## Overview

 Download the [NPS app][1] prior to visiting the park \_\_\_ trail maps and more! Indian Cove Campground lies amid the huge, steep rock formations for which Joshua Tree National Park is known. Because of its proximity to many rock climbing routes, it is a popular camping location for climbers. Indian Cove Group is one of three group campgrounds in the park that can be reserved year round. To get the most out of your visit [Plan Like a Park Ranger][2]\_\_ Travelers who enjoy warm, dry winters flock to Joshua Tree from October through May, when temperatures hover between 70-90 degrees during the day and drop to a 40-60 degree range at night. Summer is the park\'s off-season due to the uncomfortably-high desert heat. Indian Cove is at an elevation of 3,200 feet. 
## Recreation

 Rock climbers flock to Indian Cove Campground for the variety of routes and warmer temperatures that can be found in the interior of the park. Several hiking trails also leave from the campground. There is a short interpretive nature trail and plenty of rocks for the non-climber to explore within the facility. Clear desert skies are perfect for star-gazing and night photography. 
## Facilities

 This facility has 13 tent-only group sites ([link to individual sites][3]). There are no hookups or drinking water in the campground, however water and an emergency phone are available two miles away at the ranger station. The town of Twentynine Palms is less than 10 miles away and provides basic amenities.\_\_\_\_\_\_ The maximum number of people and vehicles per site varies. See Site Details for specifics. 
## Natural Features

 Campsites are nestled on a flat, sandy surface between large boulders that tower in unique shapes over the campground and rise up from the otherwise uniform desert landscape. The rocks were formed by volcanic activity millions of years ago and have been exposed and shaped by wind and water over time. They brighten with soft pastel hues during the morning and evening sunlight and glow with campfire light by night. Visitors may want to keep their eyes out for typical desert inhabitants such as lizards, rattlesnakes, scorpions, ravens, squirrels and desert tarantulas during the cooler months of the year. Bobcats and mountain lions do live in the park, however they are rarely seen near humans. 
## Charges &amp; Cancellations

 Individual Site: A $10.00 service fee will apply if you change your reservation. Cancellations more than 48 hours in advance of arrival date incur a $10 cancellation fee. Within 48 hours of arrival, a $10 cancellation fee and the first night\'s fee are charged. Group Site: Customers who cancel a group overnight reservation less than 14 days before the arrival date will pay a $10.00 service fee AND forfeit the first night\'s use fee. No-Shows\_\_ Overnight Facilities: A no-show customer is one who does not arrive at a campground and does not cancel the reservation by check-out (noon) time on the day after the scheduled arrival date. Staff will hold a campsite until check-out time (noon) on the day following the arrival date.\_\_ No-shows are assessed $20.00 service fee and forfeit the first night\_\_\_s recreation fee for a campsite.\_\_ \*Note: the entire reservation will be cancelled for no-shows.\_\_ 

[1]: https://www.nps.gov/subjects/digital/nps-apps.htm
[2]: https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/jotrtop10.htm
[3]: https://www.recreation.gov/camping/campgrounds/232472

Indian Cove Campground — Joshua Tree National Park

I chose this site because it was close to the main road and we had to leave early morning so we didn't want to go into the actual park.

  

It was stunningly beautiful - the site is nestled up against giant rock formations that you can climb around on for views of the area. We laid on the warm rocks at night and watched the stars after dinner - best stargazing we had our whole trip through CA - AZ. 

  

The website warned that the site wasn't level but we were able to just park so that we didn't notice (truck bed campers)

Even better than expected! 

IT IS STILL A PART OF JOSHUA TREE

Make a reservation and chill by some rocks...

This place is great. There are tons of campsites and they all are right up against the rocks. Shade is a little hard to come by and it's windy at night, but if you're prepared, you're gonna have a great time.
Some campsites are bigger than others, but they're all beautifully unique.

Tucked away between the rocks...

I spent two nights at Indian Cove with a friend in March 2016.  The campground proved to be a quiet place to camp, especially on the end closest to the day-use area.  Sites were of varying size and ours turned out to be directly adjacent to the next site over; we set up as far off the "dividing line" as we could while staying a safe distance from the fire ring but it turned out to be a tight squeeze.  Pit toilets were fine and there's a water fountain at the ranger station that you can use to fill water bottles at all hours.  No camp store on the park premises but there are several options within a 20-30 minute drive of the campground.  Overall it was a pleasant place to camp that afforded wonderful views at sunrise.

Nice campground settled into the rocks

I spend a lot of time in Joshua Tree and I haven't found a site better than Indian Cove for getting away from the crowds. Lots of hidden sites in this campground and loads of climbing and tortoises. You can even hike up Gunsight Canyon and come out on Boy Scout Trail in the park. There is a secret underground maze that only the rangers and experienced guides know about. Please don't try and find it without one of those people! Lots of people get lost in the beautiful rocks trying to find their way around. 

Tucked behind a hole in the rocks

This was my very first  time at Joshua tree.

If you enjoy Sleeping under the stars and enjoying some of the darkest night skies this is the place to be. 

Joshua Tree has different  options for travelers from Camping, boldring, Hiking or just relaxing and enjoy nature.

Indian Cove @ Joshua tree 

This is a very high traffic camp ground and we did have our firewood jacked several times but the view and the scrambling hikes around this campground are so worth it. You can see cyclops rock and actually climb up the back of it for a nice view of sunset. 

Busy but awesome

There are some very nice site at the campground with a few small adjacent trails. The camp ground was busy but quite. There are rope routes and boulders for rock climbers. Fresh water is located by the ranger station and is a bit of hike, or car drive to get but is accessible. Climbed some really fun boulders but was on a solo trip so didn't get on any rope routes. Would absolutely stay at this site again. 

Nice Sites, Great for rock climbers

Coming from Minnesota, Indian Cove Campground was the neatest thing- not a lot of trees, but plenty of rocks. Because of the rock formations, you basically have walls separating you from your neighbors, which is amazing. The amenities are fairly spread out, but conveniently close. It was odd having a grill & a fire pit though. Maybe it's a southern thing. 

The park itself however, it'd much of the same. We were wishing we wouldn't have planned quite so many days there- 2 would be plenty, if you're doing a road trip. The Hidden Valley hike was interesting historically & seanicly. 

Awesome Campground, not so awesome park 

Great site with lots of climbing routes. Can be crowded but the boulders help give some privacy. 

Amazing!

Arrived one summer morning at about 5:30am  just in time to watch a storm pass through the area and introduce a wonderful sunrise full of big white puffy clouds. The vegetation came alive the Joshua Trees, the cactus and flowers were all perked up and some puddles of rain water still covered the ground in a few areas. 

Ahh Joshua Tree 

Clean bathrooms when I visited. Enjoyed rock climbing and hiking in the area!

Family campground

**Campground Review:**

We came into this camping trip expecting three things- 1\. It was going to be hot, 2\. The ground was going to be hard, and 3\. It was going to be windy.

All three of those things were mostly true. When we first arrived on Saturday around noon, it was definitely hot, and definitely windy. We'd come prepared for the ground to be hard and bought new MSR Ground Hog stakes and a stake mallet. Say what you want, but that mallet is a game changer! Seriously, I don't know what took us so long to get one, but I'll never go back to the BAR method (Big A** Rock, haha).

What I wasn't quite expecting, and maybe I'll sound like a noob but I was in "hot southern California" mode, was how cold it would get at night. Our first night there dropped into the low 40s and felt even colder with the wind. We're not exactly strangers to the high desert coming from Utah, but I'll admit I wasn't as prepared as I probably should have been. I think when we go back we'll either bring a sunshade with a wind blocking wall (staked down to the max, our neighbors almost lost theirs) or just be spoiled and bring our camper. The first night we spent very little time outside of the tent once our food was finished cooking, and when we were outside it was a little miserable.

The next couple of days were a lot more manageable, as it was less hot and as a result less windy overall (less dramatic of a temperature swing). Our second night was windless and reasonably warm (in the 50s) and was generally pretty perfect.

My favorite thing about this campground was the huge rock formations spread throughout. It was a great source of entertainment for the kids in the campsite next to ours, as well as for me and our puppy. The campground was also big enough that we could walk our puppy plenty and tire him out without having to leave the campground.

The two things I didn't love are the fact that there is no water in the campground (understandable, and not something I think should change, but still kind of a pain), and that on the hot days the pit toilets were absolutely rank. I know it's a fine line to walk between accessibility to the campsites and not being so close that they make all of the campsites stink, but I felt like these were too far on the "too close to the campsites" side of things. I know pit toilets aren't perfect and sometimes there's just no way to avoid the smell, but this one seemed especially bad to me. Those two things combined are the only reason my review of the campground was bumped down to 4 stars instead of 5- overall it was a great experience and we had an AWESOME campsite, plus you can never go wrong with a guaranteed campsite in a park where most campgrounds are FCFS (Indian Cove is one of only 2 reservable campgrounds in Joshua Tree, and the better of the two in my opinion.)

**Product Review:**

As a Ranger for The Dyrt, I get products to test from time to time, and on this trip my husband and I tested some [Oofos](http://www.oofos.com) sandals. I'll admit without shame that when I pulled them out of the box and squeezed them, I actually did say, "OOOOOH!" They are _super_ cushy! We used them in the mornings when we needed to let our puppy out of the tent, and when we got back to camp after a long day of hiking, and they were absolutely perfect for both uses. We both liked that they're all one piece and a lot less likely to break with wear, and they're insanely lightweight- they'd be a perfect backpacking camp shoe! They have great support and great cushion, and even my husband (who normally dislikes sandals) has really liked them- enough that he's said something to me, which only happens if he genuinely likes something. So good job, Oofos, you won the approval of Mr Impossible-to-Please! Haha. I think the only thing that I personally would change is that I found the toe on the [flip flops](https://www.oofos.com/collections/womens-ooriginal-sandal/products/copy-of-oofos-ooriginal-seafoam-green-womens?variant=19100054021) to be a bit uncomfortable, and I think I'd be happier with a [slide style](https://www.oofos.com/collections/mens-ooahh-slide-sandal/products/mens-sandal-ooahh-slide-black?variant=19099993989) like my husband got.

You can also read our entire trip report on our blog at [The Wild Groves](https://thewildgroves.com/2017/05/23/2159-joshua-tree-national-park-05-06-08-17/)!

Ranger Review: OOFOS Sandals at Indian Cove, CA

Well rather than bore you with repeat reviews, its pretty much what the other reviews are saying. my experience was great although the neighboring campsites are close by. Theres not much space between the group sites, so all sites share audible noise. If you end up camping with neighboring large groups, it could get noisy.

despite neighbors, the large rocks were fun to climb and crawl on. Large open fields to stare off into.

Great for Large Groups

This campsite is located outside the park proper and is great for families, school groups, or camps to stay together in a larger area isolated from some of the other craziness that occurs within the park. Access to the rest of the park is available via hiking trails or by driving out and around through to the entrance in Joshua Tree the town.

Pros: Boulders to scramble on, great roped climbing within minutes of the campsites, Water just at the end of the road at the ranger station (no water is in the national park), close to 29 Palms and Joshua Tree the town. These sites are easily accessible and close to everything.

Cons: there are no actual Joshua Trees growing here, but there are a great variety of other desert plants to learn about and see (silver cholla, pencil cholla, yucca plants, etc. )

Perfect Campsite for a large group visit to Joshua Tree! 

Joshua Tree is pretty hot around this time but we had a great time! We reserved a spot in the Indian Cove Campground for $40 a night, there’s several trails to explore &amp; rocks to climb. At night you have a great view of the stars!!

Pros: each site has a bathroom + pretty spacious spot

cons: no running water

Awesome!

Camped at Indian Cove Campground in April of 2017\. Close to Highway 62, it is located in the north part of Joshua Tree National Park. Surrounded by big rocks, our site was right by the boulders. Though we are not climbers, we had fun climbing up those rocks to catch the sunset from above. Pit toilet and picnic table available. Would be nice for large groups if you book consecutive sites.

Great campground with fun climbing up the rocks

Many people don't realize Indian Cove campground is an option in Joshua Tree- mostly because it is accessed from outside the park (can't drive there from the park loop). Although it is a bit remote from the other main attractions in the park, Indian Cove has some real merits 1) Typically less of a zoo than the rest of the park 2) more protected and slightly lower elevation can make it significantly warmer on the cool/windy days 3) some solid climbs (yes they tend to be shorter than the other spots, but still worth a visit!). Rattlesnake Canyon provides hiking access to the northern side of Wonderland of Rocks, an incredible alien landscape of monzogranite boulders and other funky formations. Another plus here is that they take reservations, so if you plan ahead you can lock something in and not have to leave it to chance.

Isolated can be a good thing 

If you want to get great views of the night sky without the City Light pollution that we are all so used to, head to Joshua Tree and pick any of the campsites. Both Indian Cove and jumbo rocks campsites have plenty of large Rock outcroppings 2 search and explore. The campsites are well laid out with plenty of room. Some are more set for large RVs. The facilities in this Campground are nice.

Great for night sky viewing and rock exploring in Joshua Tree

Nice campgrounds, I enjoyed the views. The campgrounds were clean, their were restrooms pretty close by. The rocks were pretty sweet to climb on. 

Good for a night 

We love the jumbo rocks at Joshua Tree and Indian cove campground is settled within a group of the giant rock formations. Our campsite was a bit small, but fine for the two of us and our tent. We had a picnic table, grill and fire pit. Vault toilets were spaced nicely along the campground road. No water in the actual campground, but is at the ranger station. No showers or running water, cell coverage was spotty. 

Joshua Tree, Indian cove campground , May, 2019

Make sure to stop and fill up the yellow tab and leave the top on your dash and pay respectively. Id suggest to buy an annual park pass and military gets the whole year for free!! See the visitor center for it and while ure at it if you have kids, every National Park has an activity book to earn hat badge and stickers as junior ranger. On this location day hikers no need to register. And for the group campers and with those outdoor enthusiast glamping there is a designated spot for yall and must register ahead! All other campers, pick your own rock and by far this is the spot that i will keep coming back! The sky was perfect, no moon and u can see some jupiters moon like IO with naked eye, this night i saw 4!! It was spectacular!! Take nothing but pictures leave nothing but footprints and bring nothing but memories!!

Star gazing? Fine spot here! 

Visited for SDSU Climbing Club trip. Spacious sites located next to humongous boulders just waiting to be climbed. No ropes needed in order to climb around and explore. Sites are nestled between rocks so privacy can be found, although sites are close to each other. Picnic tables and fire pit at each site. Bathrooms clean and close by. Very clean campground, do your part and keep it that way!

Climbing and camping galore in magical rocky canyon

As one of the few reservable campgrounds in Joshua Tree, Indian Cove is a great option for camping. Unlike some of the more popular campgrounds in Joshua Tree it is located outside the main park so it’s a bit of a drive to the main attractions. But if you want to make sure you have a place to camp it is a beautiful campground with plenty of rocks to climb or camp within. I stayed here for a night, got up early and moved to Jumbo Rocks inside the park.

Beautiful campground just outside main park

We camp here every November for a friends birthday and this site never gets old. Plenty of hiking around beautifully formed rock arrangements. Camp sites are dog friendly however trails are not, as this is protected State park land.

Magical site! Yearly visit never gets old!

Just about every campsite here is great.  Most are nestled along the base of a huge boulders or rock cliffs.  The stars are amazing.  Seeing all the campfires light up the cliffs at night is magical. There are no flush toilets and no water.  You also have to drive into the main area of the park for the most popular hikes, but you can’t beat the camping. 

We brought a lot of water with us, but also good to stop at the ranger station and visitor center to fill up water bottles before and after the hikes. Great place to go bouldering or just climb rocks.

Magical camping among the rocks and stars

This place was the perfect campground as far as I’m concerned. It wasn’t busy at all when we were there in May. The sites are tucked into the rocks which block wind and kept us nice and warm at night. Bats flew just overhead for a couple hours and I thought it was magical! Restrooms were clean and just a short walk away. What I loved best was that it was pet friendly! My dog loved it as much as I did! Definitely will be back to camp in this spot. 

Great scenery, pet friendly!

During my trip, the campsites were first come first serve, and since I arrived on a Monday evening, I got a great spot with views in both directions. Convenient restrooms and amazing stargazing. The landscape is incredible and the wildlife is active. Awesome campground!

Convenient and Beautiful

This was an amazing place to camp for us. There are limited sites in the National Park itself. We did have to drive out to the highway and enter into the park on another road but that was o.k. We stayed three nights and used the 29 Palms Marine Corp base to dump our tanks as we are military. There isn't a dump station at this campground and you can only fill up with water at the small ranger entrance building. It takes a little bit of planning but wasn't a big deal to us. Will return.

Fabulous and scenic but plan ahead for water

I’ve been to Indian Cove several times. We like to come around sunset, set up camp eat some dinner, get the fire started then star gazer. Wake up and go for a quick climb and walk around the campgrounds.

Lots of rocks and beautiful night skies

Great night sky campground, pit toilets, campground surrounded by scaleable rocks to scramble on, great for kids and novice rock climbers. 

Good NP Campground

I've camped at Indian Cove multiple times, at the group site and the individual sites. Indian Cove is on the Northern side of the park, and you will use a different entrance than the main park entrance. The group sites come up first off to the right, and you can still see the town of 29 Palms, but they're nestled right at the beginning of the classic J Tree giant boulders. A 2 minute walk south and you're in the thick of it. The individual sites are on the south side of the boulder line, giving you a little more secluded feeling (inside J Tree as opposed to on the outskirts), but you'll be right up next to your neighbors. If you can, I highly recommend the group sites - they're HUGE! You get nearly an acre of space depending on some of the sites. 

  
You can hike the Boy Scout Trail, trailhead near the Indian Cove individual campsites, which connects to the main road if you want to explore Jumbo Rocks or Skull Rock. We always love to scramble up to the top of as many rock stacks as we can.

  

Overall: Group sites&gt;individual, but 10/10 either way. Joshua Tree is a magical place.

Giant Boulders = Scrambling Heaven

Nice Campground with most sites next to large boulders. Many sites are close to each other but not too bad. The rock walls around us provided some nice privacy. Can get a lot of sun depending on time of day. Really enjoyed the dark skies and cuddling up with my pups. Spend time watching the climbers master their craft :)

Quintessential Joshua Tree Camping

One of my fav camping places! Love the desert during the winter, the sunsets are epic! Beautiful grounds, you almost feel like your remote camping! Lots of land to explore and rocks to climb! 

Favorite 

We stayed at campsite 50 in October with two young kids (2 and 4). Tent camping. 

Pros: the views, the beautiful rocks, clean sites, friendly ranger, rocks that could give you some relief from sun if you’re lucky enough. Great area for bouldering from entry level up. Site 50 had low rocks that were doable for my 2 and 4 yo. The rest were way too advanced. 

Cons: no park entrance from here. You have to drive 20/30 minutes out to the main road and back in to get to the main area of the park. The campsite next to us had some nasty anthills. Some of the campsites are set up a bit odd depending on your equipment, could or could not be a big deal. For example we were sharing a parking space with campsite 51 and their site was walking in behind ours. So if they had had an RV I think it would have been impossible. Site 50 was right across from the vault toilet which was great for proximity (and toilet was clean as far as these go) but every once in a while we’d get a whiff of out house which is not pleasant. Wasn’t too frequent so not a big deal but if you want to avoid stay further away from toilets. 

Get water at the entrance gate to the cove. That’s the only water hook up near by. Picnic tables and fire ring in each site. Vault toilets. No showers. No Joshua trees here but tons of Mojave yuccas and other desert plants. Beautiful views and sleeping under dessert sky and stars. 

Beautiful Joshua Tree Campground 

The best place to watch the stars at night over a fire pit with good company. I only stayed one night but my heart stayed in that place. Might make it a once a year appearance. :)

 best time of the year 2020

Our party stayed in group site #4, the site is surrounded by awesome rocks to climb and explore. The campground is very quiet, light noises can travel quite far. We had a great time overall, would definitely visit again.

Very quiet and peaceful

Beautiful rocks to climb on. Lovely desert scenery. All the beauty of Joshua tree and 29 palms nearby.

Rad rocks

I loved Group Site#7. I stayed for two nights in mid-April and enjoyed it. It was secluded enough that I felt comfortable changing our clothes out in the open. A variety of critters casually passed through our campsite, like rabbits, a garter snake, chipmunks, a family of quails, and a hummingbird or two. It was fun hanging with our animal friends, climbing the granite boulders that act as privacy walls. I'd love to return with an actual group for an even cozier feel. What I didn't like was the crazy cold wind, which made it difficult to secure our meal setup and fire. It also made the stinky smell from the bathrooms waft the area a bit. However, when your tent is further out, you don't smell anything.

Stinky yet secluded

My site is number 53, it's a hidden site, very private, can't see any other people from the site. Close to restroom, but no water in the restroom. 

A private site I have

All campgrounds in Joshua Tree are reservation only – but same day reservations are now allowed and you can pay online. There is no cell service or wifi in the park, but the ranger station in Joshua Tree has free wifi, so you can make a reservation from there based on availability. Suggest reserving in advance because Joshua Tree is busy, but we got lucky that there were sites available.

Indian Cove is in the park, but it is not in the main section of the park off the through road.  You have to drive into Twenty-Nine Palms to access the campground. You can access some park trails from the campground, but to enter the park, you will have to exit back out to Twenty-Nine Palms and re-enter through the Oasis Ranger Station or through Joshua Tree. 

The campground is big with different loops and many of the sites are set into giant rocks which makes it feel less crowded. I was originally disappointed that we didn’t get a site at Jumbo Rocks, but this was just as great and the campsites were very similar.

Each site had a picnic table and a fire ring. The walk to the pit toilets was short, and there was  trash and recycling. We also saw a snake near our site when walking around the rocks, so it’s worth paying attention. 

We had a full moon and a dust storm, so even though the stars were probably amazing, we didn’t really see any. $25 a night, pay online at recreation.gov

In the park- but not in the park 

Good sized popular campground in Joshua Tree Nat’l park. Camps tucked in to rocks, sweeping view of desert to the north. No hook-ups

Good rock climbing, gorgeous sunsets

Had a fantastic time here. My loop is surrounded by rocks suitable for climbing and bouldering. 
Nature trail is a short walk away and lovely. 
And the stars!  Be sure to bring a guide so you can identify the many constellations visible on a clear night. 

Boulder Wonderland

Spent one night at the Indian Cove Campground, site 64. Truly breathtaking experience. Never been to Joshua Tree and will definitely be back. So much wildlife, rock formations and beautiful views everywhere. Will definitely be back soon.

Indian Cove Adventure

There are two campsites in the park that you don't have to pay for the park entrance fee; this is one of them. It is located between two mountains, so no cell coverage, but it is quiet. 

Campsite worh entrance fee

Great campsite! Stayed in site 14. Excellent options close to Joshua Tree without dealing with the close campsites and crazy crowds.  Our site had great rocks next to it that many climbers came to use and we were able to boulder to the top, which was the only place I actually had cell service! Would recommend staying here instead of inside the park. Our site was kind of close to the road so it was a bit loud at night with them driving on rocks but wasn’t too bad!

Great views!

I went on my first solo trip as a female to this campground a few weeks ago, this campground was absolutely beautiful . There was times I had to stop and stare at everything around me because I could t believe it was all real. The campground was very family friendly and I felt safe even though I was alone. The sites are very close together so privacy was hard. Beautiful nature trail in the area . The weather was phenomenal at an average of 70 degrees during the day and dropping to the mid 40’s at night. “Half the park is after dark”


10/10

Talk about waking up with the sound of coyotes in your camp, it was so peaceful. Joshua tree is a massive playground of rock, hidden oasis, and creatures. You could easily spend a week in this park and enjoy yourself. It does get extremely hot as it’s in the desert and there’s little to no shade. It does get cold at night when the temps drop too! I’ve been here when it’s snowed! The sites are pretty big and there’s many different campgrounds with 20-180 sites in each. 

Breakfast with the coyotes 

Nice desert camping. Joshua tree is awesome if you are into sightseeing. The rock formations are incredible. If you like hiking (without your pet) then you should enjoy this area. The drive through the park is beautiful. Smaller rigs only. Not very level sights. 

Desrt

We liked it there. Nice site with some shade from the rocks. We had a hard time to level our trailer though.