Valley of Fire West Dispersed Camping

Overall, we enjoyed this location. However, there were a few things that bugged us a bit but not enough for us to never go back. We used this location for our first "shake down" trip and it set the expectations for us.

Cell service for AT&T is a bit shotty (but we were far deep in) but enough to send text messages and make phone calls. Also, we travel with dogs, so the dusty dirt terrain wasn't in our favor.

The drive in is a bit bumpy with the uneven dirt roads but manageable when driving slow. The beginning of the site was a bit busy but we recommend driving all the way to the end for a better view and a less crowded stay.

We went towards the end of May 2022 and the weather was great! The highs were 88°F with lows of 50°F. A bit windy but nothing too crazy.

For more details about our experience, check out: https://walkerestate.co/boondocking/f/valley-of-fire-west-overton-nevada

Tent camped for 3 nights midweek during the 2nd week of May 2022. Perhaps a half dozen other campers in the area but spaced very far apart. Absolutely beautiful and expansive views. Could see Mt Charleston in the distance. Sunsets were striking. Gravel roads were easy to navigate in my car. Moapa Travel Center is 6 miles away. They have a store, casino, fireworks warehouse, liquor store, cigarette room, cigar room, restaurant, gasoline, free air pumps at the truck gas pumps, restrooms, a water hose near the street at the car gas pumps and dumpsters in the back of the building. It would have been better if they had a petting zoo and a giraffe but whatever.

This is a good place to stay a night or two. Very windy at night, but pleasant during the day when we were there. It is somewhat BIG RIG friendly, meaning, if you have a semi, like us, you will need to find a place to turn around and some sites cannot accommodate that. We did find one further in, but not too far. Road is easy to drive on. The few campers we saw were well spaced apart which is a definite plus.

A paved road leads you to this place off of I15 and is close to the Valley of Fire State Park. Easy setup for us as the ground was pretty level, lots of fire pits around. Could not hear the freeway sounds. Recommend this place if you need a night stay.

From the Chevron at the interstate, it’s about 5 miles to the unmarked entrance. There is a large boulder to mark the turn. Also, the paved road coming in is straight but not level. Feels a little like a roller coaster. Dispersed road is fair. No washboard, just rocky. Plenty of large, somewhat level sites suitable for bigger rigs. Fire pits in most pull offs. Don’t be afraid to go over the little blind hill (about 10 spots in) there are more isolated spots back there.
There is water and trash dumpsters at the Chevron and water and dump station at VofF State Park$. South on I15 (exit 65) is a Loves Travel Stop with dump$, water, and showers$.
Decent cell service with Verizon (3 bars LTE). No shade so it does get warm during the day.

There is a ton of room here to spread out. The road is manageable going further back. Up front folks seem to park fairly close together, so if that’s not your thing, we recommend going a little further down the road. If you need to dump and fill, you can do so in the park at the campgrounds but you will have to pay an entrance fee. We had good cell service, it was very quiet, no trash and definitely enjoyed being close to the park. It is kind of the middle of nowhere so pack provisions!

Even if the State Park wasn't full (it was) we would have chose this free dispersed camping option. Being out near the highway provided better cell signal than in the park, and was easier access to Las Vegas (especially the stores on the North side of the city).
The first area with spots is big enough for any size RV. If you want to go further up the hill it becomes a bit rutted and off kilter. We'd recommend disconnecting and scouting if you have a larger rig. If you CAN get back there, there are some pretty cool spots way in the back where you could find some seclusion and views. Otherwise the spots up front were pretty full with surprisingly high turnover when we were there.
The State Park is beautiful and worth a couple days of exploring.