17 Mile Camp — Mojave National Preserve

The dirt spur over to this site is blocked off with "wilderness boundary" barriers. But there are more sites a few miles south on Kelbaker road.

Great easy access dispersed camping. Showed up past midnight and it was still really easy to find a flat spot to park our camper van. It was very quiet all night & the sky was amazing! Only one other group of campers, somewhat nearby, couldn’t really hear them. There was plenty of distance between us & could have been more. When it was light we saw there was a fire pit from previous campers. Sunrise was beautiful! Would definitely stay here again.

PLEASE NOTE, the coordinates are slightly off. If headed east, turn left onto a short paved road that turns into a dirt road BEFORE the coordinates state. If headed west, the turn would be after the coordinates on the right.

This site is great. It’s right up against the side of the hillside which helps with shade. This is right off the Mojave road which was well traveled the day we were there. Groups of Jeep’s and trucks came by what seemed like every hour.

You will have cell service at this location. The area has spots of deep sand which you can get stuck in (we did but got out) so be aware of that.

This designated dispersed camping area is at 17 Mile Point, the approximate halfway point on the Mojave Rd between Soda Springs and Marl Springs. Just west of the point is a dry camp where pioneers and freighters would stop for the night. This route was particularly brutal for travelers heading east toward the Colorado River with most of the track being sand and little, if any, grass for livestock on the climb to Marl Springs. The camping area is peppered with fire rings and the cliffs provide some much welcome shade. We had cell signal here which was a nice change and in the far off distance you could see ant-sized semis on the highway. You definitely need 4X4 to get here, but it's well worth it to enjoy the solitude and desert vistas.