This was my first time solo camping and it was the best experience for a nature newbie like me. I appreciated the close proximity of the next door campsite for the only reason of me traveling alone with just my dog. I do appreciate a little more space from other campers now as I’m getting more comfortable camping alone & like my privacy. That being said, I still got the full experience of camping alone with privacy and not bumping into other camps space. The whole site is well organized by space number with multiple parking spots per campsite. It was pretty full of campers when I pulled in but not once did I see or feel too many ppl were around me at the camp ground. I also appreciated how one of the trails from the camp lead right up to a popular pic spot, the Skullhead Rock. It’s a quick little hiking trail with a great ending spot. There was the longest line waiting for a pic on the rock so I passed and drove a little further past skullhead and did some hiking at the end of a little turn off road. The reason why I’m going back: Ranger patrol came to every site to verify the camper and confirmed reservations. Didn’t expect this but once I talked to him, I felt soo much safer and was glad someone at the park was maintaining some kind of system of the sites and who was staying in them. Showers/bathrooms are dispersed throughout. Perfect place for huge groups that book multiple sites or large family.

I wanted to love this campground but I can’t. I had the absolute worst camping experience and probably the most stressful. I was forced to move my pop up camper from space 99 to 43. There was a group of 4 families and we were placed in 99. The reservations were made months ago and not by us. So we trusted which sites were assigned to us.

A camp host initially came to tell us our site wasn’t a camper or trailer site and that we had to move; it was only a tent site. Meanwhile a whole Airstream was in the next site over. This after we are all set up and level. Anyone that knows about a pop up camper knows it’s not the easiest thing to just break down and move. We decided to wait it out and get official word from the park rangers. Eventually 2 park rangers came that seemed to be okay with us staying in our site, until another camp host came by ranting about measurements and nonsense. At this point we were told we had to move. And please note…kids were crying and upset at this point. You think these grown adults seeing kids cry cared…NOPE! My son in particular l, because he hadn’t seen his friends in months and the thought of having to leave would crush him. So after all the back and forth, we started to attempt to halfway break down the camper down and move to the other site, 43. And note this site wasn’t close.

So next, some super park rangers with guns came to our site. I was already upset and here they come. We already complied and agreed to moving so this crazy camp host for some reason, felt the need to call the cop rangers to our site. Also note, I never had any words with this woman or anything to have her feel the need to call them. I don’t ever like to think race plays a part in situation like this but at this point, when ranger police are called to our site after already agreeing to move, I had no choice to believe it was for anything other than being black.

If it wasn’t for our crying son, I would have just packed up and left. We made the move and had a rather tolerable weekend.

I won’t be rushing to ever come back here again. If your black just beware, they will find a reason to mess with you and pick on you for minute things that can force you to move or leave your campsite.

Beware of the hosts; I believe they are a couple and just terrible. And ALL the park rangers. They walk your site looking for reasons to make you move or your camp experience a living hell. They also don’t mind making kids cry just to prove a point!

We stayed at Jumbo Rocks for 4 nights in a tent in late February 2021. Weather was awesome - highs in the 70s in the day and lows in the 30s/40s at night. This was our second time staying here; first time was in a travel trailer in Oct 2018 (see Dyrt Review). We still love the campground, though again it was the inconsiderate nature of our neighbors that bring it from 5 stars down to 4. Here's a review of the pros and cons.

Pros:

• Dynamic, interactive environment: This is a playground for adults and kids alike. Climb on the rocks, hike through the drainages, and explore to your hearts content. We didn't see any, but of course, watch out for rattlesnakes. The rock is extremely grippy and very good for climbing.
• Beautiful sunsets and sunrises: The land turns gold during these times. There are no electric lights in the campground or anywhere nearby (car headlights and camp lanterns excluded). Absolutely beautiful.
• Decently spaced vault toilets: no site is too far from a toliet, and there are enough of them that even with over 100 sites, you aren't going to wait long (if at all) to use one.
• Nice concrete tables and low fire pits with grates. There is a standing grill too, but we didn't use it.
• Recycling bins and an amphitheater Trails to lead to Skull and Split Rocks (highly recommend for kids!).

Neutral:

• The size, level, and location of sites: Pick your sites wisely - do your research! Some sites have very little space - just enough for a small tent, while others are spacious. Some sites are secluded while others you are practically sitting on your neighbors. Some are flat and level while others there is no level space at all (suitable for RVs but not for tent camping). Some spaces will accommodate RVs and slide outs while others will not; do not rely on Recreation.gov telling you it will fit! Instead, look at satellite views. Go to Campgroundphotos.com. Read reviews. Site 31's description is below.

Cons:

• Very little regulation paired with inconsiderate neighbors: Jumbo is not a well regulated campground. You don't check-in. You make a reservation online and just show up at your site, hoping it will be empty. There is a camp host that flips signs from reserved to open, allowing for walk-ins, but this doesn't stop people from squatting (we had 6 young men come in to have a fire and dinner at the campsite next to us before the folks who had reserved the site arrived late and kicked them out). We also had neighbors who set up a couch, smoked pot, and played EDM so loud you could hear it 100 yards away at all hours (they quieted it down a bit after a confrontation - they claimed to be 'enjoying nature' - but not by much). So you roll the dice and hopefully you have neighbors who are there for similar reasons as you.
• Little protection from the elements: During the warmer months, your best bet is to find a spot next to boulder to the west/south of you, so you have some shade in the afternoon. During the winter months, look to have some protection from the north winds, which can be fierce (seriously, it will rip up your camp, it did ours).

Site 31 Description: Part of a cluster, meaning you park with others and the sites fan out from the parking area. 31 is a 100 foot walk from parking; we walked past other sites but no one had to walk past ours. It is up on a small rise - had a beautiful view but was more exposed to the wind and sun. Mostly flat and will fit several tents. Closest neighbor was 30 feet away and separated by scrub. Vault toilet and dumpsters adjacent to parking area. Not next to any big rocks, but they are only a short walk away. A coyote walked by us in the night and squirrels frequently raided our camp (keep your food and trash secure).

Beautiful, peaceful, quiet in nature- right in the middle of Joshua Tree National Forest. Good privacy between sites. It’s important to find sites with large rocks for shade, like sites 2-5, 90, 91 and others. The sites on the loops that are farthest from the entrance give the feeling of being out in nature, but seem to have less jumbo rocks for shade. We stayed on site 2 in mid September 2020 and the shade was pretty good. Lots of empty sites and people coming without reservations were able to get sites. The cons were: no campground host or rangers(and some people who weren’t staying at the campground came and acted really weird outside our van in middle of night), no phone service(so if there was an emergency beyond strangers acting weird we would have no way to get help), and lots of“thirsty bees” all over the campground, which is great for nature but a bit disconcerting for visitors. The signs say that they are looking for water and to avoid swatting at them. The best times to enjoy JT are morning, late afternoon, evening and night bc it’s super hot across the day(generally I’m Joshua Tree NP). The scenery is incredibly beautiful, the sunsets amazing and the stars are out of this world. One night is probably enough to experience it without having to handle the hot mid-day or battle the bees.

Words truly can not do this place justice. Joshua Tree National Park is such a beautifully preserved mosaic of nature and human history. We only had two short days here but we can not wait to return and explore more. The ecosystems of the wetter Mojave Desert and the low desert of the Colorado yield differing plants, water canyons, twisted rock formations, and towering monolithic rock formations that are both beautiful and fun to climb. This is a boulderer, hiker and climbers dream. The Joshua trees in and of themselves are both dreamy and mystical. Although there are other camps in the park which seemed to be more remote, we liked the idea of securing a reservation instead of worrying about a first come first serve situation. Because of this, we found this to be an ideal camping spot for location, and proximity as well as eliminating the worry of not getting a site.

For us, the unseasonably warm weather for October affected the hikes we chose to do as we were not acclimated to the extreme and dangerous heat. Despite this, there are plenty of shorter hikes as well as an amazing 18 mile Geology self driving tour ( note you need four wheel drive) exposing you to diverse and gorgeous desert landscapes and even a hike up an extinct volcano.

We found Jumbo Rocks campground to be well kept, and clean. There are 124 tent sites and some RV sites. There are no hook ups or drinking water in the campground so all provisions must be brought in prior to entering the park. There is a small town called Twentynine Palms which is about 10 to 12 miles away where you can get water, firewood and your basic amenities. The campsites were rather close together but because of the beautiful rock formations it seemed like you were more isolated than what you were. As long as the neighboring tenters remembered that others were close by and kept voices down it was peaceful. The most amazing part of this park were the stars at night. They were unbelievably brilliant!

As an additional side note, any type of hanging lights, hammocks, clothes lines, bunting, etc. is forbidden in the park. Hefty fines are awarded to those who violate the rules and attach to vegetation, Joshua Trees, or the Junipers. Lastly, there is little to no shade here and the temps can get extreme. I’d suggest bringing an additional canopy tent for shade as until the sun sets the tent is a sauna sand does not provide relief from the heat.

Jumbo Rocks Campground is truly one of the best desert getaways. The rocks around the campground are fun to climb on and explore, plus they create an amazing show of light and shadow from sunrise to moonrise. This campground does have a bit of a party vibe and people stay up late, but everyone was friendly and respectful about it.

This is a clean campground with plenty of toilets and dumpsters, the toilets were cleaned daily. There is no water here, so bring more than you think you need. Also, not much shade, so plan ahead in case you have a site with direct sun all day.

Each site provides a charcoal grill and campfire ring. Unfortunately, fires were prohibited while I was there. Bring your gas stove just in case.

Hidden Springs picnic area is about 20 minutes west of the campground, we used it as a day camp. There is plenty of shade at some of the tables against the rocks. We hung out there during the hottest part of the day to have lunch and stay cool. Twentynine Palms is closer than Joshua Tree/Yucca Valley for groceries, but the drive to Joshua Tree is much more beautiful.

Dogs are allowed, but you can't hike with them anywhere in the park.