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Craters of the Moon / Arco KOA
- 2424 North 3000 West
- Arco, ID 83213
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Reserve(800) 562-3408
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2011 President's Award
KOA President's Award
Awarded to KOAs that meet exceptional quality standards and are recognized by their guests for outstanding service.
2011 KOA Founder's Award
KOA Founder's Award
KOA's highest service award, presented to KOA owners that achieve world class service scores from their camping guests.
The ancient landscape was created by huge volcanic events that seem like they could have happened yesterday.
The Craters of the Moon/Arco KOA is 18 miles from the Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve. The area is a vast ocean of lava flows with scattered islands of cinder cones and sagebrush. The ancient landscape was created by huge volcanic events that seem like they could have happened yesterday. Arco is famous as the first city in the world to be lit with electricity generated from atomic energy. At the campground, there is plenty of shade for hot summer days. Your kids will enjoy the playground and our pool! Also, please join us for our daily ice cream social.
Meet Your Hosts
After spending three years on the road in their RV, Neil and Sheri Partyka, owners of the Craters of the Moon, ID KOA Kampground, are experts at knowing what it takes to make campers happy. "After seeing so many campgrounds, we got to see firsthand what good (and bad!) customer service feels like," says Sheri. "Now that we have our own campground, we aim to help all of our campers have a memorable and positive experience that will entice them to come back AND bring their friends!"
Before becoming full-time RVers and now campground owners, the Partykas owned a clock shop, where they did all the sales and performed all the repairs. "It was so rewarding to see the joy on people's faces when we got the clock running after it had sat silent for years!" says Neil. Sheri also spent eight years in real estate business - another customer service-intensive industry.
Once they decided to make a change, they did so in a big way. "We decided to sell the clock shop, house and everything. We left California, bought an RV and traveled the country for three years. We truly enjoyed every minute of the wandering ways, but we're too young to retire. Not wanting to leave the RV way of life, a campground was the only way to have the best of both worlds!" says Sheri.
Neil and Sheri love to spend time with their daughter Ciera, enjoying music by the fire and being creative with crafts at the park, art, drawing, pottery, knitting, sewing and sharing all of this with their fellow kampers.
Campground Amenities
Campground Activities
Ice Creams Social Daily
Enjoy ice cream made fresh from a local dairy! We scoop up the cones every day from Memorial Day to Labor Day! Times may vary due to local events, but an activity to be counted on for sure!
Movie Theatre
Bring a blanket or chairs and some change for some freshly popped popcorn, drinks & treats!
Weekender Pancake Breakfast
Join us at 8 AM Saturdays and Sundays for our World Famous Crater Cakes and Lava Java. You too can discover this truly unique Craters of the Moon Breakfast. We will serve until 10 AM for the sleepyheads!
Local Attractions
Craters of the Moon National Monument
Craters of the Moon National Monument is a vast ocean of lava flows with scattered islands of cinder cones and sagebrush. We invite you to explore this "weird and scenic landscape" where yesterday's volcanic events are likely to continue tomorrow... The visitor center is located off Highway 20/26/93 mid-way between Arco and Carey, Idaho. The Visitor Center is open daily from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (8 a.m. to 6 p.m. from Memorial Day through Labor Day).
ATV trails
Arco Pass Loop
City Trails
ATV use in Idaho is booming. Over the past five years the registration numbers have rose from 27,700 to 55,100. In Arco you can travel the Arco Pass Loop designated as an easy riding trail for most ATVs. This loop is a ride to enjoy the scenery, geological formations, canyons, creeks, and views of incredible wildflowers during the early spring months. This loop also has a large variety of wildlife viewing such as deer, antelope, coyotes, badgers, and birds. ATV committees are working with the United States Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management to improve the trails by adding signage, creating improved detailed maps, reclaiming public lands, designating a noise park, and keeping the trails clean and accessible. Also the city of Arco wants to promote and improve the ATV system within the city limits. They are in support of ATV recreation and would like to legalize ATV riding for certain streets designed for ATVers to easily make it to their trail destination in the Big Lost River Valley and Little Lost River Valley.
Hiking
Arco also offers hiking not only at the Craters of the Moon National Monument. Through the USDA Forest Service there are several trails to be considered. A few include Upper Iron Bog Lake and Fish Creek Summit, which are located just outside of Arco up Antelope Creek. Upper Iron Bog lake trail is partly through rough terrain. This lake is lovely to look at but doesn't have fish. Elk, deer, and grouse are noted to be a site to see here. The best time to take the trail is early July through mid-October. It is about 1.5 miles and is an easy to moderate trail. Fish Creek Summit is not only in one canyon. As you follow the trail you will come across Deer Creek Canyon as well as Horse Thief Canyon and across a rocky ridge with patches of alpine fir and lodge pole timber. Visitors will enjoy the rich bouquet of wildflowers as well as spot a few domestic sheep. This trail is about 4 miles and is an easy to moderate trail to take during the best time of the seasons beginning in July through mid-October.
The Big Lost River and Pioneer Mountains
Recreational opportunities abound in the National Forest that surrounds Arco. Fishing in the Big Lost River and Mackay Reservoir, hunting for deer, elk, and other game animals in the foothills, and snowmobiling up Antelope Canyon or the Copper Basin are just a few of the activities available. Hang gliders launch off of mountain slopes, campers head for the forest, and hikers take off on trails into alpine lakes. All of this is available within a short distance of Arco.
Snake River Plain
A vast area of sagebrush and lava, this high desert is a stark contrast to the mountain ranges that border it. Most of it is managed by the Bureau of Land Management and the area offers a whole new set of recreational possibilities. Visitors can camp, look at wildflowers, ride all-terrain vehicles, hunt, and explore areas such as Kings Bowl, a huge blow out in the lava caused by hot magma exploding as it contacted water just below the earth's surface.
King Mountain
Gliding championships
Hang Gliding
Paragliding
King Mountain offers Hang Gliding as well as Paragliding. Each of which have their own challenges. The launch site is located in nearby Moore, ID. There are three launches, two upper and one lower. The lower launch is 7,400 ft and is used more when there are strong winds because it is a wide open flat slope launch. The upper launches are at 8,100 ft and have a more restricted setup, one north and one south. The northern launch has a steep slope launch and the southern launch is more of a wide open flat slope launch that overlooks the lower launch. King Mountain hosts Hang Gliding and Paragliding championships in June each year. In 1997 King Mountain was chosen for both the World Point Finals Championships and the National Paragliding Championships.
Rock Collecting
Idaho is truly the Gem State. Since the origin of the earth, geologic processes combined to make the rocks of Idaho a mineral collector's storehouse. This, coupled with the beautiful forests and streams, makes Idaho the place where the rock collector's dreams come true.
There are many places on public lands throughout the state where you can find minerals, gemstones, and petrified wood. There are over 280 collectable mineral species known to occur within Idaho, including smoky quartz, pyrite, topaz, barite, garnet, epidote, and zeolites.
Idaho also has many localities where one can find semi-precious gemstones. The star garnet from the Emerald Creek area in north Idaho is perhaps Idaho’s most famous
gemstone. This locality is one of only two in the world that produce garnets with a star. Other gemstones found in Idaho include fire opal, together with many varieties of agate, jasper, and petrified wood.
Atomic Days
Parade
Rodeo
Shows/Exhibits
Each year around the middle of July many events take place that just can't be missed. Many of which include; parades, picnics, rodeos, quilt shows, nuclear exhibits, sidewalk sales, dancing, and much more. This weekend long eventful occasion can be enjoyed by children as well as adults and is fun for the whole family.
Upcoming Events
Closed for the winter...
So Sorry we missed you!
Please come see us between May 1st and October 31st!
Come Camp & Care Weekend May 11 - 12th
Join us for a fun filled weekend of raising funds for Care Camps!
Guess the jelly beans!
Coin drop.. win a prize!
Trivia , rockhounding, beadwork and More!
Memorial Day - May 26-28
Join us this weekend to kick off a great start to the summer! We will begin our Ice Cream Socials on Friday the 26th and Crater Cake Breakfasts on Saturday the 27th!
June 26-27- King Mountain Car & Tractor Show
3rd annual car show!
Tractors old and new. Cars old and new. Poker run. Kids entertainment. Craft fair. Food vendors. Music in the park & more.
Come and Enjoy!
July - Hang Gliding Championships
Come see the King Mountain National Hang Gliding Championships all week!
Go to http://www.flykingmountain.com for more information!
Don't forget, we will fly a few kites of our own here at the Park!
July - Atomic Weekend
Join us in July for Atomic days in Arco. Parades, street fair, vendors and fireworks will be lighting up the City! Here at the KOA we will have our annual Atomic Chili cook off! Hot… Medium… or Mild …Who has the best chili?
Labor Day Weekend - September 1, 2 & 3
September 2 - Labor Day Celebration! Join us for the labor day potluck!
