Best Campgrounds near Coolidge Springs, CA

We absolutely love Cottonwood BLM Dispersed Camping! We've stayed here a couple of times now, and it's become a reliable favorite for our desert adventures. We had a great stay over Thanksgiving and then came back again this past January. It's proven to be a perfect spot, especially when our plans include heading into Joshua Tree National Park – the location is super convenient for getting to the park entrance. If you're looking for a fantastic and convenient dispersed camping option in the area, we highly recommend Cottonwood!

Rode all day to get here. It's closed. I'm screwed.

Stunning rock formations, lots of space but it rattles your teeth out getting there. We have a AWD sprinter which managed deep sand well.

Drove up on Saturday and saw probably 6-7 other vehicles total. Some just off-roading and a few camping. Road was not too bad. Definitely want clearance but I did most in rwd. Saw a stock Tacoma at the top. I stayed at campsite 6 and it was very enjoyable. It had a good breeze going. Campsite had fire ring with grill and a wood table that gave out splinters every time I touched it haha

Beautiful spot we stopped at on our way to Arizona , gas station / food really close by as well !

If you’re driving towards the park from the freeway, we parked on the left side of the road. There were plenty of other people and it felt like a very safe site just outside the park! The ground was pretty soft and it didn’t get too cold overnight. Easy to access and lots of space.

Jeff & Steve really went out of their way to make me feel comfortable, even though I arrived late for a brief overnight on a ling roadtrip. The views are lovely in all directions, note: no shade

The best feature of this free camping area is the awesome metal sculptures right near this campground. 

Near the cute town of Borrego Springs, just a little off Borrego Springs road. Not secluded by any means. Please use existing pull outs. Keep it clean so we can continue to enjoy this free spot. 

It's one road in. The further back you go, the more privacy. I stayed fairly close to the front as I was only there one night.

This is a great spot for me to stop between Palm Springs and Quartzsite. Good cell reception, easy access and pretty views. 

Nothing fancy here. No amenities, but with a national parks pass, you can drive into the National Park about 5 miles to fill your water and dump your tanks. 

Close to the highway, so some noise.

Campground is clean and well maintained. It has showers and flush toilets. Plus it’s a quick walk to the lake. If it wasn’t for the road noise and trains I’d give it 4 stars. The trains are crazy loud and run pretty often. You’ll def want ear plugs.

On the outer southern edge of Borrego Springs is this private yet free camp area.

A few dozen sites exist, each some five hundred feet or more apart. All have views of the surrounding mountains, and the wide open skies.

Borrego Springs is a dark sky community, which means lights are kept to a minimum, thus enabling great star viewing.

The area is renowned for its hiking and other outdoor activities. It is also known for its iron sculptures, which many exist within this camp area.

The campsite is great, quiet and tidy. The surrounding environment is very nice and suitable for stargazing.

The main road was a super easy drive, definitely doable 2 wheel drive but 4 wheel is recommended. Plenty of sites and pretty quiet (especially considering st pattys day.) we had no issues finding a spot. Road traffic was quiet until hikers started to show up in the early AM. Lots of sunning views and a cool trail system with ropes and ladders at the end of the road.

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!

It’s actually very quiet even though the freeway is close. The trash right off the freeway is so sad, but the actual BLM further in is clean. I was able to get our CTC level and we love our spot. Easy access to JTNP, Palm Springs, and many other sites around.