Best Campgrounds near Baker, CA

This is one of my favorite campgrounds.  It's easy to get to and is in the middle of the beautiful Mojave Preserve.  All camp sites now must be reserved on Recreation.Gov.  Luckily, we had enough bars on Verizon to do it on the spot when we arrived.  We found plenty of sites available that were large enough for our 30 foot travel trailer.  The campground was only about a quarter full.

Although the campground is dry camping, there is a dump site and water is available to top off your tank.  They also provide trash receptacles.  

The nearby visitor center closes at 1500, and there is no store or fuel in Mojave.  Most people drive to Baker, CA for fuel, or over to AZ, about an hour away.  I would come next time with a fuller tank of fuel.

I love this campground. The scenery is gorgeous and there are several interesting hiking trails. The campsites are spread out. A great place to enjoy the desert, especially in the winter.

Ivanpah is a world-renowned spot for land sailing.  The BLM has set the playa aside for use only by non-motorized vehicles and the lake is fantastic!  All types of land yachts, kite buggies and other wind-powered craft sail there. 

Motorized vehicles must stay off the lake to avoid rutting the surface.  

The area is closed and no vehicle movement is permitted when the surface is wet - you'll probably get stuck if you try.

There is a bathroom kiosk with picnic tables about half-way to the prime sailing area, which is about 3 miles from the turnoff at turn by the state lottery in Primm.

The larger dry lake is on the west side and a smaller lake is on the east, behind the casinos.

A great place to climb rocks and watch sunrises and sunsets. Lots of birds to listen to and spy with binoculars. In the spring the desert flowers are blooming and beautiful to seek out different species. The road leading to the research station is tight, you will likely get the sides of your vehicle scratched. Lots of dirt roads to explore and even found some petroglyphs nearby.  The dispersed sites are about and 1/8 of mile apart and separated by boulders so privacy is great. 

It was pleasing to see almost no litter or bottles and cans. 

Bring your own water, bring your own privy. 

Drive slow and watch for desert tortoises and other wild life while exploring the miles and miles of dirt roads. 

Only complaint was the guy who drove his dirt back around the rocks like it was his own personal dirt track. He did that for half an hour the disappears.

Great isolated spot, probably great for stargazing when the moon isn’t in your face.

Campground is nothing special, but the hot springs are…. Great for a day or two.

Verizon had excellent reception, enough room between campers to run a generator without bothering anyone. Lots of litter everywhere. It would be nice if people would haul out more trash than what they bring in. After all it is free camping.

Convenient parking for any size of RV with water and power connections and very reasonable price. We paid $25 per night.

Wind was too intense to get the car back tent up at night. Good place to stop before or after the Mojave Trail. There's a small water crossing just after the campground before accessing the trail. My Subaru Crosstrek made it fairly easily just note its presence.

Sites had a concrete table, fire pit with cooking bars, cover over the table and room for a couple cars.

Community vault toilets were available. I'd advise bringing toilet paper!

Really nice area. Only one other person on a Thursday night. Room for 5-6 different campsites, plus overflow onto the road. Next to the dunes. Highly recommend hiking up them.

Amazing view and secluded period Take the road all the way down until it ends comma about two miles comma and there's a cul-de-sac that would be great for a small group. Please respect the land: keep it down and pack it out!

Traveling across country, Jeep camping. Spot was perfect and beautiful. Could have been off the road a bit more considering the amount of traffic for such a remote spot. Make sure to wear shoes as there are thorns. Also be ready to wake up to critters (mice? Chipmunks?) running across your exhaust, chewing on their dinner.

We couldn’t believe we were the only ones here, incredibly beautiful, clean, peaceful with beautiful sun sets and sun rises. We stayed there for 4 days and didn’t see anyone. Our dogs enjoyed it tremendously too.

We needed a cosy stay and a shower and it was perfect ! magnificent view of the desert

Just 10 miles down a great, stereotypical, paved desert road off of I-15 you’ll find an unmarked turnoff as the road curves. The turnoff quickly becomes a dirt road that runs straight for miles. On the right side is the Mojave National Wilderness and on the left is the Mojave National Preserve where camping is allowed in designated areas only. These are marked pretty well and can easily accommodate groups (see “camping” below). The road is easy (see “Approach” below) and I’d feel comfortable taking a 2wd sedan to at least the first campsite which is only about 200m from the road. Fires are allowed in fire pits only which both sites I saw have.

Camping There are two designated dispersed campsites that I saw. I didn’t drive much past the second site though the road wasn’t difficult. The sites are well established and well marked. Some places look like they could be campsites but they are marked as “No Camping.” Look for the established areas with a fire pit that have the designated camping signs. They are located next to rock formations that help block the wind and give you a place to get on top of to look around. Watch out for snakes! The first one is maybe 200m down the road on the left. It has a driveway leading to a circular area so it would be good for a pull through camper or two. It’s large enough for a few campers, I’d say, or several vehicles. Pretty ideal if you had a horse trailer (there is not water source) as across the site is a good equestrian/hiking trail. I chose this one because it was actually smaller and I didn’t want to take up the larger second site. The second site is visible from the first but not close enough to interact much. The rock formation is larger, it’s more hidden from the main road, and has more space for vehicles. Better for a group - even a large one. Check the sign on the way into the preserve to make sure fires are allowed that day. Firewood can be purchased at the market in Baker.

The Approach and Ace Test The exit off of I-15 is convenient - stop in Baker immediately on the right for supplies then right across the interstate is Kellbaker Rd - the paved road that goes through the Mojave. After the mile 10 marker, the road turns right and in the middle of the turn is an unmarked paved driveway. Turn onto that driveway and it becomes a sandy dirt road that runs straight. There are some signs that say “No Motor Vehicles” and “No Camping” but these signs are talking about not leavening the road. You’re fine if you stay on the road. There are some pull offs that look like campsites but they will have rocks across the path and have signs saying no camping. Look for the designated camping signs and pull offs with a fire pit. This road does pass the Ace test for me (Ace was my 216 VW Jetta that I took on roads like this often); however, there are a couple spots toward the second campsite and beyond that I, personally, would do with Ace but if you’re less comfortable, the first campsite is maybe 200m in and any car could make that easily.

Activities The trails are well marked and one can explore the Lava Tubes which is just across the dirt road and easy access. It’s hot even in spring so bring a lot of water - more than you think you need. WATCH OUT FOR SNAKES. I had a fire and it was great to sit, relax, and stargaze. There isn’t a lot of light pollution so on a clear night, it’s awesome. Further down the paved road, there are other things like more Lava Tubes, some mines, and a trail you can drive along to check out water tanks. I like this camp area because it’s isolated and out of town but close enough to get supplies while allowing access further into the preserve. You can also go check out the World’s Largest Thermometer in Baker as well as an Alien kitsch shop and a few restaurants.

Weather I was there towards the end of April and it was in the 90’s and sunny during the day, a hot breeze coming from the west. At night, it was clear and starry and a low around 65.

Cell Service and Other Services I had 3 bars of Verizon LTE and was able to text and send videos and do some of my remote work. There are no amenities; however, Baker is just 10 miles away and has a few gas stations and a market that have pretty much everything from laundry detergent to firewood.