Hidden Valley Campground — Joshua Tree National Park

$15 a night, which is a better deal than most NPs will offer and right in the middle of the park! This spot was awesome, lots of wildlife to see (lizards, jackrabbits, etc). There’s plenty of spots that offer great shade, because of the rocks. The rocks are great to boulder, scramble, or climb on. Bring your climbing gear if you’re interested! A baby jackrabbit came right up to me at one point, which was adorable but not great. I guess people feed the critters all the time, so be wary. Don’t feed the animals!! The bathrooms are clean & have trash cans and even lights. There are plenty around, and dumpsters too. They don’t smell either. Picnic tables at every site and fire pit with a grate. Really just a wonderful time here. Mostly for tent camping, but we saw some RVs here and there. Ps. Don’t burn the vegetation lying around, a park ranger told us it’s horrible for burning and creates lots of smoke, and check under your cars for turtles!!! It says that everywhere but incase you miss it

One of 3 campgrounds in Joshua Tree that is first come, first served. Filled up by 4PM in mid May. NO water, no electric no internet. Little shade most of the day. Few sites can accommodate anything larger than a Sprinter. Sites vary from flat to 5 degree slope.

DARK DARK DARK sky.....wonderful.

Hidden Valley is the kind of campsite that begs you to remember where you are. The campground flanks some large rock formations that host rock climbers during the day.

The sites are pretty well spaced out and arranged. I was lucky enough to grab a spot up against the rocks and it was spectacular. Be sure to climb up on the rocks at night for some awesome stargazing. (Don’t forget your headlamp.)

Hidden Valley is first-come first-serve. Once you claim your site, you now have to travel back to an entrance station to pay. So keep that in mind.

The Campground offers the most basic accommodations as toilets; no water or showers. It operates with the Frist-come-first-serve system and we would highly recommend to ask someone already parking to share a spot; that’s how you have a chance to get in and connect with great people the same Time. Joshua Tree Park shows some its best climbing spots right around the campground and you definitely will find a guide to try rock climbing if you would want to try. Amazing Stargazing; amazing nature, amazing people - thanks for having us!

Absolutely amazing campground. I pitched a tent at site 2 and had amazing views. No showers, but your camping! Toilets aren’t bad just bring TP and baby wipes. Stars are amazing. You literally cannot go wrong. This is the best campground at Joshua tree

Saw three shooting stars before bedtime • quiet up until rock climbers made their debut around midnight not only echoing off the boulders but blasting their music for everyone for the next two hours • definitely would come back here in the cooler months • just be mindful of wildlife and drive slowly and cautiously • flies were a deterrent but maybe they are only near the sites closer to restrooms • sites were very clean and well managed • most spots could park a car or two on their sites

Get there early or on an off day, it's busy these days. Gorgeous campground with a myriad of beautiful rock formations. Sites have metal fire pits, tables, 1-2 parking spaces. Pit toilets, no water. Very close to Barker Dam and other great sites.

A little bit of a drive up, but very worth it. No service for ATT up there but the views were great. Campsite was very clean. I arrived after dark and found a spot. People were climbing the rocks. Highly recommend. It was $30 dollars for me

Awesome sites amongst the rocks. Centrally location for a great base camp for day activities.

Upon checking in at the West Gate I was told our 19' might be too long for the campground; but, may fit in #1-7.  No problem in any of those sites for the Trailer and car.

Weather forecast was for the mid-90's; but the high altitude breeze in the shade was very pleasant.  Right before dusk 6 mountain goats came sauntering right through our site.

This is a GORGEOUS park.

Oh - no cell service, water, electric

This campground was amazing, getting to camp around huge boulders is really cool, had an amazing time, bathrooms kinda smell maybe because it was really hot

I somehow snagged a spot at around 10pm on a Friday night (manifested the heck out of that). Woke up in the morning to one of the most beautiful campsites I’ve stayed at during my travels! Perfectly spaced out and conveniently located in the park, I strongly recommend Hidden Valley.

Loved our site!

First come first serve, affordable, therefor busy. No reception. We had half the sites to pick from on a Thursday afternoon and my Friday night the campground was full.

Our site had a great shady spot for the tent and we could walk back into what felt like a shaded grove on the rocks. Great climbing here and mostly climbing caravans I felt like. We had a lot of people ask for our site so we had to stand our ground when they tried to rush us out, but ended up giving it to a nice family who was willing to mark the site then come back.

Remember to bring more water then you think you need, and that the noise echos off rocks so respect quiet hours!

The campground is first come first serve. It costs $15 a day, the restrooms were very clean, but no access to water. Great place to rock climb, and see the stars.

I arrived at the campsite at 11 am on a Friday. All the sites were filled and I had not been to this site before. I lost hope fast but I drove around a few times and my co-adventurer had the bright idea to actually ask people if they are leaving. (This was clutch). If you plan on finding a first come first serve sight at J tree. Make sure you are willing to approach campers or have someone that will. Because if you don't you will not find a sigh unless it is already vacant which is rare. 

One thing that I noticed about this campground is how intimate it is. On many of the blocks of sites, there are no natural barriers between sites. So if privacy is what you are seeking this may not be the best choice. This can also cause some tension between campers that feel you have set up on "their site" even when there are no clear barriers. 

More on the intimacy. If you don't know J tree is coveted by rock climbers and people that boulder. Site 29 and 30 are right on the path to get to routes or have a bouldering section right on them. It was a little funny to have people walking right through my camp but I quickly realized it was normal for the reasons above. Something to think about. 

Quiet hours are QUIET. I have a feeling this was the case because most of the other campers were climbing most of the day and probably knocked out early to get good rest. Whatever the reason it was strange having the camp completely silent before and continuing after 10 pm even on a Weekend! 

If you get a site here you are going to love it. The setting is jaw-dropping and makes every moment dreamy. Except when you have to pack up and leave. Hope this helps!

We had spot 18 and fit in our trailer! It’s flat too so no leveling was required unlike most of the sites here. No water or RV hookups. Saw a coyote though.

Hidden Valley is pretty much the only first come, first serve campground within Joshua Tree National Park. All of the other reservable grounds fill up months ahead of time, making finding a space at Hidden Valley pretty cut throat. I did not find a space my first night and had to get a hotel.

There are a lot of people that come here to rock climb and they tend to set up camp for days at a time, making finding a spot even harder. This is definitely NOT a “one and done” camping place like I’ve seen at most other national parks. Campers hoping to snag a site at Hidden Valley will need to begin making rounds by at least 8 am.

I believe I had campsite 16. The actual camping area was set pretty far back from where the parking space was, which as a solo traveler made hauling my things from my car a bit of a challenge, but having the additional privacy was nice. Speaking of privacy, because of all of the rock climbing, there are generally people that could be looking down at your campsite at any given moment.

I was there in early November and the nights were brutally cold, so stock up on fire wood in town. Water is available at the west entrance gate or at the visitor centers.

Joshua Tree is probably my new favorite national park, so I hope you’re able to find a space!!

Nice place to stay in the park. Only complaint would be that it is first come first serve,which I don’t mind, but they don’t put signs up saying when it is “Full” so you have constant traffic and dust being kicked up from people looking for sites. Fantastic scenery

The best first come first serve campground in the park but good luck getting a spot on a weekend. Getting a campsite here is never guaranteed but always worth it. Other than the occasional inconsiderate groups that will jam pack a campsite with cars and tents, this place is epic. “DO NOT ALWAYS BELIEVE “CAMPGROUND FULL” SIGNS! Be sure to check as the rangers have not been updating the signs at all.

Almost every campsite has places to hide away and tuck a tent into a private rocky area. Quiet, well kept, great for stargazing.

The campgrounds are clean and well maintained. The campgrounds have 44 sites which are first-come, first serve and offer pit toilets but no water. The campsites are only $15/night and allow a maximum of six people, three tents and two cars (some sites only have room for one vehicle).

Joshua tree is amazing I highly suggest camping here, wish I could’ve stayed longer. Great hikes all over

Beautiful campsite. A decent drive in from the 10 but it's nice and relaxing. Once you get to the site it's an hourglass shapped drive around. We got the second to last site and it's cool spot. Hugs up on the rocks. Great views of the valley from this campground. If you can find a spot to climb up on the center rocks the sunset is perfect there. Highly recommend this sire

Don’t believe the rangers if they say it’s full or if the full sign is up - it’s often not accurate or updated daily.

This campground was my favorite in JT - the sites are well spaced offering privacy and quite.

Regular NPS campground, pit toilets abound, table and fire ring per site. The usual.

Location is great and close by to al the main attraction!

Probably the easiest campground to get to in Joshua Tree. It has some really cool sites but most seem to be stacked on top of each other for Joshua Tree. It's close to some really cool hikes like the dam, the mill and the mine. I love Joshua Tree and all it has to offer but this isn't my top choice to stay in Joshua Tree.

Me and the ol lady spent the night there this week in late July. Saw a beautiful thunder storm roll threw a few miles from us. Amazing sunset, we climbed up the rocks to get a good view and it was breathtaking. Not very crowded and close to bakers dam hike. Good hike, cool petroglyphs and a really mellow walk. Saw a bunch of critters and an owl flew right by our campfire.

My daughter and I came here for a meteor show, amazing!!! The hiking was good, it is very hot bring plenty of water!!!

The most popular campground in the park means people constantly walking though your campsite and random people taking your limited parking spots. This place needs a Host.

Great campground near some amazing climbing and hikes. Beautiful sunset views and spots are very specious but fill up by early afternoon. No big rigs! Very noisy and crowded and bathrooms and garbages get overrun quickly.

Great basecamp for hiking and climbing. The sky at night is breathtaking - so many stars!! Kids can have fun climbing on nearby boulders. Pit toilets and no water. Be sure to bring plenty of water!