Are you planning a tent camping trip to Cima? We've got you covered. The Dyrt helps you find campsites with tent camping near Cima. Each tent site offers quick access to one or more of Cima, California's most popular destinations.
Situated on the shores of the Colorado River at Nevada’s southern tip, Big Bend of the Colorado River includes about two miles of sandy shoreline. Because the park is downstream from Davis Dam, the river is clear and cool year round. Popular activities are camping, picnicking, boating, fishing, swimming, hiking and bird watching. The variety of waterfowl and shore birds that make this park home include mallards, coots, herons and geese. Hawks, roadrunners, quail, hummingbirds, doves and owls are also abundant in the park. The nearby town of Laughlin offers the amenities of a Nevada gaming town.
$30 / night
Guide
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.
Traveler
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!!
Guide
Tucked at the end of a road off the main highway in Searchlight. There is nothing in town other than some gas stations and a McDonalds so make sure you pack everything you need. Upon pulling in there were no signs of where to go so just drive up to the motel check-in and look for a board with envelopes and you will find your name and spot assignment. I recommend calling to get the assigned spot you want. I stayed in lower campground RV Site #8, pull through 40' Front Row. There was a busted up concrete pad and a picnic table that has seen some better days. The spots are right next to each other so if you have obnoxious neighbors, that could be a problem. Luckily for us we had great neighbors. If you want extra room to lounge outside your RV, then I recommend you book an extra site so that you have that space, other than that you will be sitting basically up against the RV next to you. Some of the front row spots have random trees so if you have slideouts, be mindful of that. My view was the Motel parking lot so be aware that Front Row does not mean Water view. Campground is dirt/gravel and absolutely nothing fancy about it and no nice views until you walk past the motel. I walked through the motel grounds and it was clean but it looked like it was deserted in a way. I saw one of the rooms and although they had a great patio area overlooking the water, the rooms were old and dated. We also drove to the other side of the campgrounds where there were tent sites/no hook-ups and I don't recommend it. It looked run down and depressing. Just a short walk from the RV campgrounds and over a small hill (watch for dog poop) you will reach a beautiful cove, The greatest thing about this location! It's super clear and the sand is soft. Great place for water activities. Also, the night skies are great for stargazing. It's a short drive from Vegas and it gets the job done.
GuideWe have camped here twice because it is a convenient location on our way from California to other states. But it is also a pretty area. Even though it is first come, first serve, there were plenty of sites available both times we stayed.  There are relatively clean toilets with toilet paper,a waste basket, and hand sanitizer. We were OK in our trailer, but we had to pull down our awning because the wind was extremely strong overnight. We noticed a few of the tent campers left in the middle of the night. A warning to tent campers to check the weather before camping there.
ScoutVery windy when I went but good. Tent spots have sand on ground so be prepared to weigh down tent rather than use stakes
Scout
Great campground for either tents, trailers, class A or C motorhomes. Quiet and close to Colorado River
ScoutHad plenty of room for multiple tents on one campsite. The campsite was well maintained and was great if you like to do some plain and simple camping. Very close to several good hiking trails and not far from several other desirable locations within the national park.
GuideWas driving out late and need a place to crash found this campground and came in the dark didn't know what to expect. Woke up to a excellent sunrise and a great camp. Options for RVs all the way to pop up tents has water that's clean, clean toilets, and both garbage and recycling bins
TravelerWe stayed here for two nights both of which were quite windy so stake down your tent extra tight. The views here are definitely what make this place worth it to camp at. The Ring Loop trail is also a blast. Theres potable water available and we payed a total of $24 for two nights here. I would definitely visit again.
GuideThis campground is an excelent place if you like basic and secluded campgrounds. Each campsite is just the perfect size for 1 tent/RV. With the site you will get a picnic table and a fire pit. The fire pit also has a gril bar so you can use it for cooking/bbq if neded. Campground is super peacful and relaxing. Situated at the botom of a clif with desert views on other three sides. It can be pretty windy, so do look at the weather channel before comming and plan accordingly. You can still stay there even in the windy nights, just be ready for a lot of noise as the wind bangs on your tent pretty loudly. We were here at the end of May, just before the temperature started climbing too much and even though it was Memorial Day weekend there was enough empty sites. The campgroud is First Come First Serve, but it seems like it's never fully packed, and it's been pretty easy to find a spot everytime.
Kelso Depot, Mojave Cross and the largest Joshua Tree Forest, as well as Kelso Dunes are all within an hour ride from the campground.
TravelerLoved the quiet. There a couple of hikes available that are worth your time. Just make sure to drink plenty of water. After the sun settles behind the hills quite a bit of wild life comes out, including the giant jackrabbits. Make sure you situate your tent to face the wind as it kicks up for a couple hours after the sunset. The desert breathes freely while cooling down. There were no fees in early September for camping.
Scout
Main Amboy Crater Parking Lot does not allow overnight camping, but their overflow parking area does. Overflow parking is asphalt but has dirt edges you can pitch a tent on. Otherwise, there were dirt areas we camped at. Gets crowded during new moon weekends, and can get windy.
Had AT&T service here. No TMo.
RangerStayed: 6/2/2022
Cost: $12 (exact change)
Site: 16
Vehicle: GMC Terrain
Equipment: Tent
AT&T and T-Mobile: Slow but usable
We made the trek out to Hole-in-the-Wall at Mojave National Preserve for one night. It was a much longer dirt road than I had imagined and you go up in elevation. It took almost a half-hour to get to the campground from Cedar Canyon Road.
This is a First Come, First Served NPS campground. We started the loop a little worried because every site was tagged, but by the time we got back over to the first loop, we had our pick of sites. We chose 16 because of the great view and it being directly next to the pit toilet. (The cleanest pit toilet I’ve ever seen)! The campground also has potable water, plenty of dumpsters and a dump station.
We wanted to stay here because we were finishing off our trip the next morning at the Hole-in-the-Wall Visitor Center. It is directly next door, you can even see the lot from the campground.
This was a great place to stay, but maybe it would have been more worth it to stay at least a couple nights. I definitely didn’t realize the trek it was to get here, from the main part of the park. Everything is super spread out at Mojave.
#DareToEverywhere
RangerCampground Review About an hour drive from I-15 or I-40 in the Mojave National Preserve, this high desert campground has an abundance of desert life with ample views of the surrounding mountains. I camped at site 21 at the far Northern end of the campground. The site was surrounded by juniper trees and pinyon pines which offered shade during the day and a wind break at night. I camped here in late May and while valley temperatures were in the upper 90s, this campground stayed about 10° cooler and was almost chilly at night. A fire came through the campground in 2005 leaving the southern sites much more exposed than the northern sites. Some northern sites also have views of other mountain ranges.
One thing to note it that this campground is a bit far from some of the main attractions of the Mojave Preserve. It’s about a 30 min drive to Kelso depot and an hour to the closest food and gas, so come prepared. The campground had massive sites that could easily fit multiple tents (in fact the group next to us had 6 trucks and as many tents on their site). This campground is good for families, couples, or groups and apparently is popular with hunters and off roaders. The nights I was there it was quiet and secluded despite most sites around being filled.
My favorite aspect of the campground was the abundant wildlife. At my site, I saw many lizards, bunnies, kangaroo rats, birds and beetles as well as blooming cacti and wildflowers.
The fee to stay here is a very reasonable 12$ per night and it is first come first serve. This campground has pit toilets and water available. Each site has a picnic table and fire ring with a grill grate. Click here for more info about the campground!
**Product Review**
As a Dyrt Ranger, I also get products to test and review in the field. At this campground I tested the [Seattle Sports FrostPak™ CoolPak](http://www.seattlesportsco.com/camp/coolers/frostpak-coolpak.html).
This FrostPak™ CoolPak was a great companion for a hot desert trip! Why you ask?
1\. This cooler is very well insulated while still being spacious. It held ice for about 10hrs while sitting in the sun and kept drinks cold for over a day. It held a 6 pack easily with ice.
2\. The backpack feature works great making it easy to carry and access. The straps are adjustable and comfortable. It is as heavy as you pack it though using freezer packs may provide cool temperatures for lighter weights. I foresee packing it with drinks and lunches and bringing it to the beach, to a picnic or out on the lake.
3\. Though many backpacks are prone to tip, this one doesn’t. It stands very well on its own meaning you don’t have to worry about losing your ice or your lunch if you leave it open.
One word of advice: the backpack has a zipper at the top and while every other part is well sealed, the zipper is not and may slowly leak over time if the bag is not upright. Overall great product perfect for many different adventures!
Legend
This place is in the middle of nowhere, and I have yet to find out why they call it CAL-NEV-ARI… because on a map all of those places don't touch unless they do and I can't understand for the life of me how to read a map lol…
anywho this place has a little market with a variety of items you may need so if you are not planning to stay but needs bread and peanut butter and maybe some milk this place has it.
They have a hotel next door too if you don't want to camp in a desert right next to a freeway….
they have a little golf coarse… haha its pretty neat with golf clubs and all sooo if you wanna take a swing get to it.
The RV area has full hookups and also a place to fill propane tanks
if your staying awhile plan to pay electricity they charge for that.
One thing to be mindful of is there are wild coyote so keep your dogs and children with you at all times.
Here are my star ratings based on my lifestyle and what I like. I'm also a mother, dog mama, and a wife so it's not just me it's my crew and i. 1 star- AUTOMATIC relocate… the property is no longer there, trashed or/and I could never have my children there and I wouldn't ever think about staying no matter what. 2 star- Not really my jam, and would NEVER go to again… It probably more of desert life and not really my style for sure…Being from Vegas I can't stand being in the desert and I love the Trees and the Green more than anything. 3 star- Would stay there again in a pinch, but not really my style, the reason its not is because not enough family things to do, the scenery, or the location… but I would go again and feel safe having my kiddos here but only if I needed to in a pinch. 4 star- a really good rating for sure, maybe needed some improvements, minor things like being on top of each other, not a lot of privacy, but honestly little cosmetic things that aren't anything to sweat and would be back again for sure. 5 star- MY FAVORITE… love the location, safety, the surroundings, big camp spots available to fit toys for my kids to play, hammocks to hang, our big family tent, cases of firewood, our suburban or RV, etcccccc….. I would not only come back but would live if I could!!! Anyway thanks for reading and enjoy every moment like it's your last! CHEERS!
TravelerWent on a Saturday night and had no problem finding a spot. There is no potable water at the campground currently, but you can get some at the visitors center a few miles away. Go to the back of the campground for some more private spots with a few trees.
TravelerHaving camped here twice this year, it's a favorite of mine. Temps are decent, even in January (mid-30s for lows) and perfect in April. Tree cover is still a bit sparse and hiking options are limited, but it's a great place to set up camp and do absolutely nothing. Normally, water is available, but they are revamping the water system and the result is that there is no water available at the campground until Spring 2019, so be sure you bring plenty with you.
TravelerGorgeous open plains/canyons make for awesome star watching. Nearest city about 1 and a half out with lights. Honor system. No showers. Hole in the ground outhouse toilets. No water, so bring your own. Coyote visits. Sweet sunset and sunrise views.
LegendThis is a simple campground but it's quite and spread out enough that you have privacy. We saw some great wildlife when we came across a few deer and a gorgeous jack rabbit! The sunsets were unreal!!! Don't expect much from this simple campground except a place to come back to after a day of exploring the desert. It can also get a little windy, but sites 11 & 24 seemed the best to avoid the wind.
Be warned - we took a backway unknowingly to the light tunnels and ended up in a pretty dicey situation even for a Jeep Grand Cherokee. Service is touch and go in a lot of the desert.
GuideWe brought the rpod. Left it in the camp and explored lava tubes and sand dunes near by. NO more water! Used to have water but they broke and no plans to fix. Very windy. We went 10/18/19 Lots of hunters! Deer season
TravelerWe stop here on our way from Utah to the Bay Area and it was a great experience. Beautiful place
TravelerSite 22
I choose this site for its privacy. Boy I should have considered the hill for the wind factor. My fault. But overall great camping experience. Just a little windy at night. Nice to get off the grid.
TravelerLong road in need of grading. Glad we stuck with it once we arrived. Privacy, fire rings, standing grills, table, but most importantly quiet. A few sites have fantastic views. No running water, so we brought our own. The pit toilets are very clean. We preferred this to Hole in the Wall down the road since it was packed! We’ll be back!
TravelerThis is a great spot. The drive here can be a bit rough if you come down cedar canyon. Cedar canyon and black canyon roads are full of washboard spots that makes for a bumpy ride.
No water or cell service at this site. They do have bathrooms. You do need to pay per night but they had no pencil or writing device so we couldn’t fill out the form. Ending up dropping a blank envelope in. Maybe bring a pen 😀
This site can be windy depending on when you go.
GuideA little rough and rocky to get there, but our Kia made it without 4 wheel drive.
Did some hiking, then ended the day by our campfire. Fantastic quiet location.
Great sunrise.
Traveler
After climbing the giant hills out of Baker, my 1984 Vanagon was ready for a rest. We pulled off at Bailey Road and it was quickly dirt road, but certainly manageable for any SUV or Truck. After about 10 minutes (3.1 miles) there were campsites. Plenty of spaces and spread out. HOT in the late spring but overnight temperatures were excellent at about 65F.
GuideThis location was secluded and quit when I was there in January. There are at least six nice flat spots with fire rings. There were two burros in the area which were fun to witness. My only caution would be the road into. The road in is very narrow not sure how you would deal with another vehicle coming into the opposite direction ( sack up and back up). The road was also rough and steep in spots so I would be careful with larger vehicles. My promaster did fine.
Tent camping near Cima, California, offers a unique opportunity to immerse yourself in the stunning desert landscape while enjoying a variety of outdoor activities.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular tent campsite near Cima, CA?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Cima, CA is 17 Mile Camp — Mojave National Preserve with a 4-star rating from 4 reviews.
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TheDyrt.com has all 7 tent camping locations near Cima, CA, with real photos and reviews from campers.
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