Joshua Tree Ranch Los Angeles

There's no facilities here. Heck, there's barely a sign. But it's a great spot to get away from the city for a day or two and hang out with family and friends.

Pros:

Location is great, only a 70-90 minute drive from LA

When it's not windy, it's dead-quiet and fantastic

Joshua trees everywhere

Just enough cell service to feel safe, but not enough bandwidth for your kids to stream YouTube all day

Cons:

- It's hard to find. There is no signs until you randomly pick a dirt road and go a few hundred yards, then you see a Joshua Tree Ranch sign laying on the ground.

- Once you find it, you don't know where you're going. There are no markings on any of the sites, and no markings of where the Ranch ends. Was I camping in the ranch? probably. Who knows? Just drive around until you see a makeshift fire pit someone else left behind.

- Check the weather! We did not and went on a day where the Santa Ana winds were blowing. The day was OK, but the overnight was brutal in a tent. So much noise from the tent and our screen tent outside flapping in 30+mph winds (not the fault of the property, but be aware!)

Much wild life and plenty of things to see

This site is really just a boondocks spot. The Joshua Trees are great but the roads are really just ruts and some of the area was used to dump junk

The Joshua Trees, the sunsets, the sunrises! All so peaceful and beautiful. Absolutely nobody around and we weren’t bothered by any animals either.

Slept in the car and temperatures reached as low as 32 F but with the right equipment we were able to stay warm. Heats up quick in the morning!

My buddies and I stopped here on our way to the Sierra’s. It was the perfect stop. Quiet. Peaceful. Beautiful.

The owner, Levi, was great. He communicated well and even helped me with places to stay and hike in the Sierra’s.

I've had some amazing times out here getting away from it all, and there's something about the atmosphere out here that makes the BEST sunsets. You can get right up in the joshua trees, and a lot of the time you have the place all to yourself. Awesome place to bring your dog and friends and just goof off. Easy to get to, but still secluded. It's about a 15-minute drive to the nearest neighbor, but you're still less than a mile from the highway.

I've been here in the winter and the summer. I actually like the winter better! When there's snow on the Tehachapi mountains and the San Gabriel mountains, the view is incredible. And it's Southern California, so it doesn't really get cold.

The only rules are don't hurt the joshua trees, and don't start any wildfires. That's easy enough to comply with.