Sheep Pass Campground, near Twentynine Palms, California, is a prime location for group camping within Joshua Tree National Park. This site is designed for larger gatherings, accommodating between 10 to 60 people, making it perfect for family reunions or group adventures.

The campground features spacious sites nestled among impressive rock formations, providing a unique backdrop for your stay. Visitors have noted the convenience of having pit toilets and dumpsters nearby, which helps keep the area tidy. As one camper mentioned, “The group sites are big and spacious,” allowing for plenty of room to spread out and enjoy the natural surroundings.

For those looking to explore, Sheep Pass is centrally located, giving easy access to popular attractions like Ryan Mountain and Geology Tour Road. Campers have enjoyed stargazing at night, with the clear desert skies offering stunning views of the cosmos. Just remember to pack your own water and firewood, as these aren’t available on-site.

While the campground can get windy and lacks some shade, the unique rock formations provide natural enclosures that add to the charm. If you’re planning a group outing, make sure to reserve well in advance to secure your spot in this beautiful desert setting.

## Overview

 Download the [NPS app][1] prior to visiting the park trail maps and more! Sheep Pass Group Campground is centrally located within Joshua Tree National Park in Southern California and is easily accessible to hiking trails and rock climbing routes. It is one of three group campgrounds in the park. Towering rock formations and uniquely-shaped Joshua trees surround the facility. To get the most out of your visit [Plan Like a Park Ranger][2] Travelers who enjoy warm, dry winters flock to Joshua Tree from October through May, when temperatures hover in the 70 to 90-degree range during the day and drop to a 40 to 60-degree range at night. Summer is the park's off-season due to the uncomfortably-high desert heat. Sheep Pass is at an elevation of 4,500 feet and has a mix of both sun and shade. 
## Recreation

 Sheep Pass is very close to many hiking trails, popular rock climbing routes and a central location for sightseeing within the park.
## Natural Features

 The distinctive shape of Joshua trees and the huge rocks that surround them draw tourists and scientists alike to the national park. Joshua trees are a member of the yucca family that have long evergreen leaves, shaggy bark and bunches of white flowers that bloom in spring. The rocks were formed by volcanic activity millions of years ago and have been exposed and shaped by wind and water over time. They brighten with soft pastel hues in the morning and evening sunlight and glow with campfire light at night. Visitors may want to keep their eyes out for typical desert inhabitants such as lizards, rattlesnakes, scorpions, ravens, squirrels, coyotes and desert tarantulas during the cooler months of the year. Bobcats and mountain lions do live in the park, however they are rarely seen near humans.
## Charges & Cancellations

 Reservation Cancellations & Changes Cancelling a Reservation: Customers may cancel their reservation prior to arrival both on-line and through the call center. A $10 service fee will be withheld from any refund for a cancellation. Depending on when you cancel in relation to your arrival day, it may be considered a late cancellation (see below). Changing an Existing Reservation: When changes are made prior to the cut-off window: If a customer wants to switch dates that are entirely outside of the original reservation dates, there is a $10 change fee. There is no change fee if a customer extends or shortens a reservation, as long as the change includes dates from the original reservation. If they choose to depart early, they may forfeit the recreation fee for the day of departure. There is no change fee if the customer wants to switch sites that are the same price with the same reservation dates in the same facility. If a reservation is made that includes dates beyond the maximum booking window, that reservation cannot be changed until 18 days have passed from the original booking date. Late Cancellations or Cancellations within the Cut-off Window Group Facility (including Cabins and Lookouts): Customers who cancel a group overnight facility reservation less than 14 days before the arrival date will pay a $10.00 service fee AND forfeit the first night's use fee. Changes or Cancellations within the Cut-off Window: Once a reservation date has begun, customers cannot change a reservation using the online system or through the Call Center (see below for early departures). If the location is staffed, on-site personnel may or may not be able to assist with changes or cancellations (check with local staff). No-Shows Overnight Facilities: A no-show customer is one who does not arrive at a campground and does not cancel the reservation by check-out (noon) time on the day after the scheduled arrival date. Staff will hold a campsite until check-out time (noon) on the day following the arrival date. No-shows are assessed $20.00 service fee and forfeit the first nights recreation fee for a campsite. \*Note: the entire reservation will be cancelled for no-shows. 

[1]: https://www.nps.gov/subjects/digital/nps-apps.htm
[2]: https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/jotrtop10.htm

Sheep Pass Group Campground — Joshua Tree National Park

Join the fun near Twentynine Palms. With tons of outdoor activities and scenic camping, this is an excellent vacation spot for all kinds of travelers. Enjoy the scenic camping, fun activities, and sights and sounds of Twentynine Palms. You're sure to find the perfect campground for your Twentynine Palms camping trip.

Twentynine Palms

The Best Camping Near Twentynine Palms, California

I stayed here with a small group for one night and it was very lovely. The sites are nestled among the rocks so it actually feels like you're in nature. You can really spread out and have tents all over the place. It is not super clear where one site ends and another begins - but this is not a problem. In fact I think there was a couple who stayed on "our land" but they were behind some rocks so it was totally fine. We were only able to snag this site for our first night - wish we could have stayed the whole weekend! 

spacious! 

New Years excursion.

Reserved this site for 50 people and it did not disappoint. Be sure to pack as many people into cars as possible. Not too many parking spaces on site...

Nice space with plenty of flat areas to setup tents.

large fire pit and plenty of rocks to scramble up. No bolted routes in this spot but there are areas to climb near by.

beware of the wash running through the site. If you're anticipating rain, set up camp on the higher ground.

No showers but there are out toilets on site.

Awesome Group site 

Group sites at sheep pass allow you to have up to 10 vehicles. Not too far from good climbing and relatively easy access if you're interested in checking out Keyes View at Sunset. Close to Ryan Mountain trail, which has some epic views. Bring all your own water and firewood (we've ordered massive wood dropoffs from town) as none are available in the park. Heads up that unlike much of the park, this entire campground is reservation only. Super pretty, but requires some planning. Other groups can be loud, wouldn't be a bad idea to bring ear plugs. One issue we had this spring was that all tents were supposed to be within 50 feet (I believe) to the fire ring, but during the intense winds that weekend it would not have been safe to have tents anywhere close to 50 feet from the fire ring since wind swept massive embers downwind. So we were disappointed to be cited by rangers for being too far from the fire pit. Okay- that gripe out of the way- this is a solid spot.

Whole campground is reservation only

One of my complaints about JTree camping is usually that the sites all fill up so quickly and it's hard to be guaranteed a spot. That's what nicer about the group camp sites! Sheep Pass campground is one of three group sites in JTree (along with Cottonwood and Indian Cove), all of which can be reserved online ahead of time. You just have to have a group with a minimum of 10 people.

This campground has 6 individual sites, and host large groups pretty comfortably. It's great for our group climbing trips, when we actually make plans far enough in advance. See [here](https://www.mountainproject.com/area/105720579/sheep-pass-area) for all rock climbing info for the immediate area.

FYI, this campground gets its name because there actually can be big horn sheep spotted in JTree! Though we have yet to see any on our trips...

As with all campgrounds in JTree, remember that there is no potable water available here. For large groups, that means you need to be packing A LOT of water for drinking/cooking for the duration of your stay.

One way to actually reserve camping in JTree, if you have a group

I brought my brother and his family here for a quick overnight in order to enjoy the park. Unfortunately we went in early November and the desert winds were brutal with little natural shelter available. While we were near the famous Skull Rock and the boulders offered some fun scrambling, this site is far from some of the better trails. Our site did have a fire pit and a picnic table, and was far enough from the other sites to have an illusion of privacy.

Beginner’s bouldering haven

Every trying to make sure you have a spot at Joshua tree? 
Make sure to reserve way ahead of time and you may be able to enjoy this group camp. 
Located in between all the major attractions of the park. 
With all the boulders around this campsite it’s a great place to enjoy watching the night sky. 

Best group camp 

This is a group campground. You will need 10-60 people to reserve it and may be reserved up to a year in advance. The sites are large and there are pit toilets and garbage. Easy access main roads and within 10 mins to Ryan Mountain, Geology Tour Road, and Lost Horse Mine Trails. 

  

No cell service, no water, and no firewood collecting on site. Because it is group camping and it’s reservation in advance, you have the luxury of knowing if there is another group coming and having plenty of space between sites. 

  

There are 6 sites total in the campground. It was really quiet when we were there in early Spring.

Group Camping Only

We camped at site 2 on 6/12 this year and had a great time. We had 18 people and found that there were a ton of different nooks to setup your tent. We even found on one up a little higher in the rocks that would have been cool. 

  

We placed our tent just inside the rock area from the picnic tables and we are really glad we did. The wind on our first night was a lot and this one site was a bit better for wind protection. 

  

There was a tree/bush at the corner of our group site that ended up being great for shade and a hang out place during the day. In the afternoon we spent more time near the tables and grill. The site comes with a large charcoal grill that we used to cook burgers on one of our nights. 

  

At night we ventured off a bit near the camp site and took some night sky pictures. We also we able to see a bunch of owls up in the top of the rocks on one of the nights. During the full moon it was really easy to walk around with out lights. 

  

There is no water and no showers, but the pit toilets that were there were clean and well maintained. They even had some nice candles to light in them. The dumpster was right next to our group site and was also well maintained. 

  

Our only problem during our stay was that on our last night a bunch of people came in after midnight to the site next to ours (#1) and they played music and were loud until 4 AM... We barely saw rangers there and there is no cell signal so it can be challenging to get help for these types of things (assuming you don't feel comfortable confronting a group of drunk people in the middle of the night).

Great Group Campground

Out among the Joshua trees. The group sites are big and spacious. Spaced out well. Dumpsters near each group location and pit toilets. Not a ton of shade and windy during our visit but plenty of large rocks that form neat enclosures for a few of the sites. 6 is at the entrance. 

Photos of Sheep Pass Group Campground — Joshua Tree National Park

Real photos from real campers