Hole in the Wall Campground

We arrived around 12:30 on a Thursday innMid-April. Tons of FCFS spots open. Not all level - but none are too bad that a few blocks can’t fix.

Camp host super friendly and helpful.

Vault toilets (which I hate) were perfectly clean with no smells. I would have actually used this one if I didn’t have my own in our rig.

Great hikes.

It was super windy - but that’s the way it is in the high desert.

I loved this place….

Hole-in-the-Wall Campground is a very nice Campground in the Mojave National Preserve. We stayed there Jan 13, 2024. It is 20 miles north of I-40 at exit 100. The road is paved all the way to the campground and very easy to get to from I-40 via north on Essex Rd and then right onto Black Canyon Rd; each leg is 10 miles.

Campground: The CG is three cascading loops end to end running north and south. The potable water fill, dump station, and dumpster are right at the entrance. Google Earth can show you the layout. There are approximately thirty-six sites. For group camping, that’s down the road (you passed it coming in) by the fire stations. Vehicle infrastructure is sand/gravel

Water: There are faucets located around the loops and entrance.

Pit Toilets: The hosts keep them very clean. They are mopped out as needed. and there’s half a dozen or so spread out around the loops. BE ADVISED: There is no lighting in or outside the bathroom, so bring a headlamp or flashlight.

Electricity: There is no power to any site other than the hosts. Generator hours are 7am to 9am, 12pm to 2pm and 5pm to 7pm

Sites: Our site was #32 and was relatively level with a four-inch pitch front to back; side-to-side seemed pretty level. There are some pull-through sites. Sites have a fire-ring w/grate and a nice picnic table and pea gravel pad.

The sites are well separated, the pull-throughs will easily take sixty to seventy feet of rig. There are no obstacles to impede extending your slides; back-in pads are angled properly for ease of navigation. Back-ins are a good thirty-five to forty feet to the rear of the site.

Staff/Hosts: I never met the camp hosts, but they seem conscientious about keeping everything picked up and tidy to include the toilets.

There are miles of hiking trails leading into and out of the campground and throughout the entire area. The visitor center entrance is across, give or take, from the fire station. From there trails go to and from also.

There is really nothing for many miles in either direction.

Pros: It’s isolated and desolate, which was really nice, you hear little to nothing, once and a while a vehicle on Black Canyon Rd. The night skies are beautiful and dark. The hiking is easy and very enjoyable. The terrain is hilly and sometimes steep, but nothing to speak of.

Cons: It’s isolated and desolate. Exit 107 has an old, somewhat neglected Rt-66 tourist stop. They don’t have much mini-market type staples; and gas, I just about had a coronary when we pulled in and saw the price of $7.59 a gallon for regular. Only go here in an extreme emergency. I paid 4.29 for a snack-size Lays potato chip.

I did some research online for gas prices and sixty-three miles east in Mojave Center, Fort Mojave, and Bullhead City, AZ they have gas anywhere from 2.71 to 3.29. And there are many to choose from; there are the customary fast food establishments along Rt-95. There are two Walmarts, one at the north end and one in the south. There’s a Lowes, and several autoparts stores. There’s a pretty decent laundromat right on 95. Several brand food markets are dispersed along the strip. There are two or three propane fill stations along the strip as well.

Don’t bother with a drive to Cima unless you just want to see a modern-day ghost town, Essex south of I-40 is pretty much a ghost town as well; it’s hard to tell what’s abandoned shacks and which maintain occupancy. The depot at Kelso on the Kelbaker Rd west of the CG is worth the drive, then you can go to Kelso Dunes at the same time. They were very cool. You cannot really go here in the summer months, somewhere I read temps can get over 120 degrees; and there’s no water or shade, just a pit toilet and miles of sand dunes.

We stayed a 13 days and would come back if in the area. We stayed in a 35’ Class A

We stayed here in mid March for 3 nights, Friday-Sunday. This is one of our favorite campgrounds. Just bring everything you might need (groceries) and a full tank of gas...There are nice big sites, not too close with excellent views all around of rocky cliffs and the valley down below. The higher elevation of 4400ft keeps it alot cooler than say Amboy, CA, or any lower elevation campground locations. It can get very windy and colder in these parts.
There are nearby hiking trail accesses from the campground. A NPS Visitor Center is nearby that you can hike to. Plenty of nearby dirt roads for 4-wheeling or bumpy, rocky bike rides.
Mitchell Caverns are nearby and is a nice day trip (if you can get a reservation for a tour which we didn't have, but we got in as a last minute cancelation). We really enjoyed our time here.
P.s. Except one night at 8pm the wind blew with 55mph wind gusts and rocked our trailer ferociously. I really felt it would flip over despite facing the wind. Numerous people in tents packed up and left immediately, and some in the middle of the night. Most of the RV'ers stuck it out.

We arrived at about 2pm on a Friday in early March. The campground was less than half full, and we scored a primo spot at the north end. The campground is very wide open, but the sites are widely spaced and there were several that would accommodate our 31’ travel trailer. The rv dump is clean and has fresh water.

We enjoyed the wonderful desert trails in the area. The visitors center is nice and the people working there were great.

The campground was full by Saturday afternoon so don’t count on getting a spot if you get in late on a weekend.

East access to the campground from Exit 100 (Essex Rd) off of I40. Very nice paved road all the way to the campground. Many large sites to accommodate 40 ft motorhomes. Sites are mostly level. Potable water and dump station at the campground. Dry camping only. Stunningly beautiful surroundings. Quiet and clean. Watch out for the rattle snakes. Would definitely stay here again. Starlink download speeds 80-100 Mbps.

I've seen the turn off for Hole-in-the-Wall and Mitchell Caverns for years. So glad we finally turned off the Interstate 40 and camped here. The Essex road is paved up to just past the campground. Then its closed with barricades. I'm guessing because of winter rains damage. Weekends are full, really busy and a bit noisy in the evenings at the campground , but come Sunday all the loud ones leave and there's only a scattering of campers left. So I recommend coming here Sunday-Thursday. Its a beautiful, stark desert area you will enjoy if you like such things, and we do!
Great weather in April, a tad windy but thats expected in springtime in the desert. Bring all the supplies you'll need for your stay as there are no stores or gas for a long ways. We will be back for this rustic camping experience for sure.