Joshua Tree Lake RV & Campground

We stayed here for two weeks while visiting Joshua Tree National Park. The campground is located 5 miles north of Route 62 between the towns of Joshua Tree and Twentynine Palms, making it relatively close to both the north and west entrances to the park yet distant enough be isolated and quiet.

Other than the asphalt parking lot you pull into to check-in, the entire surface of the campground is hard-packed desert sand with some patches of softer sand, very easy to drive on. The campground is a mix of pull-through and back-in RV sites, plus a large number of tent sites, with wide roads between the rows of sites. All sites have a picnic table and a fire ring. The hookup sites are arranged to have the adjacent RVs facing opposite directions, driver's side facing driver's side, with the hookups in-between. The two rows of sites that are all full hookups (on Nighthawk Drive and Starling Street) are all separated by walls of tall desert shrubs and trees, providing a sense of privacy and a little bit of shade (none of the trees hang over the site). Most sites have at least on adjacent tree or shrub. The campground is slightly sloped north to south, so you may need some blocks to level your RV. Our site (212) was also slightly un-level side-to-side, again nothing we couldn't handle.

The "lake" in the campground name refers to a large artificial pond located next to the office that is home to about three dozen ducks and an owl who hangs out in a nearby tree during the night and pre-dawn hours. Walking around the lake will bring you past the locked entrance to the grounds of the annual Joshua Tree music festival, which contains a number of permanent artistic structures. There are also a few art pieces located around the lake, along with numerous shaded places to sit and relax.

The office is open most of the day - 8:30am to either 8pm or 9pm depending on the day of the week - and sells a small but diverse number of convenience items. Restrooms are located on the west side of the building located across from the office as well as a building adjacent to the full hookup sites, which also has an outdoor sink. A separate nearby building contains the shower stalls. Further west of these buildings is a large fenced dog park that encloses a retired swimming pool filled with sand, but the entire campground is suitable for leash walks. There are dumpsters and recycling containers located next to the dog park and near the RV dump station just beyond the parking lot.

In terms of cell service, the best bandwidth I saw on my Verizon Jetpack with MIMO antenna showed 193 Mbps down and 30 up, and I had no trouble streaming video or working online. The best bandwidth I saw on my 5G AT&T smartphone showed 86 Mbps down and 20 up (though our first afternoon there I saw 38 down but only 1 up). My one test of the WiFi showed 4.5 down and 2.75 up.

Other than some lighting around the main bathhouse and the office, the campground is very dark at night: that and it's distance from the towns makes it a great place for stargazing. But if you plan to do any stargazing within the national park itself, be aware that the entrance gate is closed to both vehicular and pedestrian traffic after office hours, and you will have to call the number posted on the gate to get in or our of the park.

We would stay here again if we were in the area.

Contrary to older reviews, the water here was great, the park was clean and very quiet and the sites were reasonably level. We loved the art around the lake and on the hill above the park. The staff was very friendly and professional and the park seemed secure and safe. They lock the gate at 8 pm though they will open it for you if you’re coming back late.

We normally boondock exclusively but seeing the temps in the mid-90s and needing to leave our elderly pup behind we wanted atleast a power option for our two day stay. This is such a gem, the sweetest couple and pup run the park and it is SO clean! We didn’t utilized the facilities, but they looked great included a pretty patio area with yard games, grills and tables. We will 100% stay here on our next visit!

Well to get a reservation in the JT National Park is next to impossible. So this is a real nice alternative. We came in here with no reservations at all. It has more of a campground vibe than an RV Park vibe to it. 2 nights we got a water/electric site for $45 each night, then switched over to full hook-ups for 1 more night at $55. There are lots and lots of dry camping spots available and less full hook-up sites.
Of course it's not as picturesque as the National Park, and a bit of a drive to get to it. But this campground is much quieter and no lines to wait in. Mostly sandy roads, clean bathhouse and a friendly staff.

We stayed here 4 years ago, and then now we were in the area and stayed here 3x in the last month. No frills but it’s full hookups and close to Joshua Tree. Convenient, large grounds, easy check in. They full, partial and dry camping available. They have a pond with ducks and koi fish. Great family spot. Descent pricing. If you want to dump your tanks it is 25.00 and 10.00 to add water.

We loved our stay here. Yes, 5 miles from the Joshua Tree Visitor Center is a great location. But it’s more than that. We genuinely loved the feel of this camp. We loved walking along the beautiful pond with ducks, doves, and other birds, and exploring the artwork. Our site felt private and quiet even though the RV side of the park was full. The stars at night were clear and we were surrounded by desert and distant hills. So serene. Also the staff was very visible and attentive. Someone left a review about homeless here and I don’t get that. The front desk person told me that they only had two long term rv’s, far fewer than almost any other park we’ve seen. It was a wonderful place, one of our favorite

We stayed here because we couldn't find any other options in the area with cell service to work remotely. It's conveniently located to explore Joshua Tree NP, but other than that I wouldn't go out of my way to stay here. We were woken up by loud music further away in the area, but man the sound sure does carry. Also, I didn't like that they have some of the RV sites arranged so that front porches are facing one another. No bushes for privacy so you're basically staring right into your neighbors spot.

This was the cheapest spot I could find in the area… a but out of the way, but that means it is quiet. The camping area is really open, especially the tent sites. There weren’t many people when I got in on a Sunday night and I asked if I could be away from other people. There are about 80 tent sites. The dude put me RIGHT NEXT to other campers. I found that a bit irritating since there were only four other tent campers.

Anyways good enough place if you want to explore the area. Reminds me a lot of hostels I’ve stayed in with the way it is set up.