Our first overnight stop after leaving Arizona at the beginning of May was Lavaland RV Park in Grants, NM. Here’s a quick overview of the park.
When we finally decided to head back north after staying in Arizona for a couple months, we knew we’d have a bit of trouble finding places to park overnight due to the current global health situation. For the most part we planned to take the same route we had taken the prior December, with a few changes.
Our first overnight stop was at Lavaland RV Park in Grants, New Mexico. Now, if you’ve been following along with us for awhile you know that we boondock almost exclusively, with a few exceptions for state parks. But since our dry camping options along I-40 were non-existent at the time we decided to “splurge” on a campground instead of parking at a Walmart.
I called ahead the morning we left to make sure that they were open and had open campsites, which they did. The campground was easy to find and easy to navigate, and the nice guy who checked us in was pleasant and helpful.
How to get there
Lavaland RV Park is right off I-40 on the southeast end of Grants, next to the El Malpais National Monument. Albuquerque is about an hour’s drive to the east and Gallup is about an hour’s drive west on I-40.
Amenities
All RV sites are full hook-up and there are a handful of tent spaces. There is a mix of back-in and pull-through sites (we chose a pull-through site). There are shower and laundry facilities on site, free wifi throughout the park, and an on-site brewery and tap room (which was closed during our brief stay). There is also a separate dump station, a dog run, and a horseshoe pit.
If you need to do some shopping while you’re here you can head over to the other side of the interstate for groceries, gas, pharmacy, and a few restaurants.
What to do
In addition to the onsite brewery and tap room, there is a full size golf course a few minutes away, the El Malpais National Monument and visitor center next door, and an easy drive to many state and national parks and sites.
Our brief stay here was a pleasant one and we’d consider staying again if the need arises. The other campers were quiet and friendly and kept to themselves, so we got a good night’s sleep before heading to our next overnight destination.
We don’t stay at campgrounds or RV parks very often for many reasons, but we’re happy that Lavaland RV Park made the experience an enjoyable one. What do you think of staying in RV Parks and campgrounds? We’d love to hear from you! Don’t forget to drop a comment and subscribe to our newsletter before you go!