This campsite is on a dry lake bed and is pretty exposed to the elements. It was semi in town but far enough away to be a 15 minute drive. We’ve been there twice and felt pretty exposed and the second nice was more packed than the first night.
Just off I -10 and outside the national forest, sits this gem. On either side of Cottonwood drive are numerous camping sites, most with man made fire pits. It’s a great location that fills quickly as Phoenix and S Cal people come out for weekend free camping. We found a great site and had 2 neighbors that were far enough away to feel like we were on our own. It was quiet and dark, great for star gazing. It got crazy windy in the middle of the night, but no big deal. Would definitely go back again!
I was surprised how many good camping spots were available here, even coming in late on a Friday.
Really easy access to the south entrance of Joshua Tree NP.
This is a great free site right at the edge of Joshua Tree National park. Spots are far apart and you don’t have to worry about other people. Area is flat and easy to set up and park on. Gas station and small restaurant are only one exit away in the 10. Not very noisy even with close proximity to the 10.
Nice area, open enough you don't need to worry vout interacting with or bothering your neighbors if you don't want to. Just be careful of the sandy areas, got dug in with my sprinter and needed someone to pull me out.
This is a great area if you want BLM land super close to Joshua Tree National Park. It is literally right next to the south entrance of the back door of the park. Great night sky viewing as well. Super close to the 10 freeway thought.
One of the best solo camping trips I’ve had in a long time. Drive there is alil bumping but no big deal if you take it slow. Not too many people around. A few RVs but you have plenty of space. Motorbikes come out here and there and you’ll hear shot guns off in the distance. Guess some folks have target practice off in the distance. No water or restrooms so you’ll have to be primitive while there. All and all I had a great time. Only saw one snake up the mountain and heard a few baby coyotes one nite. Also check for wind speed when you go. Definitely want to have a bandana to cover for sand blowing. Great free location not too far from JT National Park. Drive in location I used was Cascade Rd Joshua Tree, CA 92252. Once you pass solar panels the pavement road ends and your there, anywhere you want to set camp. Have fun.
No amenities, low highway drone, power lines above your head, trashed.
But the perfect spot if you just want to spend a lot of time in j tree and not break the bank! So close to the south entrance, tons of spots.
Saw a beautiful sunset here too.
Since there are already 21 reviews of this area I will try to keep this review short because everything has already been said.
This BLM land is managed by the Palm Springs-South Coast Field Office and is not in JTNP itself.
There are many, many spots here, so you are almost sure to find a spot to camp even if it’s crowded like it was for us when we stayed here in early Feb.
Very windy here!
You can see I-10 traffic but the noise wasn’t too bad.
This isn’t a camp area I would come to for a long period of time, but it’s a great place if you just need a place to stay for a night or two.
Great cell signal here, but keep in mind that within Joshua Tree NP there is poor, almost non-existent cell signal.
* Note - check on Joshua Tree campgrounds as they may have changed their reservation policy. Ryan Campground used to be first come first served but as of Sept 2020 it is reservation only. At time of this review only the 3 smallest JTNP campgrounds are first come first served, all others require reservations and are almost always fully booked over the weekend.
We had a lovely stay for two nights, the wind was quite strong so make sure you have good pegs and sandbags. Plenty of spots to choose from without driving too far from the road. It wasn't too busy on the MLK long weekend with enough space and privacy between campers. Wide open spaces with some fire places made from rocks. A few spots had some shade trees but not many.
We had a few different campers within 50 yards and saw 3 of them get bogged in 3 different spots - two were proper 4WD's and one took two tow trucks to get it out so beware and scope out your drive off the main trail first.
This is one of the only options along the I10 southern entrance to Joshua Tree NP. Not sure why this app list it as $25. This is a place to park off the road near the south entrance. I would be cautious leaving valuables unattended if breaking away from camp to explore, can be lots of riff raff, our stay was nice and is a great free overnight option.
This FREE (not sure why it shows up as $25 on this app) dispersed camp area is perfect for convenience to JTNP, although at the south entrance. Easy to find spots, even in the dark. I stayed here the night of January 3rd. Flat and sandy areas with lots of rock fire rings (check fire status though! It was a no burn time when I was there).
See other reviews for good descriptions of directions from I-10. Very simple.
To get to the north part of JTNP it takes about 1 hour through the park (BEAUTIFUL drive), to Black Rock Canyon for trail heads about 1.5 hours. You can drive through the park before park hours if needed. The cottonwood springs visitors center opens at 8:30, but you can get a pass in another place.
One downside, you can hear (faintly) and see I-10 but no big deal!
Would stay here again!
This campground (and I use the term loosely) is everything that I love about BLM land - dispersed, quiet, and FREE! No amenities and not a ton of privacy for outdoor bathroom usage, but not crowded enough for it to matter. Tons of spaces along several different dirt roads. Rock fire pits at most every campsite, the majority of which are flat and not too sandy.
When coming from I10, head towards Joshua Tree NP and just before the NP sign (can’t be more than a couple hundred feet), you’ll see dirt roads going both left and right - we went right and had no issue on the road with our Subaru Crosstrek and small tow-behind popup camper, although it could’ve been more difficult for 2WD vehicles.
Be aware that although this camping is super close to the park, the majority of park attractions and hikes are in the north end, so be prepared to drive through. However, it is super close (about 10 mins) to the Cottonwood Visitor Center, which has 24/7 bathrooms (I think?), and the Lost Palms Oasis Trail. Nearest gas station is in Chiriaco Summit, about 13 minutes away, and nearest city is Indio, which is about 35 minutes.
Free dispersed camping just North of Interstate 10. Take the paved road North about a mile and you can turn left or right on the "main road" just before the park entrance (right before the berm) . A few people were camping South of the Interstate. Dirt road has some washboards but it firmly packed and can be driven by any type of vehicle. If you take one of the smaller side roads, you may have more trouble and there are less camp sites cleared on those roads, but are more private.
Lot's of people cluster up near the paved road but the further you go away from the paved from the more space and privacy you have. I went about 3 miles to the West from the paved road and had about a quarter mile in each direction between me and my neighbors.
No noise except maybe once and hour a car drives by but it's not disturbing. Camp fire rings made of rocks in almost all clearings. Very private and a huge bonus to have cell and internet at almost full signal in such a remote place.
It is BLM dispersed camping so it's free, first come first served, and has zero amenities. Be sure to fully stock up on water, gas, propane etc before arriving in the area.
Gas station next exit down the highway about 4 miles. Has a free water spout for customers but it's kind of slow so don't plan on filling a 90 gallon tank this way. No firewood sold there, you have to go 30 minutes into Indio.
Verizon Cell/Network Service: 5/5 - Full bars in the BLM land
AT&T Internet Service - 4/5 - Half bars, great for how remote it is
Rig Details: 2008 Toyota Tundra 4WD w/ 27ft Travel Trailer
A little tricky for my 2wd in some spots. Plenty of room to roam and space out if youd like. Nice little fire pits and flat surfaces near trees. Beautiful weather. Sunsets and sunrises are breathtaking. Little bit of road noise in the distance. Sweet hikes at JT.
This area is managed by BLM, which means it's free to use for up to 14 days at a time.
There are no hookups or facilities, and it's pack it in, pack it out. There is a Chevron station just a short drive away (via either the freeway or dirt trails) that has bathrooms and all the basics in case you forgot something at home. There are tons of spots that are already at least partially cleared with fire rings left behind by previous campers (pro tip: if you see a tree with any semblance of shade, there's a fire ring near it).
I had planned on camping there even before the official park resumed operations after Covid. There's plenty of room to spread out and keep some privacy. That being said, the campgrounds in the park had filled up, and many people came here and used it as an overflow campground. Perhaps these people weren't familiar with open camping like this, because for some reason 4 groups decided to camp within ear & eyeshot of my spot. Come on people, you have a whole desert to choose from - spread out a little and enjoy the solitude.
What makes BLM Joshua Tree South a perfect dispersed camping option?
This spot is owned by the BLM. That means it’s free for up to 14 days and there aren’t any hook up. There were a few other campers around but I never heard them. The silence is serene and the sunsets are breathtaking. And since it’s just outside of the park entrance, there’s still cell service.
The location of this campground, right by the entrance to Joshua Tree National Park is really convenient. You can see the highway from where you camp, but it’s not too loud to keep you up at night or anything. The camping area goes both east and west from the Joshua Tree entrance road. We camped on the eastern side, accessing via the southern road About .2mi down that road a mini van pulling a pop up trailer was stuck in a sandy patch. We then drove the northern road on the eastern side and it is much firmer and less sandy.
Plenty of space for all sized camping rigs. It was busy in March since the southern end of the park is in full bloom. The space is fairly open with a lot of low vegetation and a few trees. It wasn’t windy when we camped but I’m sure it gets very windy there.
We rented two sites right next to each other and had a total of 11 people. We had one tent of 3 people and the rest were in 1-2 people tents. We were able to fit them all in comfortably around the boulders and have plenty of room for games, hanging out, cooking etc. would highly recommend visiting!
I stayed here the first week of April 2019. Plenty of space to feel secluded. The highway noise is rarely noticeable. The site we found was more level than some campgrounds we’ve been in. It’s 100% boondocking, but it’s also 100% free. About 23 miles from Indio/Coachella.
The dry heat is tolerable as long as you pack enough water, I had 1.5 gallons packed per trail, the views are awesome and there’s an oasis in the middle of desert which is pretty awesome.
Nice quiet large spaces with fire rings will fit 40ft+ Rvs right outside the entrance to Joshua Tree national park
We went here several years ago on a holiday weekend. Not thinking ahead I completely forgot about the holiday and was just happy to have a few days off to camp. When we reached the state park they warned us that the campgrounds had been filled up, they directed us instead to BLM right outside the park. Was this the best decision ever! 5 whole days there and only ever saw one soul having a blast on his dirt bike. Great seclusion if you love space, my dog loved the freedom of not being surrounded by other camps and dogs and we got a wonderful opportunity to get away. Would definitely do it again.
We stayed here a couple nights and also stayed inside the park a couple nights. BLM land and national forrest are my favorite. This place was pretty exposed and rather windy but still alright.
There are no facilities, no amenities, and while i like that it may not be for everyone. Whether you stay here or in the park you going to love Joshua tree. It has some of the more amazing climbing, mountain biking, and hiking in the world. My girlfriend and i had no expectations going in and thats what made it so special.
Cheers
We stayed here 2 nights instead of staying inside the park.
While it is free... it is exposed, windy and not that pretty. We ended up sleeping in our car both nights because it was too windy to set up our tent.
No ammenities.
Once you go BLM, you never go back(?) Ok that's not how the saying goes but it's true! Seems like every time my friends and I want to go to J-tree for climbing, the campgrounds are allll full. It's such a pain to drive around looking for an empty site, especially if you want to meet friends and there's NO CELL SERVICE in the park. One time a ranger handed us a paper with instructions to get to this place called "BLM land"..the first time we went we were quite unsure, but it ended up being the best thing ever!! Plenty of space for a large group to get loud, get drunk, have fun without worrying about having families with children nearby.
Cons:
Joshua Tree National Park is an amazing place whether you go there during summer or winter but make sure you're prepared... on this trip it was summer which means being prepared for the heat...bringing plenty of water specially when you go hiking
Honestly, who needs bathrooms and paved roads... You are camping for goodness sake! The BLM land north of I-10 and just south of the Joshua Tree's southern entrance is the perfect place to camp if you A. Want to pay $0.00 and B. Want privacy! We decided to camp here over Memorial Day weekend 2016 because all the campsites inside the park were SOO crowded. We were the only ones out on the BLM and it was quiet and we had great views (even the highway looked cool at night with the cars whizzing by and it's far enough away that it's not like it really even matters). I highly recommend this if you love to camp but you are like me and don't want other people's camp fire smoke in your face or hearing their screaming children throw a temper tantrum! This was my first time camping BLM but it will not be my last!
