reserved until next day. There was also a large pack of dogs roaming the campground they didn’t seem aggressive but didn’t want to find out . Will not return

Booked and paid for site online, but sites in the area I reserved were closed and utilities zip tied off when we arrived. It was the weekend and no one was present and no host on site. I left messages at answering service that said they would return call in 1-2 hours, that never happened and there was no follow up even on Monday after we departed. Ultimately parked in a spot that showed open on line and hoped no one had reserved it. Many permanent looking trailers, wild dogs, bright lights at campsites all night and diesel trucks roaming around. Pretty views, great hikes but felt awkward camping.

Unfortunately Not Maintained And People Are Allowed To Live There. Keeping tents up for storage. Yelling and cussing. Allowed to build buildings behind campers. Lots of yapping dogs. Wild and free reservation dogs who travel in packs and are territorial. If you’re wanting a campground it offers what you need although bathhouses were basically non-functional while we were there. If you’re wanting nature, not the place to go.

We stayed here about 5 years ago and were looking forward to returning. We remembered the campground being a little run down but mostly ok, but the view of Church Rock & the great hikes among the red rocks behind the campground made up for it.

Not this time. It appears no effort has been put into the campground since we were last here. The showerhouses are in disrepair with broken stall doors, broken soap dispensers, & big chunks peeling off the ceiling (but they had great hot water & large stalls) and rules are not enforced. At least 3 long-term residents let their dogs bark constantly (we finally asked one of them to take his dog inside at around midnight on a Tues. night, but he let the dog bark well past 11 pm the next night again), and at least 3 homeless dogs roam the park.

This campground has potential to be an absolute gem if management cared enough to manage it well.

I am a retired, fulltime RVer, in my third year of fulltime. My first stay at Red Rock Park Campground was September 2019, site 13. I left a review from that stay. I've stayed here twice this summer. Five days in July, and seven days in August. As the title states, I view some of the negative reviews as unfair, and if you'll indulge me, I'll explain why.

PROS:
$22 a night (when you reserve online) is a great price for any RV Park these days, especially with electric and water at the camp site, and an easy access dump station on location. Noise here is minimal. I see families with kids enjoying themselves. The views and the hiking trails (church rock and pyramid trails) are awesome. The staff at the office are extremely helpful, polite, and very friendly. (so if you do have a problem, I encourage anyone to call or just go to the office. Give them an opportunity, and I bet they'll take care of you) There is a nice, informative, and small museum here. From here you are close to Gallup, Grants, EL Morro, the Navajo, Hopi, and Zuni reservations, Painted Desert, EL Mapus, The Ice Caves, Ancient Way, Wolf Spirt Sanctuary, and much more. The site(s), that I've stayed in are #s 13 & 14 are nice. Close to the restrooms, showers, and dumpster. The restrooms/showers are kept clean. The view out my window is spectacular. My cellular voice, and data (internet) run on Verizon and ATT networks respectively. Both work well in the park.

CONS:
Ok, at the top I used the word "unfair" not "untrue". So, to be "fair", there is some, and in some cases more truth in the negative reviews. BUT, I think it needs to be put into perspective. Red Rock Park Campground could use some TLC. The sites I've stayed in (13&14) are not level. This park is defiantly rundown compared to my stay here in 2019. And, there are for sure a few Longterm guests that have been here a while. That tends to be somewhat of a visual blight in any RV Park it seems. Sites are not as well-defined generally speaking, as they were in 2019. I think the reason for that is partly the heavy rains this area has been getting the last couple of years, the covid shut down (the park was closed to travelers and tourists, open only to people in the area for work for a year or two 2020-21), and an apparent lack of consistent maintenance. The online reservation system is not always in sync with the reality on the ground. And as a former IT guy, I'd say their whole website is in need of some polishing. There are times when you can hear trains, as the park is near a major train route. The internet they provide is unusable for the most part.

SUMMERY:
When I read the negative reviews, my impression is that a few folks are expecting a five-star experience at a three-star price (what I meant by perspective). As I said at the top, I've had three stays here since 2019, and never had a bad experience. Never had an issue with a loose dog. Never had an issue with another guest. When I stayed here in July this year (5 days) I had reserved a site online that actually had a long-term occupant in it. I discovered this when I arrived. So, I looked for another possible site, went to the office and asked if the alternative site I found was available for my stay. It was, and the lady put me in that site. Back in 2019, I actually just went to the office for my reservation, and the lady took great care of me.

From my perspective, if I was paying $35, $45, $65, or more a night, the CONs would be more, if not outright unacceptable, depending on how high up that scale we went. I have paid much more per night and ended up with an unacceptable negative experience (why I won't stay at a KoA anymore, they are overpriced and arrogant). I have no idea why the City of Gallup is not keeping up the maintenance better. I'm not here to make excuses for them. But if you look at my reviews in general, you'll see I try to be fair and honest, putting my experience in context, as I believe context matters. Staff and owners with a good or great attitude, goes a long way with me. This park might not be everyone's cup of tea. And there are other RV Parks in the area that don't have some of the short falls this one has. You'll pay more for them. But, that's always an option, and we always have choices.

My recommendation? Give this place a chance. Keep an open mind and keep things in perspective.

We pulled in, searched and searched for our site. We looked past it multiple times because there was no possible way the little piece of dirt was supposed to fit a 29 ft. RV. If you had a car or van, maybe, but certainly not an rv. Dirty, overgrown, crumbling sites, rutted roads, no staff to be found so we left and drive down the road to an RV park. We were NOT looking for fancy, but this was beyond bad. The only positive was the great red rock views.

Save your time and money and go elsewhere.