City of Rocks National Reserve & Castle Rocks State Park Reviews

We were totally impressed and wished only to have had more time there. The rock formations are much bigger than they look from the highway. It is almost like a giant maze.

A wonderful outdoor experience, especially when combined with the nearby City of Rocks.

Many services offered always make a visit when in the area. Right next to City of the Rocks National Reserve . More RV type spaces nearby and they offer horse accommodations also group cabins and yurts .

Get out of the stuff close to the parking lots and there is great hiking in the rocks.

Great place to hike or snowshoe. Quiet in the winter. Breathtaking and amazing area.

So many cool things to come climb and see! It's a beautiful park with a five dollar vehicle entry fee to help reduce impact. There are loads of hiking trails all through the park either becoming loops or leading to climbing areas! It's amazing out here!

Castle Rock has the route that taught me to love slab. I can't recommend it enough! A word of advice - don't wear black gear. My entire party nearly cooked our feet with dark climbing shoes.

Beautiful area, several trails around the area, incredible natural features, and several other amenities provided at the park. Quiet, and well maintained area.

Such an incredible little spot in the middle of farm land. Great trails, and picnic area. We didn't have enough time to explore as much as we would have hoped. We will definitely be back!

Great place to explore on a variety of surfaces. Cost is affordable and getting there early means finding a parking place. Like to get away from it all? This the place. I love Idaho's backyard.

great landscapes for climbing. We were not professional climbers but had fun climbing ard to enjoy the view from the top!

Still has decent amount of snow in April. Well maintained trails. Not too crowded and beautiful!!

This is an excellent place to have a climbing trip! We go every year. We started out renting yurts here, which are super fun, but eventually we switched over to the bunk house which has been great. Castle Rock is a fantastic are to rock climb. The four pitch on the south face is fun, but the canyon on the backside is a really diverse are and has tons of runs. The north east side of castle rocks, over by the Taco, has some extremely fun climbs as well. That are is a little less busy, which can be nice.

Had a great time hiking and enjoying lunch in the picnic area. This is popular with rock climbers. Be sure you only park in designated parking spots. There were quite a few unhappy people who found tickets on their vehicles for parking along the roadway. Can't wait to go back.

We had our intimate, outdoor wedding at this State Park. Swallowtail butterflies, beautiful weather, natural views and sounds. We lucked out and the park service cannot guarantee such perfect weather. But it was well-maintained, the park service went above and beyond. Friendly and helpful staff. Easy to use. We couldn't be more grateful.

loved the birds and marmot sunning itself on a rock

Great place to visit whether you rock climb or not! This place is truly beautiful and amazing. I'll be back to visit again.

Great for hiking, rock climbing, mountain biking and enjoying the outdoors!

Beautiful place with great hiking and rock climbing.

Amazing climbing, hiking, an camping. A lot less busy than the city of rocks with all the same beauty.

Really fun place! We did a lot of hiking and climbing on rocks. Next time we want to stop at the archery spot.

A great place to explore. Beautiful scenery. I was here with my preteen kids for half a day. We could have explored more if we had more time. Will be back.

My wife and I kept pointing at all the little piles of rocks along the way and saying oh look that must be castle rock!

We did not have high expectations, especially as we closed in on the destination and couldn t see *anything* that looked remotely interesting.

Then, in the blink of an eye, these giant stone formations seemingly appear out of nowhere dominating the horizon.

From a distance they appear majestic, almost like something out of lord of the rings.

Up close the magnitude and beauty are breathtaking. Countless trails, new sights, and wonder fill this place.

You could get lost just thinking about the grandeur that surrounds you.

We went late in the day with uncertain expectations, only to realize we didn t have enough time. We plan on returning soon to take it all in.

Great place for climbing and hiking. A lot less busy than City of Rocks.

This was a really fun place to go see, a good excuse to go travel around see some small towns and hit some dirt roads. I like the rock formations it's kind of neat how they're out there and so many of them. Other places in this area you can look out and see on forever and apparently they're in the area the old California wagon Trail went through

I just love this park! It is an amazing place to hike or climb

Castle Rock State Park is a newer park design - camping is really accommodating with generous, well spaced sites, lots of pull throughs, water and electric, dump station and very clean facilities and well maintained grounds. There is an equestrian camping loop with horse pens attached.
Nice breezes on the mountain side sites, clear starry nights and well behaved fellow campers. Park adjoins City Of Rocks National Monument.
Allow at least two nights but preferably three to enjoy the geological wonderland next door.
You need to book ahead as all sites were taken.

Climbed here all day without seeing another person! Pretty rad place! Beautiful rock and some great climbs!

Early morning, late June, was a great time to hike around Castle Rock. Several climbers were enjoying it as well. Appreciate the information provided along the Around the Rock trail. Pictographs were fun to see, actually showed up better in photos that were taken.

Castle Rocks is an awesome little spot. First there is a 5 dollar entry fee so don't forget it! At Castle Rocks you can rock climb, hike the trails, fish the stocked pond (we caught 16 and grilled them for dinner), play disc golf, and there is an archery range. They have campsites and vaulted toilets. There are a few unique night stays. They have a yurt, a bunk house (sleeps 12 on bunkbeds), and the lodge. We stayed at the lodge and thought it was fantastic! There is a wrap around deck, and you can keep a pet out there if you would like. 2 propane grills and two dining sets that seat 8 total. There are picnic tables also on the grassy area below the deck and a fire ring (bring wood). If you don't mind a walk you can walk to the pond, disc golf, a small creek, and the rocks and trails from the lodge. In the lodge is a dining room (seats 8), a small living room with a fireplace, loveseat, and chair- we played games here, a fully stocked kitchen, all the pots and pans you could need, dining ware, microwave, range, oven, full sized fridge. There is no dishwasher so those have to be done by hand and the water pressure isn't real great. To continue there is a beautiful bathroom with an enormous tub. Good water pressure in the bathroom, travel sized shampoo, conditioner, and lotion provided, 8 towels, and a blow dryer. The only other common area is a small office off the main bedroom with a desk. The master bedroom has a beautiful queen sized bed, and a nice firm matress. There are drawers and a t.v. with DVD. The next 'bedroom' is a den. There is a couch, chair, and television in this room. The couch can be pulled out, but I would only say it sleeps 1 unless you have children on it. The third bedroom is just big enough for the bunk bed that is in it. Full on bottom and twin on top. The final room is also small with a twin bed and a small deck off the room. Overall beautiful spot, not necessarily spacious but comfortable and well stocked. Would definetely stay again. If traveling with adults and teens I would say it sleeps 7 not 8. Our kids are young and we fit nice.

Being so close to City of Rocks National Reserve, it may not get as much attention for it's huge stone cliffs, but I think this is a great place for rock climbers. The trails are well traveled and easy to follow. I would suggest this place to anyone! I think that parking is a big skimpy or really far away... that's my only complaint, so I would actually give this park a 4.75 stars if I could