Best Dispersed Camping near Ranchita, CA

For being a dispersed camping spot I am always impressed when there’s a bathroom! Definitely loved this spot. Stars for days! Coyotes came right by the van in the night though so watch your pets if you’re camping with them! Follow the road all the way back for two great hiking trails. One has petroglyphs and the other is an old homestead. I also make it a point to visit the slot canyon on the way in our out of this area!

Anza Borrego Desert SP allows dispersed camping in certain areas of the park, and this is one of them.  I tried to find it on the website, but found no mention of allowed camping in the park.  However, it's listed in the visitor guide you can get from the visitor center.

The reviews on The Dyrt for the camping area directly across the street to the north of this section mentioned that there will be a campground built and fees charged in the near future, but I don’t think that’s the case for this side of the street. There was no signage or any signs of development here on this corner. Just lots of boondockers tucked in among all the shrubs, plenty of room for everyone. 

I could see this area getting annoying with ATVers on the weekends, but there were none when we were there mid week in April. A couple of obvious sketchy long termers there, with heaps of junk and posted signage to stay away, which wasn’t a problem as there was plenty of space to stay far away from them. 

Good cell service and beautiful sunrise. 

Watch for nails and broken glass.:(

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.

Grateful for free camping sites. Just outside of Julian which is a charming little town.

Decent for some seclusion/isloation as the road through is winding.

When in early January. 65-70 during the day. ~45 at night.

The quiet was my favorite part.

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.

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.

Came  here to hike Ladder Canyon and Painted Canyon. Before the trailhead there are lots of areas for dispersed camping. It's an unpaved road that can be challenging to drive in at times, so would recommend 4x4 high clearance vehicle. Overall a nice remote place to camp out in the desert!

Here on the Great Southern Overland Stage Route well off the beaten path is a dispersed camping area that allows you to enjoy the solitude and explore a bit. Ochre petroglyphs, fantastic night sky views, a variety of flora and fauna, hiking, and some challenging 4x4 lines await you here. Access is not always assured, check the local park conditions as well as the weather report. Washboard, softer sandy sections, and flash flooding may make the area difficult or ill advised to travel to. There are some public restrooms at the entrance, and some cell service, but not much else in the way of infrastructure at first glance. Yet the land was inhabited for thousands of years by the Kumeyaay “Those who face the water from a cliff”, Ipai, Kamia, and Tipai people. In the surrounding rock formations you may find morteros and metates used to process piñon, chia, and acorns that served in making dietary staples like shawii, known elsewhere as wiiwish. In addition to hunting and gathering, complex agricultural projects to cultivate maize, teparies, and beans.

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.

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).

Blair Valley is at the base of Julian... no not Ramona the other direction. I needed to take a break from reality over Fourth of July weekend and was afraid of the busy paid camping spots up the mountain in Laguna.

I decided to roll the dice and head somewhere different since it was only myself. Coastal north county to Blair valley it was not a bad drive. Once I arrived in Blair valley it was around 9am. It was hot and from the look of the dried up creek bed it was going to be difficult to find some shade. I took some time driving around the grounds trying to find the right spot. Finally I came up to a 8-9 ft tree with plenty of branches and leaves to cover me most of the day. Will go again!

All and all, hope for clouds during summer or take the time and drive around to find a perfect spot. Not many people out there.

The pictographs were awesome to see and the hikes up the mountain to watch sunrise/sunset were perfect for those desert views.

Drink plenty of water!

Favorite free campsite so far. Free for 30 days, pack in pack out, there are pit toilets near the entrance, no liter removal or water. Horses and dogs allowed. Beautiful views and trails. There are quite a few bees though, other than that, loved it.

This campsite is located at the junctionof the Deer Springs Trail and the PCT, and is breathtaking. Only 3 or 4 sites available so make reservations in advance or stop by the office in Idyllwild if you’re feeling lucky . I stayed there in October and snagged the last site. The sites are dispersed and marked with small signs. There is an outhouse towards the top of the site. You must hike in but it is absolutely worth it.

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.

one of my favorite primitave sites. there is one bathroom at the beginning but we typically go much further to find isolation. it's never busy and you can and will find the perfect spot. the further you go towards the pictograph trails, the more cholla so if you have kids, stay towards the first mile. any vehicle can make it on the dirt roads with no issue.

This is one of my favorite free campsites! I’ve camped here twice, once on a full moon and again on a new moon. The full moon night was so bright you could see everything with no lights! It was the first time I truly experienced the brightness of moonlight and it was magical. The second time was on a moonless night and the STARS were just ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS! This site is located in anza borrego, the only dark sky community in California, so you will see more stars here than anywhere else in California (unless there’s a full moon then there won’t be stars). The site is big enough that you would have plenty of privacy from other campers. Both times I went, there was hardly anyone around. There are vault toilets. No showers/tables/grills. Just a wide open space. Definitely not for glampers (unless you have an RV), but it is one of the best for stargazers!

Very nice to find a campsite this private on a weekend in southern California elevation is high enough that temperatures were very enjoyable (mid 80's)

Tons of dispersed spots down the road.

Pretty trails. On weekdays it feels very secluded. Airplane noise does get a little out of hand. Trails, pit toilets, some rock fire pits, bring your metal one.

Peaceful dispersed campground. Wide open great views. Didn’t even know I had neighbors until I walked around in the morning and saw neighboring campers over the hill. Clear skies when I went back in November, could get pretty windy. Saw some coyotes pass by my camp.

Easy access to most designated campsites. Enjoy the changing colors at dusk. My area had 2 bars of verizion service.

Make your campsite anywhere, restrooms near by, driving distance to a few stores & gas station. Great camping & 4x4 in truck haven, cool off-road in event for Tierra Del Sol/TDS-in March

This place is nice and quiet. A great getaway if you need time to think. The drawback is that as a desert campsite you need to be prepared for winds. They kick up pretty good. Tents hold but will sway something fierce. Best to be in an RV.