The Dyrt is here to help plan your best camping near Joshua Tree National Park. Aside from great camping spots, you'll find hiking and many more outdoor experiences. Thinking of traveling with kids? You're in luck—Joshua Tree National Park is surrounded by family-friendly activities. Ready to plan your adventure? Check out our campgrounds near Joshua Tree National Park and user-submitted reviews.
"this is a dispersed location on box canyon in Mecca. the road is loose sand and is possible by most vehicles as long as you stay on the road."
$25 - $80 / night
"I'd like to welcome your host Stephanie to our platform. This is vacant property for short term camping. Try them out and leave them some love."
"Loved staying in twentynine palms to explore Joshua tree and the surrounding areas. Pioneer town was so fun. Headed in to Palm springs. Wow!"
"Pit toilets, no water, a little cell service with ATT. Half the sites were full but with quiet folks."
"Well was dry, luckily I carry water.
Beautiful canyon hikes, climbs and views.
Petroglyphs and historic mining cabin
Someone drops off scrap wood for campfires
I'll be back"
$33 - $39 / night
"I love that this property is so close to the Copper Mesa Mountains. With all the sites being spread out, you'll have plenty of privacy. Pack it in, pack it out!"
$20 / night
$70 / night
"Overlooking the dry lake bed with a neighbor half a mile away sounds like the perfect retreat for those seeking peace and privacy."
$40 / night
"We're happy to welcome this property to our platform. Pick your spot anywhere on the property. Give them a try and leave them some love."
$35 / night
"Huge open horse camp with 10 corrals, picnic tables, bbqs and fire rings, pick your spot anywhere you like. Almost all sloped but not awful. Lot gets regularly graded."
LegendAshley here with The Dyrt. This primitive camping site is located 30 minutes from Joshua Tree National Park. Check out the observatory while you're here. Primitive, so pack it in, pack it out. Check them out and leave them a review!
LegendLocated in Twentynine Palms California, the campground is only ten minutes away from Joshua Tree National Park. The sites are flat. It’s essentially a dirt parking lot with hook ups. The host was nice and accommodating. They provide firewood for purchase and all the WiFi information upon arrival. The property is gated which made us feel safer at night. We thought it was costly for what the park provided, but understand the location is what makes it more expensive. Convenient and close to the main road!
RangerWe 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.
GuideLove, love this campground. Beautiful rock formations set amidst the magical Joshua Tree National Park. RV sites are good size, no hookups, but campground does have vault toilets and endless exploration opportunities!
TravelerWe 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.
RangerWe love the jumbo rocks at Joshua Tree and Indian cove campground is settled within a group of the giant rock formations. Our campsite was a bit small, but fine for the two of us and our tent. We had a picnic table, grill and fire pit. Vault toilets were spaced nicely along the campground road. No water in the actual campground, but is at the ranger station. No showers or running water, cell coverage was spotty.
RangerWe camped at site 2 on 6/12 this year and had a great time. We had 18 people and found that there were a ton of different nooks to setup your tent. We even found on one up a little higher in the rocks that would have been cool.
We placed our tent just inside the rock area from the picnic tables and we are really glad we did. The wind on our first night was a lot and this one site was a bit better for wind protection.
There was a tree/bush at the corner of our group site that ended up being great for shade and a hang out place during the day. In the afternoon we spent more time near the tables and grill. The site comes with a large charcoal grill that we used to cook burgers on one of our nights.
At night we ventured off a bit near the camp site and took some night sky pictures. We also we able to see a bunch of owls up in the top of the rocks on one of the nights. During the full moon it was really easy to walk around with out lights.
There is no water and no showers, but the pit toilets that were there were clean and well maintained. They even had some nice candles to light in them. The dumpster was right next to our group site and was also well maintained.
Our only problem during our stay was that on our last night a bunch of people came in after midnight to the site next to ours (#1) and they played music and were loud until 4 AM... We barely saw rangers there and there is no cell signal so it can be challenging to get help for these types of things (assuming you don't feel comfortable confronting a group of drunk people in the middle of the night).
LegendWe stayed at Jumbo Rocks for 4 nights in a tent in late February 2021. Weather was awesome - highs in the 70s in the day and lows in the 30s/40s at night. This was our second time staying here; first time was in a travel trailer in Oct 2018 (see Dyrt Review). We still love the campground, though again it was the inconsiderate nature of our neighbors that bring it from 5 stars down to 4. Here's a review of the pros and cons.
Pros:
Neutral:
Cons:
Site 31 Description: Part of a cluster, meaning you park with others and the sites fan out from the parking area. 31 is a 100 foot walk from parking; we walked past other sites but no one had to walk past ours. It is up on a small rise - had a beautiful view but was more exposed to the wind and sun. Mostly flat and will fit several tents. Closest neighbor was 30 feet away and separated by scrub. Vault toilet and dumpsters adjacent to parking area. Not next to any big rocks, but they are only a short walk away. A coyote walked by us in the night and squirrels frequently raided our camp (keep your food and trash secure).
GuideThis campground was away from the primary campground like Jumbo Rock and therefore less crowded. Campsites included fire ring and picnic table. Flush toilets on premises and away from primary sites. Tent sites were very close together and as we found or a very popular site for star gazing and meteror showers. Required aunt of a drive to get into the primary park area and firewood not available in campgrounds (Walmart is the closest location it was available). Camp hosts were very nice however did not enforce quiet hours. We camp with our daughter (5 at the time) and unfortunately we were surrounded by many college students drinking heavily (not Joshua Trees fault). We ended up leaving a day early because of this. Aside from the other campers we had a good desert camping experience. I think next time we would try a different site to attempt to be more secluded and avoid this issue in the future.
Tent camping near Joshua Tree National Park offers a unique opportunity to immerse yourself in the stunning desert landscape while enjoying the great outdoors. With a variety of campgrounds available, campers can find the perfect spot to set up their tents and explore the natural beauty of the area.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular tent campsite near Joshua Tree National Park?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Joshua Tree National Park is Box Canyon Dispersed with a 4.4-star rating from 5 reviews.
What is the best site to find tent camping near Joshua Tree National Park?
TheDyrt.com has all 18 tent camping locations near Joshua Tree National Park, with real photos and reviews from campers.
Keep Exploring
