Overview of The Pads
Accessibility is not guaranteed, always scout ahead before driving down dirt roads. Learn more: Boondocking 101.
Last Price Paid: $0
Reported by robertanthony87 on 4/8/2024
Longest RV Reported: 39 feet (Class A)
Reported by Meike-Till on 11/2/2023
Pad Type mixed
Elevation 3,018 ft / 919 m
Tent Camping Yes
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Q&A - Ask the Community about The Pads
To ask questions of the owner or manager please contact the campground directly.
camper-743733 asked on 11/25/2022
Two questions:
(1) Do we need to make reservations before go there?
(2) Any gps lat-long so we can get exact direc...
Kscott asked on 1/30/2023
Is there any way to know the weather at The Pads as opposed to the Valley Floor? I’ve heard 15 cooler than Furnace Cr...
delayed onset rving asked on 9/9/2022
Does anyone know if the Pads are open? Last report is from 6/22 that they were, but Google maps shows a temporary cl...
Rachel Glynn asked on 4/17/2022
Would anyone recommend this spot if you are NOT camping in an RV? We will just be in a large SUV. Mainly concerned ab...
wade asked on 3/17/2022
Does anyone have old pictures of what the pads looked like before closing?
Poppi G asked on 1/23/2021
I am planning to stay at The Pads the first weekend of February. I understand that during the current stay at home or...
Reviews of The Pads 52 people have reviewed this location.
“Amazing stay”
Reviewed 4/8/2024
Nightly rate: | FREE! |
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Days stayed: | 5 |
Site Number: | na |
RV Length: | 22' (Travel Trailer) |
I was surprised with how nice this is. I do a lot of photography professionally and Death Valley is one of my favorite places to do so. This spot is an amazing place to stay to access the park. When staying here, you are only about a 30 minute drive to Dante's View, 25 or so minutes to Furnace Creek, 45 minutes to Badwater, 45... more
I was surprised with how nice this is.
I do a lot of photography professionally and Death Valley is one of my favorite places to do so.
This spot is an amazing place to stay to access the park.
When staying here, you are only about a 30 minute drive to Dante's View, 25 or so minutes to Furnace Creek, 45 minutes to Badwater, 45 minutes to Mesquite Dunes.
The place is level and graded and there are a number of cement pads from it's previous life.
There is left over remnants of rebar and so on around the perimeters of the cement pads, but it should be of little to no concern. Most of it has been bent over and will do little if any damage should you drive over a piece. Honestly, as long as you don't show up after dark, you are going to be fine. Totally fine.
There are a LOT of places to park here. I would have a hard time believing one would show up and not find a place to set up camp.
We use Starlink so cell service is of no concern for us, but I will tell you that we had zero service...and we are on the T-Mobile network.
We stayed for 5 nights and loved it. Amazing place to set up camp.
Weather for our stay was perfect. As it's at 3000 feet it's much MUCH cooler up here than down in the Basin. I recommend this spot highly.
robertanthony87 would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Close to Death Valley”
Reviewed 3/26/2024
Nightly rate: | FREE! |
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Days stayed: | 6 |
Site Number: | 0 |
We camp here whenever we go to Death Valley. The cement pads are level but some are not easily accessible. We can walk our dogs off leash and off road and not worry about NP personal chasing us down. NP's are not pet friendly! Lots of sun and great night star viewing. We had great weather while we were there. The day we left the wind w... more
We camp here whenever we go to Death Valley. The cement pads are level but some are not easily accessible. We can walk our dogs off leash and off road and not worry about NP personal chasing us down. NP's are not pet friendly! Lots of sun and great night star viewing. We had great weather while we were there. The day we left the wind was blowing hard. Our 42' coach fits on the pads but we like to have our awning facing south so we did not park on a pad. Our solar panels maxed out every day so we never ran our gen. Hardly any trash. I think most RVers are careful that way. There is no cell coverage here. I talked to several campers and no one had cell coverage. You can go to Furnace Creek in the park or about 7 miles south and get coverage.
camper-891373 would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Rare find”
Reviewed 11/2/2023
Nightly rate: | FREE! |
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Days stayed: | 1 |
RV Length: | 39' (Class A) |
We actually planned to spend already that night in one of the NP Campgrounds, coming from Pahrump, heading towards Furnace Creek Death Valley. Saw 'The Pads' and decided to stay. Looked for and found a concrete pad where we could actually park our 39ft Class A but would not have to disconnect our toad. Would have been hard with most of... more
We actually planned to spend already that night in one of the NP Campgrounds, coming from Pahrump, heading towards Furnace Creek Death Valley. Saw 'The Pads' and decided to stay. Looked for and found a concrete pad where we could actually park our 39ft Class A but would not have to disconnect our toad. Would have been hard with most of the pads since they have different shapes and sizes AND the edges are not level with the surrounding sandy areas. But we found a good one on the left hand side of the entrance road. Perfect spot! But don't come after dark - or explore the area with a flash light before you drive in. There's a lot of old 'infrastructural' stuff like sewers, cables, poles you don't want to hit or drive over.
Btw.: asked a NP Ranger about the place next day and she told us it was some kind of a mining camp, so the pads have not been built for RVs but mobil homes.
Besides us there was only one guy in a truck up on the hill, two bikers/hikers left before dark, plus three RVs or trailers far enough to the right we could not really see them.
We could hear the traffic on HW 190, especially some trucks, but 2 or 3 per hour didn't bother us. With more traffic we would chose a site not as close to the highway.
Meike-Till would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Great Stop- Watch levelers on Slab edges ;)”
Reviewed 8/5/2023
Nightly rate: | FREE! |
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Days stayed: | 3 |
Site Number: | 0 |
Loved this stop. Great level pads. On several pads, the dirt has eroded around the edges, leaving them a little high! Watch your leveling jacks as you back up… may need to add dirt to slope up 👍🏼
camper-853996 would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Love this place. Usually peaceful. ”
Reviewed 5/21/2023
Days stayed: | 2 |
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Passing through Death Valley to Grand Canyon. 108 on valley floor. 90 at the pads with a breeze. At first only people there. By nightfall there were 6 of us. One other rv, the rest SUVs, pickup truck and car campers.
camper-822004 would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Lucky Find”
Reviewed 5/3/2023
Days stayed: | 1 |
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We were on our way out of Death Valley with no cell service. I happened to see rvs parked at the Pads. I turned around and found a boatload of concrete pads to pull onto. Several other campers there but we were spread out. A nice quiet night.
camper-787994 would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Great place to explore the East side of Death Valley from”
Reviewed 5/1/2023
Nightly rate: | FREE! |
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Days stayed: | 3 |
RV Length: | 29' (Travel Trailer) |
We stayed here for a few nights in December of 2022, at the time there were very few other campers. Nice to have the cement pads to park on and not have to worry about tracking dirt into the trailer. Pretty convenient to get to the East side of the park, Badwater basin, Dantes View, etc.. We moved over toward the west side when we ... more
We stayed here for a few nights in December of 2022, at the time there were very few other campers. Nice to have the cement pads to park on and not have to worry about tracking dirt into the trailer. Pretty convenient to get to the East side of the park, Badwater basin, Dantes View, etc.. We moved over toward the west side when we wanted to Explore there. I will say - in our site, which was about the middle of the area, there was a nasty piece of metal pole (looked like rebar perhaps) sticking out just about 12 or so inches. If you came in at night and didn't see that it could be pretty bad on the tries. So get out and inspect before backing in.
Note there was no Cell service for us (Verizon or T-Mobile) but Starlink worked great.
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Great spot but windy at times”
Reviewed 4/24/2023
Nightly rate: | FREE! |
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Days stayed: | 4 |
Site Number: | DNA |
RV Length: | 35' (Class A) |
Lots of level pads to camp on of many sizes. Large RV friendly. Access is dirt with some gravel. No hook ups. No cellular connectivity. Very close to Death Valley entrance. Use Death Valley Junction for researching weather for your arrival. Great views and sunsets. Be prepared for wind, like most deserts. Clean location for the ... more
Lots of level pads to camp on of many sizes. Large RV friendly. Access is dirt with some gravel. No hook ups. No cellular connectivity. Very close to Death Valley entrance. Use Death Valley Junction for researching weather for your arrival. Great views and sunsets. Be prepared for wind, like most deserts. Clean location for the most part. Above 3,000 elevation and can be pretty cold at night.
DO NOT drive over a rock over a piece of metal or wood. These often will have man holes under originally intended for maintenance of abandoned park RV project. Will swallow your wheel
Kscott would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“It’s Free, and That About It. ”
Reviewed 2/7/2023
Nightly rate: | FREE! |
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Days stayed: | 1 |
Site Number: | 00 |
RV Length: | 27' (Travel Trailer) |
Some spots are okay some spots have broken glass and junk strewn about. Rocks are pretty sharp use good judgement when walking your dogs. No Verizon phone service here.
Jim H. would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Great Access To Death Valley”
Reviewed 12/16/2022
Nightly rate: | FREE! |
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Days stayed: | 2 |
Easy to find a spot with very level concrete pads. Gravel is still in good condition. No amenities so plan accordingly. 15 minutes from the NP Entrance.
Kurtis would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
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Amenities
Hookups
- dry camping
- Dispersed Camping
Pets
- pets
Nearby
Greenwater Valley Backcountry Camping
Great Spot! Just No Service - Download Map Ahead Of Time
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