Best Glamping near Salton City, CA

This campground felt more like I was glamping. Everything was easily accessible and by that I mean; a toilet, running water, and showers. We slept in our tent which felt pretty amazing being that the weather was perfect. I’d highly recommend visiting this camp site in the cooler months.

General: The Borrego Palm Canyon campground has three sections: one with full hookups and two without. 

Site Quality: It is often windy here, so it was recommended we pull in at an angle. The driveways are paved and on the short side, but our campervan fit with no problem (I would assume if you have a larger RV, you might be in the section with the full hookups.)

Bathhouse: Individual units with flush toilet, sink, garbage receptacle, and hooks but NO soap dispenser. Showers take tokens and while they were not the worst campground showers, they weren’t the best (but a hot shower after a hot hike was welcome nonetheless). Tokens were 50 cents each for two minutes. 

Activities: numerous hiking trails, accessible from the campground. The most popular one is the Borrego Palm Canyon Trail which leads to the oasis of California Fan Palms. Sadly, the oasis was damaged by a human-caused fire and while you can see the palms, you can no longer walk among them. Galleta Meadows with metal sculptures in the nearby town of Borrego Springs is well worth exploring. 

We were there at the very end of March when it was just beginning to get (too) warm. We only did an overnight here and the Borrego Palm Canyon hike, but it was beautiful and we would definitely return.

We pulled in at 5:30 pm. The “in” gate was locked, so we had to back up and go through the “out” gate which was open. Our reservation package was not available to us. Typically after hours they will have the camp info and site number in a box or tapped to the office… not here. We finally found a number in the email sent to us when we made the reservation, and we were able to get our site number. It was dark by the time we drove through the parks dirt paths to a cement pad, with full hookups. We setup had a good night playing cards as a family. In the morning light we realized this was a spot that looks like a lot of people live at full time. There was broken down trucks cars, and old RVs lined up in the back.. was kind of disappointing considering the Salton Sea is right there and this was the the only spot worth staying at. Oasis is a place to spend the night with full hookups, but don’t expect a lot… it is what it is.

The folks at the front desk were so helpful and getting me in to the RV park after hours as it is gated. The only challenge was the highway noise. But it’s a sweet spot.

if you are looking for a day or months this is the place to stay. everything you need is right here

Too many activities to list.

I've spent many weekends at this resort over the last 15 years or so, visiting my grandparents that lived here in the winter. Tons of activities, clean and quiet, such a wonderful spot!

Nice people, mainly for during the winter here.

SPA and pool is nice - but no fire allowed. We took the cheapest side for 39. But they also have some with a table and more atmosphere.

dirt camp is 30.

This campground is a primitive one. It’s basically an open lot. There’s a wonderful path call Bill Kenyon Overlook trail that’s trailhead is on the side of the campground. No toilets but campground down the road at the beginning of Yaqui Pass rd does with running water (technically not allowed to use if you didn’t campthere). Stakes are a little hard to get in the ground. Day is really hot and night is cold but Anza-borrego is a beautiful place

My girlfriend and I camped here on a Friday night, at the recommendation of a ranger in the Visitor's Center. Overall, I was happy with our stay as we could only see one other party (far away enough to where we couldn't hear them) and it was quieter than I thought it would be, considering it runs parallel to a highway. I wasn't expecting so many planes; I'm not sure what flight path runs over it, but there was an ongoing stream of planes (but not enough to be disruptive; just not as quiet as I'd like). There were vault toilets, but we just opted to do our business in nature. The campground is a mile or two from a developed campground and we navigated our 2WD minivan on the dirt road without any issues. Yaqui Well hiking trail runs through part of the grounds, which is a nice hike leading to a natural spring. It's far enough away from Borrego Springs to feel like you're "out there" but close enough to be convenient if needed without having to drive too far. I'd stay here again!

Spontaneously went here to camp for the weekend. We arrived late Friday night and still found a spot for three cars. There were four other groups, but by morning they were gone. As expected it was very hot during the day and windy at night, but the small, one-mile hike was very much worth it. Plenty of spots to use the restroom, and the dirt was packed so no need for AWD or 4WD.

Photographer friend was also able to capture amazing astrophotography here.

Huge bonus: we had signal all throughout the trip and we had Tmobile.

Perfect for large groups who need a quick spot to camp. It’s nothing special and can sometimes hear traffic but other than that, the stars were beautiful!

Perfect for group sites. There’s an endless plethora of campsites. It will never be full.

We rolled in after dark and found a spot super easy that was secluded and perfect for tent camping. We had a nice hike in the morning before heading back to Julian for pie :)

Easy access and near the main highway. Disperse camping, pack in and pack out! Very windy. Close to the town of Borrego Springs. One night is plenty, because of the windy conditions.

Yaqui wash (valley) is nothing more than a big flat parking lot off the road in the desert. Not much there really. Yaqui Well on the other hand is very nice-real desert camping with a variety of vegetation and terrain. Night and day difference! Two really nice well documented hikes near Yaqui Well, right across the road from Tamarisk grove. PS. don’t forget water, TP and a shovel! 💩

I don't think this map pin is correct for Yaqui Wells Primitive Camp, the location according to Google Maps is a little further south just off Yaqui Pass Road off Highway 78. There are two different camps similarly named, Yaqui Wells and Yaqui Pass, fairly close to each other. Anyway, we stayed here at Yaqui Wells for one night after attempting to camp at Blair Valley but getting swarmed by bees. Only saw 2 other vehicles, and while the sites are pretty small and close to the dirt road, they are nice enough. BE AWARE THOUGH: pull your vehicle well into the sites, we had 6 lifted off road trucks come flying through around midnight at a ridiculously high speed without slowing down at all and it could have been catastrophic if we were closer to the road or if we had been walking our dog at that time.

Campground next to hwy which makes it easy to get to but can hear traffic. Along a wash so just pick a spot. Great for groups. Can get windy so bring your tent stakes.