Best Dispersed Camping near Trona, CA

A very out of the way place to plant yourself if you are looking for space. I never knew this was here and grew up camping in California. Filming for the remake of Planet of the Apes happened here. There is so much room and a huge choice when camping here, there isn’t however, potable water or shade unless you bring your own. Amazing views and stunning sunsets. Pretty decent star gazing as well, tho there are lights from Trona it’s self and a glow of light on the horizon to the south. We spent a few days camping with family here. It’s easy to social distance when you need binoculars to see most of the fellow campers in the area. There is one pit toilet at the main parking area and some people to camp there as well. Close to Spangler Hills Off Rd area as well.

Really enjoyed staying at the Pinnacles over the weekend. Free BLM dispersed camping here, so bring everything you need and take everything with you when you leave.

The landscape is like no other. Felt like Skywalker or Spock was going to walk around a formation at any minute. Very cool vibes out there.

A bit breezy when we stayed in mid-April but nothing outrageous. Temps were warmer and we had our own shade.

Somebody commented it's the type of dust that sticks to everything and they were right.

If you have the option, air down your tires at the trailhead of the Trona dirt road. It makes the last 5 miles much more comfortable.

11mi in from Warm Spring Canyon road (heading west off of West Side Road along the Badlands) is a settlement of buildings established to mine talc in the nearby mine. There’s a hidden gem of a warm spring about a 10th of a mile up the side of the mountain. An outcrop of big, shady trees offers escape from the heat. Wild burros, bats, crows, and hummingbirds frequent the area.

The road leading to it is a mix of packed washboard road, sandy patches, lots of smaller sharp rocks, and some larger rocks. My AWD moderate clearance crossover made it, driving a safe 3-5mph through tough patches. Fully dispersed camping—no facilities, no toilets, no cell service.

Just south of Ashford Mill Ruins where Badwater Rd meets Jubilee Pass Rd, you can continue down the unpaved portion of Badwater Rd/Harry Wade Rd to find a long sandy stretch that leads out of the park to the south. I'd recommend AWD with high clearance at a minimum as the road can be a little washboardy and sandy. There are ample dispersed camping sites along this portion of the road (use previously disturbed spaces within the 50 ft wilderness boundary). The sites are a little rocky/sandy but most looked fairly level and all offered remote, stunning views of the park with little traffic. We had one visible camper sharing the entire valley with us, couldn't ask for more.

I was hesitant about this site because it’s right off the road, but we actually really liked it! It’s literally a big open desert flat and you park wherever so there’s plenty of room for privacy. As far as facilities, there are 2 privies and that’s it, so you’ll be dry camping. Some sites are more trashed so watch for broken glass but overall it’s pretty clean. There are plenty of man made fire pits. Star gazing was on point! Sunrises and sunsets were also pretty dope. It’s a OHV staging area so there’s lots of people dirt biking in the morning but we were up by the time there started zooming around. We’d def stay here again for a night of rest after a day of driving.