Best Campgrounds near Whitewater, CA

The campsite is great, quiet and tidy. The surrounding environment is very nice and suitable for stargazing.

The main road was a super easy drive, definitely doable 2 wheel drive but 4 wheel is recommended. Plenty of sites and pretty quiet (especially considering st pattys day.) we had no issues finding a spot. Road traffic was quiet until hikers started to show up in the early AM. Lots of sunning views and a cool trail system with ropes and ladders at the end of the road.

Such an amazing spot to tent camp! Definitely narrow spots for bigger vehicles, but for car-camping with tents, it was perfect! Scored this site on a busy weekend using Dyrt Alerts - the pictures say it all: secluded site, epic sunrise & sunset viewing from scaling the rocks in the campsite, beautiful star-gazing. I will say that despite the "secluded" feel, our neighbors were still really close and noisy late into the night, but the greatness of our site honestly outweighed that disruption for me personally.

We did have a coyote visitor twice in the morning, so don't forget to keep your food/trash locked up from critters!

Originally booked this site because it is a good endpoint for the California Riding & Hiking trail though the national park, so if you’re looking to run or complete the traverse, it is a good spot to campout and/or leave a car. There are also great hiking trails right next to the campground. The campground is also super close to the towns of Yucca Valley and Joshua Tree for picking up supplies, enjoying the local Luna bakery (we went 3 times in 2 days!)

Only downside was sites felt really close together (particularly site 56, although some looked better), so noise levels were a little rough.

We were able to score this site on a Saturday night during the spring break season using Dyrt Alerts!

Large campground split into 3 sections. The one side is mainly for RVs and has hookups — would only recommend for RVs as they’re stacked up. The other 2 sides are a bit more spread out, especially the sites on the outside of the loops. It’s well taken care of and clean. Plus it has token showers with hot water, a dish washing area, flush toilets, fire pits, grills, and cell signal. Anza Borrego park has tons of awesome dispersed sites around the park that are free, but this was a good spot to take a little break from the desert and grab a hot shower.

This is a decent spot for an overnight stay. Not really pleasant location though. Lots of others in this dry lake bed. Also be careful as some areas can be muddy/soft.

Huge open horse camp with 10 corrals, picnic tables, bbqs and fire rings, pick your spot anywhere you like. Almost all sloped but not awful. Lot gets regularly graded. Central water location so you do have to schlepp your water to the corrals. Trails are amazing. There is even an overland trail from here to the south end of Joshua Tree NP which is around 35 miles long.

Amazing area! So many places to camp. Road in is unpaved but not too bumpy. Once you get to the canyon area it’s deeper sand, so 4WD is advised. The road says mandatory but we saw many 2WD cars there.

There's indeed plenty of room, but come during daylight hours. Otherwise, you might encounter some unpleasant surprises with the nails and other debris (shell casings, broken glass, metal fragments) scattered across the field. We'll thank the neighbors for the use of their generator all over the night…

This is a great example of a park that should get the 1/2 star. If an option, I'd give it 4.5 stars, and nick it only because of the minimal bathroom maintenance done after a weekend. I'd note, I think that is more due to staffing than care.

The campground was lightly populated during our February visit, which was a bit surprising considering the other JTree camps inside the park were full. I chose our site online only knowing that it was on the outer ring of sites. It turned out to be a huge site with great views of the CA hiking and riding trail (out the back of the site).

Other pros:

• There is a small gift store in the DOI building that is accompanied by an excellent little art gallery. The featured artist was Diane Best. It was clearly inspired by the park. The ranger and host at the store were very helpful with information about the surrounding area.
• Trails run right out of camp...lots of them...of all different difficulty levels. Something for everyone, and each of the trails we hiked, or came across were very well signed, which in the desert is appreciated.
• Big oversized sites. Big oversized tables.
• Ash dumping stations with shovels and buckets.
• The campground is on the outside border of the park. Meaning you don't have to go wait in line at the entrance to access it in and out, and it is much easier to get into Yucca Valley or Joshua Tree if you're both camping and want to visit a restaurant or shop. Very convenient location.
• 5g cell service at camp...if you're into that sort of thing.
• Separate parking for hiking trailheads keeps the park traffic down.
• Potable water around the park.
• Bathrooms with flush toilets (no showers).

Not so good notes: 

• The sites are close to each other. If it were a full camp, it would be a lot less peaceful.
• The park roads are rough...like falling apart rough. Not an issue for most unless you were in a small or low vehicle.
• The camp host was not seen during our visit, and the bathrooms were not cleaned well. We arrived on a Monday. They weren't overly dirty but were not serviced during our stay.
• Some sites have nice new campfire rings. Ours had a very old, barely above ground one. I dug it out to feel a little safer having a nice fire.

This has nothing to do with campground operations, but remember this is the high desert! There is wind—gusty wind. There is sun. Nights get cold. Be aware of the weather and the surroundings.

We had a lovely campfire on night one. The second night was windier at about 15mph with gusts and we chose not to light one, but there wasn't a red flag warning or restriction. Another site nearby (upwind) had a big campfire and were definitely not safe about it. It was a bit nerve-wracking being down the hill from them. 

In the morning, asked the park ranger what would cause them to institute a warning, and he said the call wasn't made by the rangers on-site, but rather someone in admin elsewhere. That was surprising, and he commented that it is a challenge they've been working to change because all the rangers were up all night waiting for the call that a fire had started. I relay that to say, that when starting a fire please use common sense and caution. That completes my after school special.

I would definitely recommend this campground if you're looking for access to hiking, Joshua Tree NP but away from the core tourist areas, and also wanting to dip into town. It is conveniently located with lovely scenery.

Tidy, with all amenities. Away from highway noise a place to recharge.