Came in for a late arrival but was nearly the only ones there in July. The sites were well marked. The vault toilets were clean and well maintained. It may have just been the site we picked in the dark, but the ground was a bit rutted and uneven for the tent and the tent footprint we had (4-6 person) actually was quite a bit larger than the flat spot so the stakes ended up in the weeds. We did get to see a fair amount of wildlife including marmots, turkeys, jackrabbits, and coyotes.

The campground was quiet for as busy as it was during July. Being Nevada it was pretty hot and humid next to the lake, but it was actually a good place to camp with plenty of birds, nice flowers and easy access to the lake for swimming, boating, and such. The tent accommodations are a raised flat gravel bed that was generously proportioned. They had shut off the water for sections of the campground due to drought, but there were still enough open spots in the areas that still had water service. I know quiet and clean sounds boring, but it was just what we needed after a long day of driving and playing in the heat.

Visited in July, so it was fairly warm (but still unseasonably cool due to recent rain) and crowded. Due to quiet hours being set at 10pm, our "alpine start" was a big rough as folks were blasting music well into the night. Depending on the wind, the campsite ended up smelling like a vault toilet. The vaults themselves were somewhere between "well used" and filthy. One nice part was the very clean and unobstructed views for star gazing.

All that said, I still enjoyed Joshua Tree NP itself, but I wouldn't camp at that campsite again if I had a choice.

It may have been a fluke, but when we visited in July the place was mostly empty. Which was a bit surprising. The campgrounds were well spaced apart, clean and private. The campground hosts even gave recommendations for the best secluded spots. The only complaint we had was that the tent area wasn't exactly level, it had some uneven lumps and was on a grade, but it wasn't anything our camp pads couldn't deal with. Overall we really enjoyed our stay.

I spent three days on Santa Rosa island in July 2015. I used one of the charter boat companies (Island Packers) to get there - they were great. Upon arrival, expect to haul your gear a 1/4 to 1/2 mile for even the closest campsites - but it's absolutely worth it. Some folks had gear carts, but we packed light enough that it wasn't a problem. It is absolutely important to understand that the Channel Islands isn't your usual campgrounds, it's an island with protected species that are all over the place. The Island Fox is the biggest wildlife challenge I've encountered. They are friggin adorable and very numerous (you will see dozens, if not hundreds if you stay for a day), but if they can't steal it or eat it, they will pee on it. Understanding that, it's very cool to hang out in the campground watching them interact with the campers trying to steal food. Use the "fox boxes" to store all of your food and stuff you don't want peed on and you're good.

The beach is nearby and offers great snorkeling in kelp beds, we saw numerous rays cruising nearby and got many great photos. Depending on your interests, sea kayaking, stand up paddle boarding and the like are all possible.

The island has numerous hiking trails that take you up the surrounding "mountains" that overlook the island for fantastic views. Part of the island is off limits as part of a wildlife refuge, but I never felt like that prevented us from having our fill of wandering around on the parts that were good to go.

Overall Santa Rosa is a fantastic place to visit and make sure you give yourself enough time to see what all the island offers. An afternoon visit would only give a small taste, it's well worth staying for a couple days.

Camp Dick is a great trailhead for a large number of hikes including St Vrain glacier, Sawtooth Mountain, Red Deer Lake and numerous 4x4 trails. The campground itself tends to have plenty of space between sites, and very minimal amenities. The host occasionally has firewood, and that's about it. That said, it's very scenic and still tucked out of the wind and weather.