Searching for a tent campsite near Salton City? The Dyrt can help you find the best tent campsites for your next trip. Each spot offers quick access to one or more of Salton City, California's most popular destinations.
The Corn Springs Campground is located deep in a canyon of the Chuckwalla Mountains and has a $6.00 per night camping fee. Situated adjacent to a stand of California fan palms. This oasis supports abundant wildlife and is an important stopping place for migratory birds. Wheelchair accessible. Corn Springs was a major occupation site of prehistoric Native American Indian groups. The petroglyphs at Corn Springs are one of the finest examples of rock art in the Colorado Desert. They display a wide variety of elements and cover a long time span, with the earliest petroglyphs dating as far back as 10,000 years. In addition to being a route for Native American Indians moving east and west, Corn Springs was used by the Chemehuevi Indians who moved into California about 1,100 A.D. These Native American Indians lived in harmony with the desert ecosystem, utilizing many of the native plants.
Traveler
This is totally a great place to go tent camping it's peaceful and quiet during the week. It's clean and just a fun place to camp.
Scout
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 :)
Guide
Great Area to take your OHVs. Season starts around Halloween and ends in May for Red stickers. They have public restrooms spread through the grounds. It's great for tent camping and RVs/campers, tents. Town is about 25 minutes away, however they have a few stores/restaurants nearby.
Traveler
Awesome tent sites in Joshua Tree, tucked between some Jumbo Rocks. The sites are pretty spacious and private and have primo scenery and star gazing opportunities.
Guide
Cabins are fun and shelter you from the occasional strong gusty winds.
Tent camping in the rain is also do-able here due to the temperate climate. There are a couple playgrounds, so a very kid-friendly environment as well.
Ranger
Lots going on here but felt peaceful midweek in Jan. 3 spring-fed pools, hot showers quarter operated, clean flush toilet bathrooms, water, hiking trails and ample roads to walk the dog on. Mountain lion country - be alert. Friendly rangers. Clean facilities and well-kept grounds. Horseshoe pits and large group picnic areas. Cute cabins for rent - no pets allowed in those. Will definitely visit again. Many of the tent sites are close together - if the campground was full you’d have little privacy but it’s a large place and there were hardly any tent campers when I was there, though more RVs and vans in the hookup section. Tent site 106 is very private. I liked 109 it was in a kind of bird thicket with privacy from the road etc.
Traveler
have only tent camped so not sure about hook ups. hike across the road is great but do it early before it gets hot. bathrooms get a little trashed by Sunday morning. crew doesn’t keep up. spots nice size for three tents, group of 8. bring ant spray. hard to get reservations. stop for breakfast at the lake while you’re in the area.
GuideSuper campspots among the boulders. Great hiking out of the campground. Some of the tent sites are "really" walk in sites so it makes it a bit more challenging if sleeping in van. Bring everything you need ie. Water!
Scout
Friendly staff kept everything clean and gave great advice. Some in our party tent camped and had the best space, view, shade trees. We had a trailer as well, nice and level with water and power. Both had aluminum picnic tables and iron grills. Propane fire pits we allowed but no wood fires.
GuideVery primitive camping, but location, views, hikes, and adventures nearby make it all worth it! We had site #6 and tent camped. It was back a little away from the road and people which was nice. Be sure to bring in your own water. We filled up our jug and got provisions in 29 Palms before heading into the park.
Traveler
A beautiful RV resort, stayed pretty dispersed by staying in couple tent sites.
Wouldn’t come again this time of year without a heater, as it got uncomfortably cold at night. But the bathrooms are kept warm and very clean. The lodge is also warm and clean, worked out of there a couple of mornings, and the Wi-Fi was actually decent.
Scout
This is by far the best place to tent camp that we have found. We love hiking the rope/ladder trail loop during the day and star gazing at night. No bugs and the weather is amazing if you’re at the base of the canyon. There’s loose sand roads the further you get in, so 4wheel drive only if you’re trying to get far away from the main road. There is a bathroom towards the beginning, but nothing close to the main hiking area.
Traveler
I love this camp site. I prefer the Hillside loop for tent camping as the spots are large, lots of trees, and feels fairly private. It was easy to get a walk up site, the campground hosts are helpful, and there is super easy access to all of Mount Laguna hilling trails. We went once on a Monday in April and had the place to ourselves, and once over Thanksgiving weekend and we were still able to get a good spot! Dogs allowed as well!
GuideIn February we had the place to ourselves. Temperature dropped to 43'. Best hook up site #24. Best tent site #65. A few pretty good trails to get the heart pumping. We took the Cedar Trail on the left side of the fork. The water at the spigots spewed dark brown water. Bring your own water source. Definitely cougar country so kept pups close to us. Clean bathrooms and wild stormy skies.
Ranger
Small camp with $35 tent sites eith shelter, table and fire ring and $75 cabins both reservable and first come (pay with card at kiosk tho cabins were not rentable like this due to no attendant present. Non-potable water. Token showers. Accessible site reserved for disabled folks and wheelchair accessible showers. Trailhead with views of ocotillo, agave and the other desert plants nearby. Only reason I’m giving 3 stars are the high winds made car camping without a tent pretty miserable. But I know that’s the nature of the park- windy!
Guide
This campground is a very large site, with huge amounts of RV and tent sites spread out, hookups and non-hookup sites, with a layout around the water of Lake Hemet. We only stayed for one night before continuing on to Idyllwild, so cannot speak for anything related to the actual lake but there was a lot of recreational boating and fishing going on when we were there in August. Our site was a tent site in the interior, we did not pay the extra money for a premium lakefront site. Overall it is your run of the mill campsite, but with the lake as a main attraction and focal point of course. With all of the families and kids it was more on the noisy side, and was noisy until later into the night. I would recommend this campsite on the value of the lake if that is something you are into, but other than that I would prefer something more quiet and peaceful. Another downside is visitor parking and I believe even day use of the grounds to get in were an extra charge. There is a large country style camping store before the gate. Overall, the surrounding scenery is still beautiful, and you can't really beat that.
Guide
This is a great little spot with a lot of level area if you are self-contained and don't need to hook up to anything. Not a great place for tent camping though, think of it more as a great desert parking lot with a view. There are plenty of picnic tables and fire rings available though (be prepared and bring your own wood). There are several porta-potties and trash cans available as well and even some recycling bins available. The views here are solid, space was quiet aside from the occasional train. Would definitely recommend for a night. Cost was $10.
GuideLocated at Lake Cuyamaca in Julian. Gorgeous views of the lake!!!! Picnic area, tent camping sites, and also cabins and condos as well. This place is so serene and peaceful as you are tucked in adjacent to the 110 acre lake. Only lake in San Diego that has stock trout all year. Other fish include Florida bass, smallmouth bass, channel catfish, crappie, bluegill, and sturgeon. Sits at over 4,000 elevation with Mt Laguna right up the road. Huge bathrooms here with running water. Fee is rarely cheap. Great campground for families or just as a day escape from the city.
Ranger
Salton Sea is such an interesting place. A bird haven for migrating birds - be sure to visit the Sonny Bono Refuge closeby. This camp had $20 basic tent sites, some full hookup sites available- paved, some sites along beach. One of the 2 loops were closed. Showers - tho no hot water left when I got to them and most bathrooms boarded up and in disrepair. Ample trash and recycling bins and water. Friendly host and camp wood available at $10 a pop. Check to see if sites are reserved at kiosk if you are coming without reservations.
TravelerCampsite was perfect, the site is for 4 people but easily could have fit 8-10! 3/4 folks in our group tent camped while I slept in my car along the road right next to the campsite. The site itself only had enough room for 2 cars so be sure to budget for that. We had two pit toilet stalls right next to our site, there were some bees around the front entrance but the bathrooms themselves were fine. We stayed at campsite 83, pictures below, on 12/5. It was COLD out as well, I am from colorado but the cold hit different out here! Bring plenty of wood and warm clothes :)
Traveler2 outdoor pools and an indoor adult spa (102 degrees), RV sites with Power, Water and Sewer as well as tent sites. Flush toilets and hot/cold showers. This place is well maintained and the cleanest campground I have ever stayed at. Shuffleboard and Horseshoes courts, lots of hiking trails and things to see. The campground / pools are all fed from natural mineral springs. Pets are allowed within the campground and all sites have picnic table and fire-ring. Small store at the park entrance is great for the simply things you may have forgotten. They even have cabins available but they book up pretty fast. Rangers are all very friendly and helpful. Enjoyed my stay, I will be back.
Guide
We camped here on New Years Eve. It was quiet. This area is interesting. Has a Mad Max Thunderdome vibe. Definitely go to Salvation Mountain then drive thru Slab City. I walked thru the odd Outdoor Art Gallery called “East Jesus” fascinating population of people live out there. We camped at the Mecca camp which is a mile south of the ranger station. The actual Salton sea is right there. Great for bird watching bring binoculars. The sunrise and sunsets were some of the prettiest I’ve ever seen. Best hook up site #138 but hands down best tent site #134. If I didn’t get either of those I would not have stayed as sites are very close with zero privacy barrier. The best part of this campground were the hosts. Good folks
RangerTamarisk Grove Campground is about 20 minutes south of Borrego Springs. It sits next to the highway but there’s minimal traffic so it isn’t terribly loud. There are tent sites as well as primitive cabins. Each site has a fire ring and table. There are also flush toilets and paid showers. There is no potable water at this campground - be sure to bring your own. The cabins are simple structures with platforms for sleeping. There are no amenities in the cabins - no electric, no water, no mattress, no linens, etc.
The campground is across the street from both the Cactus Loop and Yaqui Well trail heads. We recommend the short Cactus Loop hike over the Yaqui Well hike. Go at sunset to catch the cholla cacti backlit by the sunset.
Guide
This campground was away from the primary campground like Jumbo Rock and therefore less crowded. Campsites included fire ring and picnic table. Flush toilets on premises and away from primary sites. Tent sites were very close together and as we found or a very popular site for star gazing and meteror showers. Required aunt of a drive to get into the primary park area and firewood not available in campgrounds (Walmart is the closest location it was available). Camp hosts were very nice however did not enforce quiet hours. We camp with our daughter (5 at the time) and unfortunately we were surrounded by many college students drinking heavily (not Joshua Trees fault). We ended up leaving a day early because of this. Aside from the other campers we had a good desert camping experience. I think next time we would try a different site to attempt to be more secluded and avoid this issue in the future.
Traveler
My wife and our two dogs (small chi mixes) stayed at this campground over Veterans Day weekend. There are two halves, one for RV’s, horses, and a few tent sites and the other half is all tents. In the center are the restrooms/showers, a few parking spots, and camp host’s RV. The sites are pretty small and very close together but even on a busy holiday weekend where nearby Agua Caliente was full, here were plenty of sites available. Camp host was very active driving around welcoming everybody and was helpful with any questions you might have. Tons of coyotes! They’re tricky and smart, so stay sharp at night on walks with furry ones.
There are fire rings and tables at every site with water sources every few sites. The stage coach station is a historical landmark and sits in the center near the facilities. Pretty cool small cemetery and children’s playground available as well. It was definitely a safe, accessible, and incredibly clean campground. Lots of flies between late morning/afternoon but I’m sure citronella and a cooler period would have solved that problem. We would stay again!
RangerI have camped here two times. Once on Thanksgiving weekend and once on New Years weekend. I really like this campground. The large rock formations in the park help to isolate the campsites from each other even though they are pretty close to one another. I would consider most sites to be "tent sites", but I have seen some 25'+ RV's in the campground. There are a couple of nice trails that start at the campsite which allows you to explore the area without having to drive anywhere. The Skull Rock trail starts near the middle of the campground and is a really nice hike, especially at night. You can also walk out into the desert for a nice view of the sunrise. There are several bathrooms placed throughout the campground and they are as clean and pleasant as you can expect a pit toilet to be. It is worth noting that because this is one of the more popular camps in the park, it fills up quickly and doesn't take reservations. Happy camping!
Traveler
We decided to extend our Borrego Springs trip (first time here) by one night and try a little boondocking at Peg Leg Smith Historical Marker (yes, there is actually a marker). We did not arrive until well after dark, so the parking was a little challenging (F250 pulling a 30' Toy Hauler) but overall not bad at all.
The lot is fairly uneven (for free-99, what do you expect?) but was a great little spot (the uneveness of the lot can be easily dealt with by leveling ). We were one of 7 rigs there for the night, and there was one group of tent campers. The only real issue was the wind, which is very common for the desert - about 2 hours after sunset, it really started to howl an rocked the trailer until about 8am the next day.
We were able to find it in the dark without too much drama. We entered from the Salton City side - exited Highway 86 at Sunrise Road, then Borrego Springs Road for 22 miles or so.
Tent camping near Salton City, California, offers a unique blend of desert landscapes and outdoor adventures, perfect for those looking to escape into nature.
Frequently Asked Questions
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According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Salton City, CA is Ocotillo Wells State Vehicular Recreation Area with a 4.4-star rating from 16 reviews.
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