Best Dispersed Camping in California

Searching for the perfect place to dispersed camp in California? Dispersed camping gets you off the grid so you can disconnect from technology. These scenic and easy to access California campsites are perfect for dispersed campers.

Best Dispersed Sites in California (414)

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Showing results 1-10 of 414 campgrounds

Recent Dispersed Reviews in California

1154 Reviews of 414 California Campgrounds


  • jThe Dyrt PRO User
    Camper-submitted photo from Old Sierra Madre
    Jan. 4, 2025

    Old Sierra Madre

    Great for Van camping

    Easy spots to turn around and park. Beautiful views, slight road noise if you’re not in the van but quiet inside. Wouldn’t recommend anything bigger than a extended sprinter or transit

  • Steve The Dyrt PRO User
    Camper-submitted photo from Joshua Tree North BLM
    Dec. 30, 2024

    Joshua Tree North BLM

    Close to the park but problematic

    Dry lake bed. Lots of room and easy to park with ability to put a lot of space between you and others.

    Pros: free, close to the park.

    Cons: people are clearly living here. Drug deals going down at night with people sitting on the edges with high beams on. Peoplenliving here running generators from 8 pm until they run out of gas at 3 am. 230 am donuts in a pickup followed by screaming for his dogs he let out of his trailer.

    We stayed on the south side of the park first and that was much better.

  • Michael H.
    Camper-submitted photo from Granite Pass Dispersed Roadside Camping — Mojave National Preserve
    Dec. 29, 2024

    Granite Pass Dispersed Roadside Camping — Mojave National Preserve

    isolated and beautiful

    A great place to climb rocks and watch sunrises and sunsets. Lots of birds to listen to and spy with binoculars. In the spring the desert flowers are blooming and beautiful to seek out different species. The road leading to the research station is tight, you will likely get the sides of your vehicle scratched. Lots of dirt roads to explore and even found some petroglyphs nearby.  The dispersed sites are about and 1/8 of mile apart and separated by boulders so privacy is great. 

    It was pleasing to see almost no litter or bottles and cans. 

    Bring your own water, bring your own privy. 

    Drive slow and watch for desert tortoises and other wild life while exploring the miles and miles of dirt roads. 

    Only complaint was the guy who drove his dirt back around the rocks like it was his own personal dirt track. He did that for half an hour the disappears.

  • 5 STAR X P.The Dyrt PRO User
    Camper-submitted photo from McGee Creek
    Dec. 26, 2024

    McGee Creek

    Next to a creek. Beautiful view of the snowy sierras

    At the end of the raod, it dead ends at a creek. Its is a nice spot for a few rigs. It's a beautiful spot looking out into the Sierra mountains. I dont recall any obstacles to crawl over. Gets cold at night...dress warm.

  • Rose G.The Dyrt PRO User
    Camper-submitted photo from BLM Barstow - Dispersed Camp Area
    Dec. 24, 2024

    BLM Barstow - Dispersed Camp Area

    Quiet location

    We stayed here for one night and it was a great spot, really quite. The road was a little rough to get to where we stayed but no issue in our van aside from being a bit bumpy. We stopped about 2 miles from the main road. We arrived in the dark and it was a little tricky to see where we could and couldn't stay. We turned right off the road and found a flat open space with a fire ring. There was nobody else there. In the morning we could see some RVs further along the path and assume this is the proper site but we had no issues staying where we did .

  • Seth M.The Dyrt PRO User
    Camper-submitted photo from Usal Beach Overlook
    Dec. 7, 2024

    Usal Beach Overlook

    Amazing Views

    Great views — and often less soggy than down below on the water and beach. Only drawback is proximity to the access road and a bit exposed.

  • E.
    Camper-submitted photo from Blair Valley Primitive Campground — Anza-Borrego Desert State Park
    Dec. 2, 2024

    Blair Valley Primitive Campground — Anza-Borrego Desert State Park

    Great escape from the city!

    I followed the coordinates provided and it took us right to the trailhead. We saw a few other campers but overall, the campground was ours for the weekend. We did some light hiking and exploring but otherwise took advantage of the peace and quiet that was available to us. Gorgeous sunsets and sunrises and epic star gazing! Being a dark sky community, we were able to see so many stars and constellations. We saw shooting stars nearly every minute and we were also able to find Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus,  and Neptune all with the naked eye! Next time we will pack a small telescope and I'm sure we will see more! 

    Watch out for cactus and needles that are buried in the sand. It is not recommended to bring dogs or walk barefoot for this reason. Our sandals and boots both had many needles stuck in the rubber soles after the trip. Being in the valley, the winds were very light but there is a possibility of strong winds and sand storms so be prepared. Temps averaged 70-75 during the day and dropped to 38-42 at night but with a small fire and proper gear, we were plenty comfortable. Fire rings are provided at some locations however the ranger informed us we could build a rock ring and line it with tin foil which worked great. 

    The road in was a bit rough in some areas. Wash out and silty sand could pose problems for smaller vehicles or campers so use your best judgement. Single track roads in/out so you will need to yield off the main road when encountering larger oncoming vehicles, which could also be difficult for inexperienced offroad drivers.

  • KThe Dyrt PRO User
    Camper-submitted photo from Alabama Hills Recreation Area
    Nov. 30, 2024

    Alabama Hills Recreation Area

    Beautiful, Just Crowded.

    Was one of the most beautiful campgrounds I’ve stayed at. Just unfortunate that most the spots are labeled “Day Use Only.” Luckily we ran into someone nice enough to offer sharing their campground. Definitely a place you’d want to show up 4-5 hours early to find a spot. Otherwise, the roads were not too bad. The below freezing temps were well worth the stunning views.

  • KThe Dyrt PRO User
    Camper-submitted photo from Minietta Road
    Nov. 30, 2024

    Minietta Road

    Ideal for the night

    We pulled off on the closest part to the road which was quiet all night really. There were other parts further up.

  • KThe Dyrt PRO User
    Camper-submitted photo from Forest Rd 14S29
    Nov. 30, 2024

    Forest Rd 14S29

    Small site

    We arrived just before dark, it’s quite a small site. Room for 4 vans max, ideal for 3. We used to chocks to level up as it’s pretty uneven in parts. But a great nights sleep, we had the place to ourselves

  • KThe Dyrt PRO User
    Camper-submitted photo from Sequoia Forest Hunting Area - FS 13597
    Nov. 30, 2024

    Sequoia Forest Hunting Area - FS 13597

    Worth the drive in

    We arrived in the dark and met one vehicle who was coming down. We were lucky there was enough room to pass plus in the dark you can see what’s coming as other reviews mention, the road in is narrow in parts and around 1 mile before you get to the camp ground. We had the place to ourselves in our campervan, there was room for a few more vehicles. Great views coming down in the morning

  • KThe Dyrt PRO User
    Camper-submitted photo from Goat Meadow - Dispersed Camp Site
    Nov. 30, 2024

    Goat Meadow - Dispersed Camp Site

    Ideal

    Quite a large level area, though it was November and not peak season so there were loads of space. We pulled in and there were a couple of trailers with horses and a couple of other vehicles and we parked with loads of space between. When we left early in the morning a handful more of vehicles had joined.

  • Ben W.The Dyrt PRO User
    Camper-submitted photo from Keyesville Recreation Area Dispersed
    Nov. 28, 2024

    Keyesville Recreation Area Dispersed

    Great dispersed camping spot

    There was no food locker or bathroom close to where I parked but there are lots of spots, and a great view, it's also very close to grocery stores. Heavy wind and some critters interested in the tent. Very immersive area. I ended up just putting all my food in a cooler in my trunk and it worked.

    Wouldn't go down the last steep section, it was wet sand, I decided not to risk it, as it was night too, and parked sideways at the spot overlooking the valley, it was a great view but I couldn't really see where the river was.

  • Natalie T.The Dyrt PRO User
    Camper-submitted photo from Carrizzo Plain National Monument Dispersed
    Nov. 23, 2024

    Carrizzo Plain National Monument Dispersed

    Rolling Hills & Plains

    ☆ No target shooting allowed ☆ Arrived on a drizzly day & tried going further down the road to other more secluded camping spots. However the dirt road was slick & minivan, loaded down, was slipping & sliding. Backtracked to a nice spot, camaflouged by a small hill, it'll protect my gear tent. This is open castle range.

  • Natalie T.The Dyrt PRO User
    Camper-submitted photo from Tumey Hills Box Canyon
    Nov. 22, 2024

    Tumey Hills Box Canyon

    Bewarned; Target shooting +11 hrs/day

    First, knowing nothing about this area of CA I looked for a spot to set up for a few to dry out, we'd just dropped out of Shasta Mt b4 heavy winter storms. Arrived late afternoon to set up. Problem is the ground is covered, literally, with all the casings, glass, human trash everywhere 😮‍💨 🙏 please, always pack out a bit more than you've created in an area. These pics are the cleanest spot I could find. 😪

  • Jason B.The Dyrt PRO User
    Camper-submitted photo from Tumey Hills Box Canyon
    Nov. 15, 2024

    Tumey Hills Box Canyon

    This is closed

    The nature minder people closed this down and Panoche hills down due to environmental concerns regarding the decrease in population of a lizard.

  • mario U.The Dyrt PRO User
    Camper-submitted photo from Cherry Gap OHV Staging Area
    Nov. 9, 2024

    Cherry Gap OHV Staging Area

    Very primitive spot but great views and free.

    I visited both parks and needed a place to sleep in my car, I had seen this spot on this site before so I looked and found it, it’s a dirt road but my matrix did fine driving through. Very close to the Chicago stump! Lots of wood laying around also.

  • Chris P.The Dyrt PRO User
    Camper-submitted photo from Hardin Flat Road
    Nov. 9, 2024

    Hardin Flat Road

    Dispersed Camping MINUTES from Yosemite NP

    Spent (2) nights here and loved it. Enough T-Mobile service for messaging and lite web browsing. Spacious pull-out with a small rock fire pit. I believe fires are allowed as long as you have a permit.

    ~8min drive to Big Oak Entrance and ~40min drive to Yosemite Valley Welcome Center. Why stay at Hodgdon when you can stay here!

  • Luke D.The Dyrt PRO User
    Camper-submitted photo from Lacks Creek BLM
    Nov. 5, 2024

    Lacks Creek BLM

    Absolutely Amazing Spot!

    Don’t be confused when you arrive and head up the hill where you’ll find camping spots. Even has an area with picnic tables under the trees.

    A great spot overall and a nice drive up. We were there when it rained all day one of our days and it didn’t affect the roads much.

    We even pulled up our rear drop camper and had no issues at all.


Drive Time


Guide to California

Discover the beauty of dispersed camping in California, where nature lovers can find serene spots away from the crowds, offering a unique outdoor experience.

Tips for free and dispersed camping in California

Activities for dispersed campers

  • At Trona Pinnacles, enjoy incredible stargazing and explore the unique tufa formations that make this area a must-visit for outdoor enthusiasts.
  • Bridgeport Travertine Hot Springs Dispersed allows for easy access to natural hot springs, providing a relaxing soak after a day of hiking.
  • Mojave Cross Dispersed offers a chance to camp among the iconic Joshua trees, with opportunities for hiking and photography in a stunning desert landscape.

Essential features for a great camping experience