Best Tent Camping near Mojave National Preserve

This campground lies within the most populous state in our union, but feels like it’s a million miles from nowhere. The only thing that might remind you of civilization is the distant glow of interstate trucks moving along the highway which cuts through the Mojave National Preserve some 30 miles distant. 

Situated on a high vantage point the sites offer options to observe the vastness of this desert plain. The sites are mostly small with only a few offering room for larger rigs but lots of space in between sites. The campground loop road is dirt and narrow, so maybe scout ahead if you need more clearance for turns. The picnic table, tent pad, and fire ring are cool, and the vault toilets are super clean, at least when we were there. 

Fresh water is available at the Visitor’s Center just down the road. You can hike, road bike or mountain bike right out of the campsite. In fact, one of the coolest hikes we’ve been on is the famous “hole in the wall” which makes you twist through these beautiful marble canyon walls. While it’s not for the faint of heart, it is easy enough for anyone who can climb a ladder. Other, less committing hikes are all around, including some longer distance trails. 

Access to the campground and visitor’s center is easy and paved, but north of the campground the road is 4 wheel drive access only. This makes it great for mountain or cyclocross bikes, with fewer cars and traffic. Driving through the park can be an adventure in and of itself. There’s not much nearby at all so come prepared to be self-sufficient. The nearest towns with restaurants are to the east or west along the interstate.

This campground lies within the most populous state in our union, but feels like it’s a million miles from nowhere. The only thing that might remind you of civilization is the distant glow of interstate trucks moving along the highway which cuts through the Mojave National Preserve some 30 miles distant. 

Situated on a high vantage point the sites offer options to observe the vastness of this desert plain. The sites are mostly small with only a few offering room for larger rigs but lots of space in between sites. The campground loop road is dirt and narrow, so maybe scout ahead if you need more clearance for turns. 

The picnic table, tent pad, and fire ring are cool, and the vault toilets are super clean, at least when we were there. Fresh water is available at the Visitor’s Center just down the road. 

You can hike, road bike or mountain bike right out of the campsite. In fact, one of the coolest hikes we’ve been on is the famous “hole in the wall” which makes you twist through these beautiful marble canyon walls. While it’s not for the faint of heart, it is easy enough for anyone who can climb a ladder. Other, less committing hikes are all around, including some longer distance trails. 

Access to the campground and visitor’s center is easy and paved, but north of the campground the road is 4 wheel drive access only. This makes it great for mountain or cyclocross bikes, with fewer cars and traffic. Driving through the park can be an adventure in and of itself -- defnitely go see the Joshua Tree forest and the lava caves on the north side of the preserve.  

There’s not much nearby at all so come prepared to be self-sufficient. The nearest towns with restaurants are to the east or west along the interstate.

Campground 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!

We wanted to check out ZZYZX but there was no camping there so we had to explore other options. Really wanting to be as close to the dried salt lake area where you can literally yell out and hear your voice echo for miles we discovered Hole-In-The-Wall. It sounded a bit funny considered it was in the middle of the desert and everything is like a hole in the wall as you pass through miles and miles of nothingness, but we gave it a shot and were very pleased.

It is a first come first serve campsite but when we were there that wasn't an issue there were only a few campers. It made for a quiet night in the desert where we were surrounded by low laying vegetation and views of the mountains around. It looked like a pretty large campground overall with lots of sites each with a picnic table and fire ring.

There was no potable water when we were there and only pit toilets. Pretty basic, no hook ups and no showers.

It was pleasant though and I would say it made us happy that we had stumbled upon it. It was $12 fo the night for our site and I did notice that those having the senior card could get a discount, so something to look forward to when I get older!!

It was pretty no frills camping. But since we always come prepared we had firewood ready to go and were able to enjoy setting up then venturing over to ZZYZX to check out the "abandoned" site, which is actually partially used as a research facility and partially a ruin of times passed. Really unique experience from every angle.

TIPS:

• Pack extra water since there is none available and if you are interested in a shower make sure you have an outdoor shower bag already filled before you arrive.

• While you can have a generator they do have a quiet hours policy for other guest. The campground is so quiet at night and everything echoes in the canyon.

• Do not camp in washes because even though it seems dry when rain comes it quickly moves across the desert and will flood these areas and create very scary conditions.

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We stopped overnight at Amboy Crater during our vanlife road trip in our Hi 5 Campervan, and it was one of the most surreal camping spots we’ve experienced. It’s boondocking-style, so don't expect any hookups— but the peace, stars, and Mars-like vibes make it worth it.✅ What we loved: Easy access right off Route 66. Ample parking space for our Hi 5 campervan(ours is about 11 ft tall— no issues at all). Uninterrupted views of the crater and desert. Free and quiet overnight stay(just be respectful and leave no trace). Perfect for catching a sunrise or drone shot!⚠️ Good to know: No water or amenities— bring your own supplies. Cell service is very weak, so download offline maps in advance. Gets windy at night, so secure your gear. Trail to the crater rim is doable but not shaded— hike early morning or sunset.🎥 This spot was a dream for content creation. We got epic drone boomerang shots of our van parked solo in the desert. You won't find a vibe like this in Canada!

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.

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!!