Best Campgrounds near Ocotillo Wells, CA

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 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.

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.

Spent 4 nights here in February. A good amount of other campers, but not too crowded. I found the perfect spot tucked up against the rocks. I had my own private rock garden with so many variety of cacti and lots of birds. So peaceful.  I would definitely come back here again. 

No cell signal, but plenty of solar. Primitive camping--no amenities.

Large campground split into 3 sections. The one side is mainly for RVs and has hookups — would only recommend for RVs as they’re stacked up. The other 2 sides are a bit more spread out, especially the sites on the outside of the loops. It’s well taken care of and clean. Plus it has token showers with hot water, a dish washing area, flush toilets, fire pits, grills, and cell signal. Anza Borrego park has tons of awesome dispersed sites around the park that are free, but this was a good spot to take a little break from the desert and grab a hot shower.

What a great spot for some dispersed camping. There are sites all over the place. However, on the weekend it can get pretty busy. Fortunately, I was able to find a spot with not many people around at all. Where I was, I had zero Verizon signal.

Stayed here on way to Joshua Tree. Was better than the Wash area nearby. Nice trail and views from hills nearby. Also great view of night sky. Tour hike group stopped here in morning though so may not always be quiet.

Nice campground without hookups but flush bathrooms and fresh water. Sites are kinda small, but we had a backin that fit our 26' trailer easily. B26. So pick your site carefully. There is no cellular service, so bring a deck of cards and games. The sites are paved but need some leveling. If you choose a pull through, your driver's side slide will be facing the road. Enjoy your stay.

Far from off-grid, but very nice camping! Level, painstakingly maintained campsites in a golf course resort. Well-maintained amenities, community activities, and gorgeous natural beauty surrounding a full-service RV park. Reserve a year in advance if you want a site during the nicest months of the year (winter). Our only issue was that a neighbor kept a giant light “display” on until well past the Dark Sky hours.

Amazing area! So many places to camp. Road in is unpaved but not too bumpy. Once you get to the canyon area it’s deeper sand, so 4WD is advised. The road says mandatory but we saw many 2WD cars there.

Turn off Hwy 10 onto 168 (it is paved) and head north. There will be several roads you can either turn left, or right onto. They go for miles, so don't worry if there are people camped at the turn offs. We stayed 3 nights and 4 days. The roads and sites (at least where we drove and camped) are not power sand. Nope, more like small gravel. There were a lot of 5-wheels in there and we didn't sink in at all. Good spot, we would stay there again. There are fire pits. Quick drive up to Joshua Tree canyon from some exploring.