Best Dispersed Camping near Amboy, CA

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We stopped overnight at Amboy Crater during our vanlife road trip in our Hi 5 Campervan, and it was one of the most surreal camping spots we’ve experienced. It’s boondocking-style, so don't expect any hookups— but the peace, stars, and Mars-like vibes make it worth it.✅ What we loved: Easy access right off Route 66. Ample parking space for our Hi 5 campervan(ours is about 11 ft tall— no issues at all). Uninterrupted views of the crater and desert. Free and quiet overnight stay(just be respectful and leave no trace). Perfect for catching a sunrise or drone shot!⚠️ Good to know: No water or amenities— bring your own supplies. Cell service is very weak, so download offline maps in advance. Gets windy at night, so secure your gear. Trail to the crater rim is doable but not shaded— hike early morning or sunset.🎥 This spot was a dream for content creation. We got epic drone boomerang shots of our van parked solo in the desert. You won't find a vibe like this in Canada!

As another reviewer noted - this spot is huge so make sure you are staying on BLM land. There is a lot of trash in some areas and there was some dirt bikes but they didn’t bother me. Car camping I found the area I liked best was as follows: off 62 take Sunfair rd, right on cypress rd (dirt road which my GPS thought was Reagan Rd but is marked with a street sign Cypress) - go past ITH coyote ranch (no sign but may show up on map) Then right on cascade - an unmarked dirt rd. Then there is a large flat BLM area where rvs and vans were quite spread out, and a motorcycle with a tent was my neighbor (quite far away). No trash here when I was there. Zero facilities obviously so pack it out. Hot tip - water and restrooms 10 min away at the Indian Cove ranger station near Indian Cove Campground in JT park. I stayed here two nights car camping.

We tried to stay at a few of the other Mojave Preserve sites listed on the Dyrt (17 mile and Kelso dune)  when traveling between Joshua Tree and Death Valley), but a blown tire on our campervan rental meant that we couldn’t reach any of them as they were all down long dirt roads. With the sun setting and a limping van we had to find a new dispersed location.  [Disclaimer: we wouldn't have camped here unless we had other options. Leaving this review in case someone is in a similar situation— I was scouring Dyrt Pro offline for anywhere to go as we were searching that night and everything needed 4WD or a long drive down a dirt road]

The turn off was Aiken Mine Road and we went down it a bit to get off the main road and find a flat wider spot to safely camp.

Along Hwy 127 between I-40 and I-15 there are a number of  pull offs where you can spend the night in a campervan or RV (I wouldn’t recommend a tent unless you can get further off the road). This space we found was very wide and far enough off the road to be quiet, but not too far that we wouldn't be in trouble with the tire. Only one car passed between sunset and sunrise. There aren't a whole lot of options between Death Valley and Joshua Tree if you're traveling in the shorter days of winter and plan to see one of the parks during the day.

I'd only recommend this option if you just need a place to sleep during the dark hours.

There is actually some decent cell service in the Mojave preserve (along Hwy 127) . There are also call boxes about every 2 miles further along the 127.

Cost=$0 also means no amenities. But there were lots of Joshua Trees to be seen and a very, very beautiful night skies because there is NOTHING out here.

To begin please be careful of the roads as they very sandy and you can get stuck easily if you don't have a 4x4, that being said I made it in and out with a 2 wheel drive truck but I almost got stuck. If come in by cell tower there are two roads to the right one goes south one goes east towards the mountain we went east and camped in the dry riverbed where the road first gets close, much past that you really need a 4x4 I went down the road but barley made it out by where the graffiti is the parking area on Amboy rd.

So this is a beautiful area with plenty of wildlife and areas to hike. Due east the cell tower behind a small hill is a camper trailer that looks like it's been there for quite some time, there is somebody that lives there so don't approach it because I believe his cheese slid of the cracker. He would come out at random times and just laugh in a very creepy manner. If you look on google earth you can see it. I think it was his way of telling us to stay away. So we did. This is dispersed camping so there are no amenities.