Black Rock Campground

As other reviewers said, the roads within the campground are quite degraded due to washouts. The signage is difficult to read, also. I’d suggest studying the campground map before you arrive so you know roughly where you’re headed. The office was closed when we arrived, so we had to find our own way to the site.

The bathrooms nearest our site had running water and soap. No showers available, nor is there a dishwashing sink. There is a dumpster and recycling area for plastics and aluminum cans. We didn’t use the dump station.

Our site was on a bit of a slope, so we had to do some leveling. Despite the washouts, the sites are all very clean. Our site was very spacious, although each site is a different size (everything from big fifth wheels to tents) so be sure to read the descriptions carefully on Recreation.gov before booking.

We opted for this campground over others in Joshua Tree National Park because it was reported to have decent cell service (we work from the road, so this is important for us). Can confirm that we had decent LTE service, although better on AT&T than Verizon.

The west entrance of Joshua Tree National Park is an easy drive from the campground. There are plenty of services in the towns of Yucca Valley and Joshua Tree.

We enjoyed our stay at Black Rock and would definitely return!

First, our rate is the senior, lifetime discount. Even without, it is a bargain! Pull-thru site on a slight slant. Easy to level. As the campground is built on a hill, our higher sight had great views of the mountains and valleys all around. The roads are in need of patching. Sites are large so no crowded feeling. The dump station is on a slant to be sure to approach it from the lower side. The Hi-View trail is great and can be accessed just above site 20 by using the West trail approach. They eventually cross. Go counter-clockwise so the ascent if more gradual. Definitely explore Park Boulevard into the northern section of the park. So much to see. We also went to Palm Springs for a day following a self guided driving tour of mid-century architecture homes and buildings.

Very few complaints about this campsite. Our site was pretty spacious. Plenty of room for both a tent and my RV. Surface was dirt/gravel and difficult to find a truly level spot on which to park. Dry camping but very convenient to some terrific hiking. Panorama Loop is a great hike and starts right from the campground. My biggest complaint is that the configuration of this campground requires a bit of driving as well as going thru a guard station checkpoint to get into the main part of the park. Lines to get into the park can be long. An unnecessary waste of time entering and exiting the park to get to the campground.

A decent stay altogether. Yes the roads are in terrible condition but honestly there really aren't many (any?) potholes, it's really just that the asphalt is falling apart. There are no signs telling you which way to go or how to get to your site. The sites are def uneven and you have to hunt for level ones, which wasn't a problem for me on a Monday when hardly anyone was there. BTW site 78 is quite level for a van. The people in the office didn't seem to care one way or other that I was there, nor did they care that the site belonging to the man in front of me in line was currently occupied by someone else. They just told him to find another site. The overall feeling of the campground, to me, was neglect. Honestly I felt like I could have just stayed without paying and no one would have cared. Also the dump out is $5. ATT and Verizon were ok, slow but enough for me to work with my antenna and T-Mobile was pretty slow but present. I imagine the weekends at this place are loud. The spaces are close together fo sure. All this being said, my site was pleasant and had a nice view looking down the valley. It was quiet probably bc it was a weekday stay and I had my choice of sites. Quite chilly and windy at the end of Jan. but next time I'll come back when it's warmer!