Best Dispersed Camping near Thermal, CA

Free dispersed camping just North of Interstate 10. Take the paved road North about a mile and you can turn left or right on the "main road" just before the park entrance (right before the berm) . A few people were camping South of the Interstate. Dirt road has some washboards but it firmly packed and can be driven by any type of vehicle. If you take one of the smaller side roads, you may have more trouble and there are less camp sites cleared on those roads, but are more private.

Lot's of people cluster up near the paved road but the further you go away from the paved from the more space and privacy you have. I went about 3 miles to the West from the paved road and had about a quarter mile in each direction between me and my neighbors.

No noise except maybe once and hour a car drives by but it's not disturbing. Camp fire rings made of rocks in almost all clearings. Very private and a huge bonus to have cell and internet at almost full signal in such a remote place.

It is BLM dispersed camping so it's free, first come first served, and has zero amenities. Be sure to fully stock up on water, gas, propane etc before arriving in the area.

Gas station next exit down the highway about 4 miles. Has a free water spout for customers but it's kind of slow so don't plan on filling a 90 gallon tank this way. No firewood sold there, you have to go 30 minutes into Indio.

Verizon Cell/Network Service: 5/5 - Full bars in the BLM land

AT&T Internet Service - 4/5 - Half bars, great for how remote it is

Rig Details: 2008 Toyota Tundra 4WD w/ 27ft Travel Trailer

Easy to access dirt road off of Amboy leads you to BLM land. Left over fire rings mark sites, however many sites are covered in glass and bullet casing from people using this area for target practice. Sunsets are gorgeous, however desert winds are harsh. Wouldn’t go back but free camping doesn’t hurt.

We love this BLM dispersed boondock area. It’s one of our go-tos. There’s always room, even though there are always lots of other campers here. Once you leave the main road and drive on the dirt road for a bit in either direction, people start to thin out and you have your own huge patch of camping. 

The road is washboard in parts, but manageable. Heads up that the BLM land is a checkerboard type situation, but nobody seemed to care. People were camped anywhere, and we’ve never seen anyone from BLM come by. 

Cell service is great out here. Getting your spot level is tricky each time, and we usually have to dig a hole on one side and use levels on the other just to get our rig level. Of course we fill the holes back in when we leave.

We love BLM camping, but frankly living near LA free dispersed or BLM land is far between and hard to come by. Thankfully Joshua Tree has the perfect BLM spot just northeast of the park right south of the Pinto Mountain Wilderness. We usually come out here on holiday weekends because while the parks are full beyond capacity you can go days on BLM without seeing anyone. We’ve stayed two weeks before seeing one person in the “off season”. There’s a reason why us dirt bikers love this kind of area. Free camping, all the dirt trails you could ever want, full fire options, wonderful place to get space and seclusion; everything you could want as a disperser, minus access to water and shade (unless you bring it with you). And you should, the town is not close and the likelihood of encountering someone to help you out of a tough spot, or supplement missing something is near nil on the off-season. Remember people, this is the desert, if you don’t bring it with you, you won’t find it here. Inexperienced dispersed campers are not recommended. Many grossly underestimate the water/shade they will need/use and if you’ve never had to be 100% self sufficient, this is not the place to start. Cell service is spotty at best, and with the main road several miles away, and town several miles from there, not recommended unless you know you can be completely self reliant. Also in the summer temps soar easily in the 100s and drop hard after the sun goes down to the mid 50s. Even more unpredictable in the “off season”. That being said we love it here and get our desert fix in and plenty of dirt biking done. A great spot to go if you know what you’re doing, place your ego aside, if you know what you’re doing you’ll have a blast. Don’t? And you could end up in trouble quick. Can’t wait to go again in November!

Typical BLM land, not far at all from Joshua Tree Park. Open and spacious, was able to dig my daily fox hole butt naked in broad daylight without being spotted. Very dispersed, road wasn’t too bad either. I’ll stop by again if I can’t get a reservation in Joshua Tree Park next year. Thanks BLM!

Disbursed camping on BLM land outside Joshua tree has cell service, which you can’t get in the park

This is just a dry lake bed not far from Josh Tree National Park. It’s just a dry lake bed on BLM land.

Just off I -10 and outside the national forest, sits this gem. On either side of Cottonwood drive are numerous camping sites, most with man made fire pits. It’s a great location that fills quickly as Phoenix and S Cal people come out for weekend free camping. We found a great site and had 2 neighbors that were far enough away to feel like we were on our own. It was quiet and dark, great for star gazing. It got crazy windy in the middle of the night, but no big deal. Would definitely go back again!

This is a great area if you want BLM land super close to Joshua Tree National Park. It is literally right next to the south entrance of the back door of the park. Great night sky viewing as well. Super close to the 10 freeway thought.

Not sure if this is the same place the rangers in Joshua Tree told us about, but if you drive North on Sunfair off of Route 62 and take a right on Sunflower, you can drive on to BLM land and find anywhere to camp on a dry lake bed. It was pretty open and incredible in late November.

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.

Honestly, who needs bathrooms and paved roads... You are camping for goodness sake! The BLM land north of I-10 and just south of the Joshua Tree's southern entrance is the perfect place to camp if you A. Want to pay $0.00 and B. Want privacy! We decided to camp here over Memorial Day weekend 2016 because all the campsites inside the park were SOO crowded. We were the only ones out on the BLM and it was quiet and we had great views (even the highway looked cool at night with the cars whizzing by and it's far enough away that it's not like it really even matters). I highly recommend this if you love to camp but you are like me and don't want other people's camp fire smoke in your face or hearing their screaming children throw a temper tantrum! This was my first time camping BLM but it will not be my last!

What makes BLM Joshua Tree South a perfect dispersed camping option?

1. Let’s start with it’s Free.
2. It’s literally just outside the gate for Joshua Tree National Park.
3. It was quiet, spacious and I never encountered anyone else. I could see other campers but they were far enough away it didn’t matter.
4. Tons of campsites any 2WD vehicle can drive to.
   BONUS (Why it got the 5th star). It was open! That’s right in a time when every other BLM camping option was closed, JT north and south were open for camping!

Unlike the Joshua Tree north BLM, this BLM area is calm and relaxing. Maybe it's because rather than a wide open lake bed it's individual huge pulloffs where you can sort of feel like you have your own space. There were so many people here when we were here in mid November, including a bunch of atv people, and yet everyone was respectful and quiet (everyone around us anyway).

Be aware of the patchwork of BLM land here, and watch for signs marking borders prohibiting camping.

We stayed here almost two weeks, and most days were pretty windy. Guess that's the norm here.

Good cell reception.

Finding a flat spot is pretty impossible, as the whole area is on a slope from the park down to hwy 10.

Great place, tons of spots. Keep going and people will thin out.

We stayed here a couple nights and also stayed inside the park a couple nights. BLM land and national forrest are my favorite. This place was pretty exposed and rather windy but still alright.

There are no facilities, no amenities, and while i like that it may not be for everyone. Whether you stay here or in the park you going to love Joshua tree. It has some of the more amazing climbing, mountain biking, and hiking in the world. My girlfriend and i had no expectations going in and thats what made it so special.

Cheers

As another reviewer noted - this spot is huge so make sure you are staying on BLM land. There is a lot of trash in some areas and there was some dirt bikes but they didn’t bother me. Car camping I found the area I liked best was as follows: off 62 take Sunfair rd, right on cypress rd (dirt road which my GPS thought was Reagan Rd but is marked with a street sign Cypress) - go past ITH coyote ranch (no sign but may show up on map) Then right on cascade - an unmarked dirt rd. Then there is a large flat BLM area where rvs and vans were quite spread out, and a motorcycle with a tent was my neighbor (quite far away). No trash here when I was there. Zero facilities obviously so pack it out. Hot tip - water and restrooms 10 min away at the Indian Cove ranger station near Indian Cove Campground in JT park. I stayed here two nights car camping.

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!

Once you go BLM, you never go back(?) Ok that's not how the saying goes but it's true! Seems like every time my friends and I want to go to J-tree for climbing, the campgrounds are allll full. It's such a pain to drive around looking for an empty site, especially if you want to meet friends and there's NO CELL SERVICE in the park. One time a ranger handed us a paper with instructions to get to this place called "BLM land"..the first time we went we were quite unsure, but it ended up being the best thing ever!! Plenty of space for a large group to get loud, get drunk, have fun without worrying about having families with children nearby.

Cons:

• have to drive outside of the park.
• not the prettiest place, especially compared to waking up amongst the rocks inside the actual park
• just land. no bathrooms, water, etc.
• technically no fires allowed, but we have always found a fire pit made of rocks from previous guests, and used that.

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.:(

Free camping just outside Joshua Tree. No amenities or designated campsites. Large open area where you can camp wherever you'd like. Previous campers have built fire pits from the rocks laying around. Beautiful views, off road vehicle recommend.

Since there are already 21 reviews of this area I will try to keep this review short because everything has already been said. 

This BLM land is managed by the Palm Springs-South Coast Field Office and is not in JTNP itself. 

There are many, many spots here, so you are almost sure to find a spot to camp even if it’s crowded like it was for us when we stayed here in early Feb.

 Very windy here! 

You can see I-10 traffic but the noise wasn’t too bad. 

This isn’t a camp area I would come to for a long period of time, but it’s a great place if you just need a place to stay for a night or two. 

Great cell signal here, but keep in mind that within Joshua Tree NP there is poor, almost non-existent cell signal.

* Note - check on Joshua Tree campgrounds as they may have changed their reservation policy. Ryan Campground used to be first come first served but as of Sept 2020 it is reservation only. At time of this review only the 3 smallest JTNP campgrounds are first come first served, all others require reservations and are almost always fully booked over the weekend.