Best Tent Camping near Amboy, CA

Pros: very quiet campground, with sites that are some distance apart. Absolutely breathtaking scenery - this campground is in the valley between hills and the undeveloped land around the campsites is covered in an amazing variety of cacti. The cost is also reasonable at $12/night. The tent sites are nicely designed with a large tent pad, a picnic table, and fire ring. The visitors' center is very close up the road, and they have flush toilets and water, as well as a very small gift shop, but not really anything else.

Cons: The only way to get to the campground is driving for about a 1-2 hours on unpaved roads, which are rough in some spots. Once you get there, there are only pit toilets and no sinks or showers. There is usually potable water in the campground, but that was also unavailable during my visit because of drought conditions (however that info was easily found on the website and I was prepared for that). But by far the worst thing about this campground was the wind. It was breezy all day, which was fine, but at about 9 or 10 pm at night the winds picked up to about 30-40 mph sustained through the whole night, with gusts of ~50 mph. It definitely caught myself off guard, and by the looks of the remaining tents the next morning it caught a lot of other campers off guard also.

If the conditions are like that most of the time (possible since it's in a valley?), I wouldn't tent camp there again because it wasn't relaxing at all. But if that was a fluke or I had an RV, I would consider another stay there. There were a lot of ORVs in the area, and I think anyone who enjoys doing that would love this campground.

Good home base for Joshua Tree is NP campgrounds are full. Pretty barebones. A few weirdos, but enough space to steer clear of them. The wind can be brutal if you’re tent camping. Have large stakes.

Awesome tent sites in Joshua Tree, tucked between some Jumbo Rocks. The sites are pretty spacious and private and have primo scenery and star gazing opportunities.

Nice place to visit in early January. With sunshine and daytime temperatures of 60s and 70s. Most sites are suitable for tent camping or small campers.

Would be a 5 star if it had water, a dump station or electric.

Super campspots among the boulders. Great hiking out of the campground. Some of the tent sites are "really" walk in sites so it makes it a bit more challenging if sleeping in van. Bring everything you need ie. Water!

Very primitive camping, but location, views, hikes, and adventures nearby make it all worth it! We had site #6 and tent camped. It was back a little away from the road and people which was nice. Be sure to bring in your own water. We filled up our jug and got provisions in 29 Palms before heading into the park.

This listing was showing as free but when we showed up that was not the case. For simple tent camping, this cost $15/person and charge $5/per kid and pet. Must be gone by 11am. Overpriced for what we needed. Very loud and rude campers next to us until early morning hours evens though it’s against the park’s policies. Disappointed. Front lady checking in was very pleasant. No discounts for Veterans, only active duty.

very nice campground. Always clean. Small store onsite. Small lake. Some sites are full hook-ups and many tent sites. Quiet and peaceful. I’ve stayed many times - September, October & May. The Joshua Tree Music Festival takes over the campground for a week in October and a week in May. Wonderful time to stay and hear such a huge variety of music and art!

Such an amazing spot to tent camp! Definitely narrow spots for bigger vehicles, but for car-camping with tents, it was perfect! Scored this site on a busy weekend using Dyrt Alerts - the pictures say it all: secluded site, epic sunrise & sunset viewing from scaling the rocks in the campsite, beautiful star-gazing. I will say that despite the "secluded" feel, our neighbors were still really close and noisy late into the night, but the greatness of our site honestly outweighed that disruption for me personally.

We did have a coyote visitor twice in the morning, so don't forget to keep your food/trash locked up from critters!

Depending on where you camp the roads go from semi rough to very rough. Tough if it rains. Lots of established camps at the beginning with a wide spread of space. Great for RV or none tent campers all around. I'm tent camping so drove to the outskirts and decided that the softer sand at the beginning was more suitable than the cracked surface of the once was lake. Lots of space between camps but not many high trees so isolated but in sight. That and the rougher roads plus high traffic led to the 3 rating. Free is free and no one within 100 ft so 3 is what it is for me. Not bad. Not good.

Campsite was perfect, the site is for 4 people but easily could have fit 8-10! 3/4 folks in our group tent camped while I slept in my car along the road right next to the campsite. The site itself only had enough room for 2 cars so be sure to budget for that. We had two pit toilet stalls right next to our site, there were some bees around the front entrance but the bathrooms themselves were fine. We stayed at campsite 83, pictures below, on 12/5. It was COLD out as well, I am from colorado but the cold hit different out here! Bring plenty of wood and warm clothes :)

Pure Review:  

Stayed here on the 29th of May 2021. Was a little warm during the day but hella cool at night. The campground is kinda remote, way better than "Hole in The Wall." You can get there in a 2wd car during dry conditions. Nice sites with a table and fire pit. Room for trailer or tent camping. Might have to arrive early to get a good site. 

************************FACTS*********************************************

Price: $12 (first come basis)

Water: NO  

Amenities: Picnic tables and fire ring/grill

Access: A freaking Prius made it

Cell service: Verizon 2-3 bars @ top of hill next to site 24

Pit toilet: Clean

Privacy: Yes/NO depends on your site.

Pure Tip:

Drive the loop before you pick a site. Better ones are at the back. Enjoy!!

20 bucks a night isnt too bad! The park staff is all friendly and helpful. Restrooms (very clean!) and pottable water are not very far from any of the 99 campsites in Black Rock. Fire rings with grates and picnic benches are provided in every camp, but no firewood is available. You're not allowed to use ANY surrounding vegetation for campfires (even kindling) so be prepared to cart in your own wood and kindling. Pets are allowed but they aren't allowed on trails and also not allowed to be left unattended-- so maybe leave Fido home this go round. Tent camping is HOT so be prepared for a 5am scorching hot wakeup.

Overall a very nice campground, and due to bathrooms and pottable water sources its a good campsite for the beginner or casual campers.

We stayed 3 days at this funky little RV campground. It’s full of art installations and has its own small lake that you can fish in. (Catch & Release) There’s a ton of birds and wildlife to observe and a really well stocked general store on the property. Bathrooms were clean and staff was friendly and helpful. There is a small playground onsite for littler kids and tons of space to tent camp. We stayed in 201 which was a HUGE flat spot that could’ve held a much larger rig than ours. All in all it was great, I’d definitely recommend it and plan to return. About 10 minutes to the Joshua Tree National Park entrance and 15+ minutes to good climbs. Easy access and close to town if you forgot something but you won’t hear any traffic.

This is always our first stop when we go to Joshua Tree.  It has all services as well as a little Visitor Center.  There is water here so we use it to stage going into the main park for the first come fist served sites the next day and to make sure we have enough water for those campgrounds which have no water.

I am a tent camper. Beware, the wind can roar through here so stake out your tent.  For tent sites there are some sites that are open without shade or cover. So choose your site well. ALso try to get there at least once when the Joshua Trees are in bloom.

There is a nice hiking trail at the rear of the campground and a mountain/hill to climb.  Nice views from the top.

Also a nice place to watch the sunset or even the sunrise.  Star gazing is a plus as well.

I’m fairly new to tent camping, city boy type. I had a pleasant experience over Memorial Day weekend. The dirt bikes and sand rails didn’t make much noise late in the night. But you choose where you camp. There’s so much distance I think you could walk around nude and nobody would notice 🤷🏻‍♂️

The only con and reason I took away a star is because there was no signage with directions from the main roads, at least none that I saw. And no signage where the lake bed begins because as I approached from cascade road there were a bunch of private property signs so I trusted that the few other tents I saw meant I was good.

Neutral: it was a bit windy that the darn Bug OFF candle would never stay lit which was a pain because there was ample bugs flying around. The wind comes to an almost standstill at night. It was cool seeing the bats out at dusk.

Other than that, it’s exactly as expected and it’s free!

Originally we were planning on camping in Joshua Tree National park, but they were all booked, so I stumbled across this. Price was great, and we still had essentially a camping in the desert away from people experience. The site, Desert Days, had a very cozy festival on your own feel to it. We were able to leave our tent site setup while we left for hours on end to explore, without having it disturbed at all. Very little, almost none, light pollution to obstruct your night viewing. The site had tables and a nice fire pit next to it. The only negative part was someone in a truck kept flying up and down the road at 50mph every hour or so, sometimes sounding like a helicopter, but that’s the only negative thing I can say. I would absolutely return and do it again.

$15 a night, which is a better deal than most NPs will offer and right in the middle of the park! This spot was awesome, lots of wildlife to see (lizards, jackrabbits, etc). There’s plenty of spots that offer great shade, because of the rocks. The rocks are great to boulder, scramble, or climb on. Bring your climbing gear if you’re interested! A baby jackrabbit came right up to me at one point, which was adorable but not great. I guess people feed the critters all the time, so be wary. Don’t feed the animals!! The bathrooms are clean & have trash cans and even lights. There are plenty around, and dumpsters too. They don’t smell either. Picnic tables at every site and fire pit with a grate. Really just a wonderful time here. Mostly for tent camping, but we saw some RVs here and there. Ps. Don’t burn the vegetation lying around, a park ranger told us it’s horrible for burning and creates lots of smoke, and check under your cars for turtles!!! It says that everywhere but incase you miss it

This campground is a little outside the main Joshua Tree area.  It used to be the only campground you could reserve ahead.  So we usually spend the first night here and then head into the main park in the morning.  It has full facilites and water on sight. It has a small visitor center/ranger station as well.

You drive through a residential area and then you are at the campground.  You are on a knoll or incline so you are looking down over the valley.  There is horse site as well but I do not know the details of that.

We are tent campers. There are  good tent sites as well RV sites.  A great place to watch the star, the sunset and the sunrise.  Trail right fromt= the campground up to a hill/mountain behind the campground.

Be prepared.  We have been snowed on here and wind whipped. Always go in February.

Sites have tables, fire rings and water. Modern bathrooms.

You are surrounded by Joshua Trees and if you catch them in the right time they are blooming.

The winning factors for this campground are:

$15 per person/nightly

Really nice staff 👍🏼

A beautiful entry at night, one permanent residence opposite the office has a lovely succulent/cactus garden and the whole garden is pleasingly lit with tiny colored lights.

There is a tiny "lake" with reeds and visiting birds who congregate around the water. Fishing offered, but no swimming.

I spent a very serene time with just myself and my cat. There are so many tent spaces available, it's quite easy to make a camp and stay isolated from other campers. For winter, the location is pleasantly warm during daytime and any site will be nice. But be aware that in summer the sites ideally situated with trees are much more limited.

They have many types of site sections—loads of tent spots, a very tree'd and full hookup area for RVs, and there is also a "dry" RV section with no hookups.

The main bathroom and shower houses are kept very spic and span and there are also a couple outdoor dishwashing stations available. All the plumbed amenities are available for all campers at the park.

One wish that I would really appreciate would be the availability of a 110v outlet bank out in the tent camping area, or wherever putting one in would be feasible. I travel with a mobile freezer and a deep cycle marine battery. Not fully solarized yet, but I do have an inverter, and I really love when I can camp in places that offer electric only sites at a substantial discount off of full hookup sites.

I would happily pay an extra $5per night just to hook up my super efficient mobile fridge/freezer. Er, that is, my cat's mini freezer...it's for her special order frozen🥩 meat 🐈. I just use the little fridge section for the occasional tub of hummus, chunk of cheese, etc.

Overall, this is a very pleasant oasis, slightly off the beaten, no big highway noise. And Joshua Tree, Ca. is just a few minutes downhill where all the small town eateries can be found.

There's also a decent Dollar General store nearby that has the best prices for buying ice.

Slater Bros market in nearby Yucca Valley has hardwood firewood boxes and reasonable prices on all the extras–Firestarter blocks, compressed wood logs, and long nose lighter wands. Gas stations also sell wood, but it's not hardwood, nor fully cured. So that stuff burns up really quick and can be very smoky.

As for this sweet little campground, it's a nice place to get away to, and to have a sense of spaciousness. You might here the eerie, lonesome yips and cries of some coyotes in the distance, to boot.

And I sure can't beat the price for tent camping.

I have camped here two times. Once on Thanksgiving weekend and once on New Years weekend. I really like this campground. The large rock formations in the park help to isolate the campsites from each other even though they are pretty close to one another. I would consider most sites to be "tent sites", but I have seen some 25'+ RV's in the campground. There are a couple of nice trails that start at the campsite which allows you to explore the area without having to drive anywhere. The Skull Rock trail starts near the middle of the campground and is a really nice hike, especially at night. You can also walk out into the desert for a nice view of the sunrise. There are several bathrooms placed throughout the campground and they are as clean and pleasant as you can expect a pit toilet to be. It is worth noting that because this is one of the more popular camps in the park, it fills up quickly and doesn't take reservations. Happy camping!

Let me start by saying what a special place this is. Joshua tree as a whole is a such a magnificent place, but the jumbo rocks campground is otherworldly. I have camped in a lot of different deserts across the country none compare to the amount of fun that can be had on Joshua tree all the climbing and exploring that can be done is outstanding. Although we went in February the weather was great during the day a little chilly and windy at night but with the right preparation all went well. We spent three nights tent camping with sleeping bags and it was low 50s high 40s and we were okay with layers. The days were 60s/70s and sunny. The campsite has about a 45 min drive to town through the north part of the park. Overall this place is amazing highly recommend and for new campers its in the middle of the park but theres lots of people around so you don’t feel totally alone. If u wanna walk away from camp and get away from people and noise theres plenty of opportunity to. If you do stay try and get a camp site next to one of the giant boulders makes for great nighttime ambiance with stars and a fire.

Within 15 min. or so of JTNP, farther depending on where in the park you're going/coming from. I camped here Thanksgiving week. There are established sites all over the place, all along plenty of side roads. Saw mostly RVs, with very few tent campers, like myself. No vegetation above maybe 1m, so you're well within sight of everyone and vice versa. Not much of a problem when it gets dark at 5pm, but there's campsites along Sunflower Rd., I believe, with portable toilets if you're tent camping and can't find a concealed spot to pee, though I didn't have trouble. Main roads are pretty busy; people get in at all hours, but I noticed most people were driving farther into the lakebed. Don't expect to feel very isolated or solitary out here; expect to wake up to more people around you than you thought. Roads go from bumpy to pretty rough--be careful if the first time you're driving here is in the dark (I was in a Jetta, granted). I showed up after sunset every day and easily found a spot on the outskirts. It was noticeably cooler here than in the park--each morning I woke up, my car was saying it was at least 10 degrees cooler, 20 one morning. I ended up getting out of there first thing and cooking breakfast in the park to be a little warmer. Easy to find, and it works if you're just looking for a place to rest for the night.

This is a great value campsite for a National Park. The sites are not very private, but there is a community of campers and climbers and travelers that are, in our experience, fairly camp respectful. 

We stayed in site 12 which is on the backside of the camp (away from the road) looking out at the desert. This particular site is on a slight incline for car camping but has a flat pad for tents. Site 9 would have been our first choice as it is flat and a bit more private (I stress "a bit more"). 

Easy hikes out of the campground and big sky country.

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.

This is the best site location for non-group tent camping for an early morning or late evening summit of Ryan Mountain.

Unfortunately, I didn't do enough research when planning my trip to Ryan apart from getting excited about the proximity to the popular Joshua Tree Ryan Mountain hike. I was focused on getting up the hill as early as possible before the sun got too hot. Because the sites are first come, I didn't think I wouldn't have a problem because things aren't too full in the summer. Unfortunately, to my surprise, this campground is closed in the summer.

As an alternative next stop, tried Sheep Pass (which has a trail that connects to the Ryan Mtn trailhead) and quickly learned that this is a group only campground which requires reservation (and is also closed in the summer). Finally wound up at White Tank which is a bit further away, but still a great site and close enough to get to Ryan Mountain early in the day. It turned out to be a good summer alternative.

If you happen to be lucky enough to get a site at Ryan in the season when it is open, it's a "primitive campground", $15 per site, no water (you'll need a lot to drink if you're hiking Ryan Mtn in the sun as well as some to wash off the dust when you get to the bottom) and each site has a table and fire pit (which seems to be the standard across JT). I didn't get to check out the bathrooms, they were also closed.