Mountain View RV Park and Restaurant in Arco, ID: A Review
If you’re visiting Craters of the Moon National Monument and want plenty of amenities, consider the Mountain View RV Park in Arco, Idaho.
Located about less than 20 miles from the national monument’s visitors center, this campground is also close to gas stations and grocery stores in the quaint town of Arco.
We did encounter a rude employee who brought the entire tone of our stay down, but the campground itself is beautiful and quiet with shady lots.
In the review below, you’ll find everything you need to know about the campground to determine if it’s a good fit for your travels through Idaho.
The landscaping at Mountain View RV Park is gorgeous.
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Camping near Craters of the Moon National Monument: What to Consider
As we were working our way north from exploring the Utah Mighty 5 national parks, we left the Sun Outdoors Salt Lake City campground and began making the long drive to Glacier National Park.
We wanted to break the trip up and see a bit of this part of the country before we got to Glacier, so we made two stops to align with points of interest: one at the Craters of the Moon National Monument, and another at Bannack State Park in Montana.
I settled on Mountain View RV Park after researching all of the campgrounds in the area.
I chose it because it was close to the grocery store, had pull through lots, and was the closest campground with full hook ups to the national monument.
Spoiler alert: I’m not sure that I’d stay here again if we’re in the area, largely because of this one employee who seemed out to get us. (But more on that later.)
More practically, there’s more to do in Twin Falls to the south, where you’d be in striking distance of Craters of the Moon, Minidoka National Historic Site, and Massacre Rocks State Park.
In general, this area of Idaho is very rural, and you’re not really on the way to anywhere once you get off of I-15 to head to Arco.
It also remains one of the windiest areas that we’ve driven in, thanks to the uninterrupted and very flat terrain, and, on our way to the campground from the interstate, we actually saw a trailer that had blown off of the road and rolled!
Other Camping Options Nearby
Because this area isn’t very populous, you don’t have a lot of options for camping, though there are a few.
The most obvious is the campground at Craters of the Moon National Monument, which, now that I’ve seen it, would be worth the stress of trying to nab one of the 42 spots.
You camp among the otherworldly looking ancient lava flow, and it would be worth staying here just for the scenery. There aren’t any amenities here and no hook-ups, so come prepared to boondock.
It’s also first come, first served, which would add another layer of stress to the situation.
I also considered the Craters of the Moon/ Arco RV Resort, which is right around the corner from Mountain View RV Park. This was previously a KOA, but I guess it lost or dropped the franchise semi-recently.
I couldn’t get over the reviews about the campground being dirty and unkept, so I booked with Mountain View instead. We passed by this campground several times as we moved around Arco, and it did seem a bit forgotten and unloved by whoever is running it.
NOTE: That campground seems to have closed recently as I cannot find a website or information on it.
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Mountain View RV Park Review
The sign as seen off of Highway 20/26/93
Before I get further into this review, I want to say that I rarely write anything but glowing reviews of the places we stay. This isn’t because I’m avoiding anything, but rather because I research the places so much before I book that I’m very confident in what I will then get on-site.
In fact, in the entire time that I’ve been running the blog (since mid-2022!), I have only written one truly negative review, and that was for the absolute chaos that was our stay at Lakewood Camping Resort in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.
Everywhere else I’ve stayed has met or exceeded my expectations of a family-centric campground: it felt clean and safe, the employees were helpful, and any amenities provided were in good working order.
Mountain View RV Park was well on its way to meeting all of those expectations, and would have, if it hadn’t been for a single employee.
I’ll get into that later, but I say this to let you know that the physical campground at Mountain View RV Park is beautiful and clean. My only complaint about this campground is with this one employee, and I would hope that you’d still give the campground a try.
Check-in Process
The front office as seen from near the main road
Getting to Mountain View RV Park requires a bit of a mind-numbing drive across 60 miles of flat, yellow high desert.
Keep in mind that high winds are very possible here, so go slow to keep your trailer from tipping. We white knuckled a few miles when the gusts were at their worst.
We passed through the small town of Arco on the way to Mountain View, and found the entrance to the campground easily.
There was ample room for us to park our truck and small travel trailer while I went to check-in. Check in starts at 1 PM, and we were there a little after that.
The owner of the campground was behind the desk when I walked in, and she greeted me quickly.
As she went through the check-in process, we chatted a bit, and I found out that she was from North Carolina, but moved out here to fulfill a dream of owning a campground.
Overall, the check-in process went very smoothly, and we were on our way to our site in just a few minutes.
Individual Campsite Review
The picnic table at our site
We stayed in campsite B-1, and I ended up really liking this spot.
It was right next to the restroom, but there was plenty of buffer between us and the building thanks to the large trees on our lot.
The site was also directly across a small gravel road from the lawns game and dog park, so I could sit outside or grill out while watching my kids.
We were also placed diagonally from the front office, which made it convenient if we needed anything.
Site B-1 is pull-through, just like all of the sites here. The sites are all angled, making it extremely easy to get in and out of on travel days.
It was more than wide and long enough for our 21’ Winnebago Micro Minnie camper and our truck.
Employee Interaction
The thing that truly spoiled our entire trip was one of the employees (not the owner who’d checked me in).
The rest of the park was so quiet and peaceful that I feel bad about even mentioning the issues we had.
But it ended up bringing down my entire stay, so, in the interest of being transparent, here’s what happened.
The first afternoon we were there, my dad went to break a $20 bill so we could do laundry and get ice. His total came to $10, so, when the woman only handed him a $5 bill, he said that he thought she’d miscounted.
She immediately got very defensive and told my dad that he was wrong. My dad’s a banker and can pratically count money accurately with his eyes closed. He knows what bills he has on him at any given time and is not likely to make such a simple mistake.
He argued with her a little, but she refused to give him the correct change.
We thought that was that and tried to move on with our stay.
Our site, as I mentioned earlier, was right next to the lawn games area of the campground, something my kids were delighted about.
Both of the days that we were at this campground, my kids were out there every minute we weren’t busy sightseeing. They had a blast meeting a bunch of the other children who were staying there at the same time as we did, and I loved that they were off of their tablets and enjoying the beautiful summer evenings.
On our second night, this little band of kids was playing with the plastic ax throwing kit. When the sun started setting, the kids put up the toys and went back to their respective campers.
The next morning, we were trying to get ready so we could head north to Dillon, Montana, to visit Bannack State Park and Countryside RV Park.
My dad was sitting outside the camper watching my kids while I was getting ready for the day inside, and I could hear that he was talking to someone, but couldn’t make out what they were saying.
Just a few minutes later, he came in and I could tell he was annoyed.
That same employee that had refused to give him the correct change had come up to my dad and told him that the kids in his site were thieves.
She claimed they had stolen the little plastic ax from the lawn game. She’d demanded that we return it and continued to call my dad and my kids liars and thieves even after my dad assured her that the ax wasn’t there.
(I’ll pause the story here to say that I know kids, in general, will haul stuff home accidentally sometimes. But, my kids are plenty old enough not to do that—they were 8 and 11 when this happened—and there was no way that they’d brought a bright red plastic ax into our 21’ trailer without my dad and I knowing.)
Plus, the ax could’ve gotten taken by any one of the group of kids who’d been playing there. I don’t know why she singled out my kids, or if she went on this rant to every family who’d had a child playing out there that night.
Then, just 20 minutes later, as we were pulling out of the campground, I sent my 11-year-old daughter to throw away some trash from our truck in the general use trash can near the front office.
My daughter was never more than the length of the games lawn away from our camper, but this same employee cornered her and told my daughter that it was ridiculous that she was out here by herself. The woman again told my daughter that she should be ashamed of herself for lying and messing up the kids’ ax game.
My daughter, as self-assured as she normally is, didn’t understand why she was being berated again for something she hadn’t done, and was in tears by the time she came back to our camper.
I couldn’t believe that a stranger was now seemingly waiting for my kid to be far enough away from my dad and I to yell at her again, which feels all sorts of wrong.
I truly hope that the woman who seemed to go out of her way to be rude to us is a work camper who has long moved on by now. But if she isn’t, steer clear of her at all costs.
Banner near the dog park advertising the campground
Campground Layout
The campground is easy to get around and is organized around 5 long rows that are parallel to West Grand Avenue/Highway 93 in front of the property.
The office and restaurant are located at the front of the property, and they are directly next to the dog park and games lawn.
The only bath house on the property is across the small gravel road from the office, and that same building also houses the laundry room.
The main trash dumpster and dump station are next to the entrance of the campground.
The campground offers both 30/50 amp hookups and just 30 amp hookups.
Campground Amenities
Bath house
The men and women’s bath houses are located in a separate building behind the front office.
They required an access code, which is provided at check-in. Arco didn’t seem like a hot bed of people looking for a free shower, so I’m assuming it’s to discourage any RV-ers coming from nearby Craters of the Moon National Monument campground (where there isn’t a shower available).
The bathrooms were clean if a little dated in decor in places. The showers were fully tiled, which looked like a newer upgrade.
The showers were large with hot water and good water pressure. The showers are coin-operated, which we’ve seen in state park campgrounds before, but never in a private campground.
I have long hair that takes a while to shampoo and rinse, so I had to carefully watch my remaining time or I’d be stuck fumbling for quarters while I had soap in my eyes!
I did have to help my kids manage the coins, which was a bit annoying since they can usually shower by themselves with no assistance.
Lawn games
The large grassy area with lawn games
I loved that the campground offered these for guests to use during their stay!
On the large grassy lawn next to the dog park and the front office are several games that anyone can play.
There’s a kid-friendly ax throwing game with those plastic axes my kids got accused of stealing. This was the favorite of the kids who were there during our stay, and they all lined up to have a turn!
There was also a life sized Jenga set that was also a huge hit.
Other games included horseshoes, a life sized Connect 4 game, and a ladder toss.
The lawn also had plenty of room to kick a soccer ball around, which the group of campground kids did for a bit the second night we were there.
BBQ Restaurant
The outdoor eating area for the restaurant
There’s also a barbecue restaurant on-site, which is a nod to the owner’s North Carolina roots.
During the summer, it is open Thursday-Saturday. Our stay was over a Sunday and Monday, so we just missed it.
We did hear from several of the other families who were staying there at the same time as we were that the food was excellent, and I was sad that we’d missed out on some delicious Southern food while we were out west.
There’s indoor and outdoor seating available.
Laundry Room
The laundry room isn’t huge or fancy, but it gets the job done.
It’s located in the same building as the bath houses, but there is a separate door facing the back of the office.
Inside, you’ll find washers and dryers, a folding area, and the campground’s little free library.
The machines are coin operated, so bring your quarters. There is also a coin machine on site, or you can exchange bills for coins in the front office.
Some of the puzzles, books, and games in the free lending library
U.S. Campground Reviews
Wherever you’re planning to go camping, be sure to check out our interactive map of kid-friendly campgrounds first!
Final Thoughts on Mountain View RV Park
Mountain View RV Park truly is the nicest camping option in all of Arco and the nearby area, so I hate that we had the end of our visit spoiled by that one employee.
The full hook-ups, large and shaded lots, and family friendly amenities make this a solid campground on paper, but here’s to hoping that future employees are more customer focused.
I will note that, objectively, the campground is clean, quiet, and safe, and I loved how close it was to Craters of the Moon and the local grocery store.
If you do find yourself in this corner of Idaho, try it out. Just maybe don’t mess with the lawn games.
