Holbrook Petrified Forest KOA

RV Park Review – Holbrook/Petrified Forest KOA – Holbrook, AZ

Pull Through Site 40 – with freshly planted shrubbery.

I think we just caught these folks on a rather bad week early in the season. We are fans and regular users of KOA campgrounds. Say what you want about that decision but we have found numerous great locations and personnel at many of the KOA’s we have used. This park is designated a Journey, meaning its close to the highway and a great place to stop rest and quick in and out.  

We choose this location specifically because we wanted to revisit Petrified Forest/Painted Desert National Park. On a previous trip through this area, we had camped at Meteor Crater RV Park some 45 mins west of Holbrook. Knowing that we would only have an overnight this trip we wanted to be closer to the National Park. 

Upon pulling into the park we were not sure we made the right choice. The gentleman at the reception desk was less than cordial and was very short with my wife. The place looked run down and of the need of some TLC. There web site and brochure proclaimed they were one of the 2019 KOA Presidents Award locations. I am not sure what the standards needed to be but….. I digress.  I can only hope that once they get this place settled and fixed up it will be a nice location to use as more than overnight. 

Link To RV Park: Holbrook KOA

Link to MAP: Directions

Site cost: $42 per night

A) Site Quality: ⛺️⛺️⛺️/5

The entire east side of the park was going through a renovation when we arrived. This meant that they had just or in recent days spread fresh stone over the existing pull through sites 1 – 64. New privacy fencing was going up around the patio sites and fresh shrubbery began to mark the newly graded pull through sites. We were assigned site #40 at the very end of the east side of the park. Our new shrubbery had yet to be dropped into the holes on the power side of the site. The front desk warned us to be careful and not to fall into the holes :). 

We planned to stay hooked up that night but unfortunately, this site could not accommodate our 54′ of truck and rig. None of the sites in this row could if you happened to be pulling a 5th wheel longer than 28′. So I unhooked and found that the only place to park Boris was next to the rig near the sitting area, you will see in the photo below. 

Insights

• The site marker bushes nicely marked the power side of site #40, however, there where no bushes on the east side of the rig to identify where the site ended. I guess they had yet to be planted. 
• The site was level and thick with fresh stone. There were decent water pressure and a good power source. Sewer hook up was available but we did not use. Being relatively close to interstate 40 the noise from the highway was not noticeable.  
• As I toured around the park I noticed the new patio sites with fencing, grill, and some very nice furniture. They also appeared to be a bit short, but there was parking space for your toad or puller next to the rig in the back. The mega sites toward the tent area had some very big class A’s with their toads still connected hanging out in what I would have called the road. 

B) Facilities: ⛺️⛺️⛺️.5/5 

The non-seasonal laundry, bathhouse, and showers are located in the main office building at the front of the park. We did not use them, I did stick my head into all and they appeared to be clean and functioning. The seasonal facility near the rear of the park near the tent sites was not open so I could not assess its appearance. They do have a propane and dump station as you exit the park. 

C) Amenities:⛺️⛺️⛺️/5 

I can only hope that the amenities look better during the season which apparently starts on May the 4th. We were at the park in mid-April this year and everything was shut down. The pool was going through a renovation, the play area, basketball and horseshoe pits have seen much better days. I understand that they offer a $2.99 All You Can Eat Pancake Breakfast at the Cowboy Cookout building when the season opens. 

D) Location: ⛺️⛺️⛺️⛺️/5 

This is the perfect location to take a day trip to Petrified Forest and Painted Desert National Park. This is about a 70-mile loop and will take you most of the afternoon to visit and explore. You are about 123 miles from the Canyon De Chelly National Monument which will give you a glimpse of the Grand Canyon. Take a ride to the west about 40 mins and Meteor Creator is available to explore.

It is as advertised quick and easy to get off the highway and back on.  

E) Paw – Friendliness – 🐾🐾/5

Zoey gave this park, a big paws down. The pet walk area was directly across from our site and looked like the desert we were about to explore. Just a narrow row of dirt with very few bushes and trash cans overflowing with site trash rather than dog trash. The Kamp K9 dog park was much the same with a fence. We could take our morning walk around the park, but the grass at the time was few a far between. 

Wanderers Overall Rating:  ⛺️⛺️⛺️.2/5 

Wanderers Take:

After reading what I had written about this location I wondered if we would stay there again. I think you can catch a park on a bad day or week and have a similar experience. Maybe what you see is what you get. You have some of the facts, you be the judge. Here is a suggestion:

Let Holdbrook KOA be your base camp to explore all the surrounding National Parks and Monuments. Easy access to I-40 gets you to the Painted Desert and Petrified Forest National Park (20 miles Holbrook/Petrified Forest KOA be minutes). Walk around the rim of Meteor Crater, less than an hour west. Or stop at the Hubbell Trading Post (a National Historic Site) on the Navajo Reservation. In Holbrook, drive through town on the original Route 66 (don’t miss the Wigwam Motel).  Check out the museum of Historic Route 66 and The Hashknife Outfit – one of the West’s largest cattle ranches.

Here Is What We Did:

• Petrified Forest National Park is about a 35 min drive or so from Holbrook east on I-40. The weather that day was not the best to be visiting a park, but we decided to go anyway. We had stopped there last year and wanted to visit a few of the sites we missed. The park did not disappoint. Hiking in the many trails that dot the main road is the easiest way to see the specimens.

We particularly like Jasper, Rainbow Forest, Agate Bridge, and Blue Masa. Plan to spend at least ½ day exploring this portion of the park. While you’re driving through Petrified you will be passing the Painted Desert. Take the time to pull over at Chinde and Kachina Points.MAP

• Holbrook, AZ. – Your ten mins away from one of the RT-66 treasures, the Wigwam Motel. Now this not be where you want to stay for a night, but you surely will want to take photos. If you’re a fan of the Disney movie “Cars” be sure to be on the lookout for Tater.