Best Dispersed Camping near California City, CA

This is BLM land camping in an OHV area that we used for an overnight. For this purpose it was great. A paved road leads to endless dispersed camping options in a beautifully rugged canyon. There were a few OHVs but we arrived late on a weekday and OHV traffic stopped altogether in the evening. Wind was a problem and made sleeping hard. We camped in a 24’ travel trailer with a high clearance truck. While not necessary, the larger truck was nice to have on the dirt portions. There are sites that would be accessible by car as well just be more discerning. Verizon was at 1 bar the whole time.

A very out of the way place to plant yourself if you are looking for space. I never knew this was here and grew up camping in California. Filming for the remake of Planet of the Apes happened here. There is so much room and a huge choice when camping here, there isn’t however, potable water or shade unless you bring your own. Amazing views and stunning sunsets. Pretty decent star gazing as well, tho there are lights from Trona it’s self and a glow of light on the horizon to the south. We spent a few days camping with family here. It’s easy to social distance when you need binoculars to see most of the fellow campers in the area. There is one pit toilet at the main parking area and some people to camp there as well. Close to Spangler Hills Off Rd area as well.

I drove past a couple of camp grounds directly at the lake and was very disappointed what I found. Yes, you can camp right at the lake but only if you appreciate the charme of a Walmart parking lot. There is basically next to no trees or any nature for that matter.

So I looked a little further and was very happy to have found this site. Beautifully located right at a river, surrounded by trees, big boulders and the stunning mountain scenerey.

However, be aware that this is not serviced at all. There is no electricity, water, dump stations or anything else than the actual spot. And BEWARE: there is quite a steep and narrow entry road into the site. I drove in with a 30 feet class A camper and I am little worried if I will get out tomorrow. Also I smacked some leaves off of a tree on my way in with my 13“ clearance.

Really enjoyed staying at the Pinnacles over the weekend. Free BLM dispersed camping here, so bring everything you need and take everything with you when you leave.

The landscape is like no other. Felt like Skywalker or Spock was going to walk around a formation at any minute. Very cool vibes out there.

A bit breezy when we stayed in mid-April but nothing outrageous. Temps were warmer and we had our own shade.

Somebody commented it's the type of dust that sticks to everything and they were right.

If you have the option, air down your tires at the trailhead of the Trona dirt road. It makes the last 5 miles much more comfortable.