Best Dispersed Camping near Ocotillo Wells, CA

I didn't originally want to stay here; it wasn't that far off the highway, there was lots of trash along the main road, and the immediate landscape was pretty barren. But I hadn't planned ahead, and all of Joshua Tree National Park's campgrounds were full. I quickly found out that my initial reaction was very wrong. This spot gets beautiful sunsets, is great for stargazing, and I had no complaints. I thought the light from the Coachella Valley would be too much to see the stars, but I popped out of my vehicle around midnight and the sky was incredible. 

The campground: You can camp in the areas both to the left and right of the main road that goes from the highway up into Joshua Tree. If you're coming from the highway and see the Joshua Tree National Park sign, you've gone too far. Once you're off the main road things become really bumpy with ruts, dips, and one area that's been completely washed out, but I saw everything from cars to large RVs navigating this road. It's definitely easier to navigate during the daylight. There were so many places to camp that I was able to choose a spot I was most comfortable with while traveling solo. The campsites vary in their degree of cleanliness and level land. I found a couple bottle caps at one of my sites, but nothing major. Most of the sites have a rock fire ring (heads up: you may need a permit in CA for a fire, and always check in with the state's current fire restrictions). The area had quite a few campers, but the spots are spaced nicely and there's plenty of room to keep driving further off the main road to find a spot that's not around other campers. (If you're looking for somewhere that feels secluded, however, this is not it.) While I didn't notice much noise from the highway, there was a little bit of noise from campers arriving later in evening. The main downside to this campground was the wind. Both nights it was very windy. I definitely saw people camping in tents, but I also saw people really struggling to put up and secure their tents in the wind. 

The area: The campground is right at the South Entrance to Joshua Tree, which is the Colorado Desert section of the park. (Mind you, it can take over an hour to get to the Northern area of Joshua Tree.) It's about 10-20 minutes away from Joshua Tree's Cottonwood Visitor Center, a picnic area with bathrooms (at the front of the Cottonwood campground), and the Lost Palms Oasis. There's also a gas station & small café about ten minutes down the highway (heading East); the gas there is pricey, but they have a decent sized food mart to go with it. 

Booking: This is a dispersed BLM campsite; no booking or fee. Just drive in and find a spot. 

Cell Service: Where I camped, I could use the internet and make calls no problem with Verizon, but there's very little cell service once inside the park.

Free. 30 day limit. Pit toilet. Pack it out - no trash service. No water. If you go left as you come in you can camp along a rock wall filled with agave, cholla and other plants. A large area for big rvs right at the front left. To the right there were lots of pull offs and I found it easier to navigate in my station wagon road-wise. Lots of space. Some areas say not to walk there/ keep dogs out to protect plants and wildlife. I felt safe solo camping - there were a few other van and rv campers. Recommend visiting the sweet desert botanical garden in nearby Borrego Springs.

There are a bunch of campsites along a service road that is parallel to a main road, several hundred feet away. This whole area is essentially within one valley, so you have mountains on both sides. It is well vegetated and allows for fairly easy hikes up the soft slopes.

The parking spots are right alongside the road, so for van camping is not so great, but tents can be put away from the road and therefore it's much more suitable for tenting.

The stretch of dirt road closest to the main road is Sandy, but manageable bull in a two wheel drive. This is where most of the campsites are. Further along the road, there are fewer camp sites, so they are more dispersed, however the road becomes more rocky and jutted, but for those wanting a bit more privacy, this is the spot to be.

I would like to come back in camp in this location. So i'm going to mark it to return another time.

Anza borrego state park has a lot of room to explore. The park has campgrounds near borrego springs that are easily accessible. Visiting the mud caves you’ll need 4x4 or an AWD car with high clearance. Anza borrego has been my wife & I go to camping area for over 5 years. Camping is allowed away from main trails and we typically sleep near the mud caves or within the slot canyons. Perfect place to star gave and wander around & explore. Bring plenty of water/ off road safety (enough fuel/ shovel/ traction boards) as towing out of this area is extremely expensive. (Pictures are from fonts point/ random hikes near camping spots).

This campground (and I use the term loosely) is everything that I love about BLM land - dispersed, quiet, and FREE! No amenities and not a ton of privacy for outdoor bathroom usage, but not crowded enough for it to matter. Tons of spaces along several different dirt roads. Rock fire pits at most every campsite, the majority of which are flat and not too sandy.

When coming from I10, head towards Joshua Tree NP and just before the NP sign (can’t be more than a couple hundred feet), you’ll see dirt roads going both left and right - we went right and had no issue on the road with our Subaru Crosstrek and small tow-behind popup camper, although it could’ve been more difficult for 2WD vehicles.

Be aware that although this camping is super close to the park, the majority of park attractions and hikes are in the north end, so be prepared to drive through. However, it is super close (about 10 mins) to the Cottonwood Visitor Center, which has 24/7 bathrooms (I think?), and the Lost Palms Oasis Trail. Nearest gas station is in Chiriaco Summit, about 13 minutes away, and nearest city is Indio, which is about 35 minutes.

We stopped and setup tents a little before little Blair valley. Night sky was alright, but couldn’t see the Milky Way, so not dark enough for that. Probably a Bortle 5. Got up in the morning and went all the way until the end of the road on maps (Apple or Google) on our 2WD, was doable. 4 bars T Mobile LTE where we were.

Campsite itself was very nice. The place we found had a man made but multiple time used fire pit. Great sunset and sunrise, you have the chance to have as much or as little company around you. Little bit of trash at our site that we picked up.

Leave no trace!

Great area--it's just close enough to some expensive campgrounds and a few connecting trails, so it's awesome to camp here for FREE. Pine Creek Road itself is paved, and the camping spots are packed dirt so it's easy to get around even in a FWD. Warning though: if you're nervous about driving on single lane mountain roads, this is not the place for you! Pine Creek Road is several miles long, with some sections that are on sheer cliff edges with very few turn-off spots to allow for passing.

Additional word of warning: the camping spots are not close together and there seemed to be very few of them. Even driving slowly, I counted only 6 or 7 sites total, separated by up to a mile. I saw only 1 other spot with campers, at least 2.5 miles from my site. Some of the sites are fairly large--could easily fit 2 cars and a couple tents--but others seemed to be just large enough to pull off the road and sleep in the car (no tent space). Some spots were tucked back from the road with lots of trees (I barely saw or heard any cars, even though I was probably only ~15ft from the road); but some were barely more than a shoulder with no trees for coverage. I stayed in the same spot two nights in a row, though I packed up during the day because I assumed I'd find another spot down the road. At least in the site I picked, there was very little trash from previous campers.

Suggestion for the permit: make sure you apply for the free permit a few days in advance especially if you plan to go on the weekend. List the place you're going as "Pine Creek dispersed camping," and keep a printed copy in your car. I didn't have trouble with any rangers, but it's better to be safe than fined. Very spotty service (Verizon), which makes navigation and planning difficult if you don't pre-download trail maps.

This area is managed by BLM, which means it's free to use for up to 14 days at a time. 

There are no hookups or facilities, and it's pack it in, pack it out.  There is a Chevron station just a short drive away (via either the freeway or dirt trails) that has bathrooms and all the basics in case you forgot something at home. There are tons of spots that are already at least partially cleared with fire rings left behind by previous campers (pro tip: if you see a tree with any semblance of shade, there's a fire ring near it).  

I had planned on camping there even before the official park resumed operations after Covid.  There's plenty of room to spread out and keep some privacy.  That being said, the campgrounds in the park had filled up, and many people came here and used it as an overflow campground.  Perhaps these people weren't familiar with open camping like this, because for some reason 4 groups decided to camp within ear & eyeshot of my spot.  Come on people, you have a whole desert to choose from - spread out a little and enjoy the solitude.