Jawbone Canyon OHV Area

Cantil, CA
Jawbone Canyon BLM
35.3086N 118.0144W

Beautiful canyon with many areas to camp right off paved road. The further back you go the prettier it gets but the cell signal drops. Great place to explore Red Rocks Canyon State Park, Randsburg and the Burro Schmidt Tunnel (cool, google it). 2 bars boosted Verizon at the first pipes. (Pullout).
Best midweek as it’s a popular off road area. Wildflowers at Red Rock Canyon SP were gorgeous and temps were mid 70s. As usual it can get windy here. Gas, DEF and groceries in nearby Mojave.

Was looking for a spot to stay overnight near Red Rock SP. I found a small spot about five miles in on a Saturday afternoon that worked well. It was very windy, but I slept in my car so it wasn’t a big deal. This is a popular spot with off roaders, but the noise didn’t bother me. Some glass, trash, and shotgun shells around the campsite. It was still windy in the morning, so I drove up to the Red Hills picnic area to make breakfast.

We made the mistake of staying here on New Year’s Eve when it was one big crowded, loud, drunken ATV party complete with obscene political flags. I cannot emphasize enough just how crowded and riotous it was. If you come on the weekend, bring earplugs. It cleared out during the week and was a nice place to stay due to warm winter weather and access via a paved road. Good Verizon service boosted but poor AT&T service. 30 minutes to groceries in Tehachapi.

If you're looking for an easy location to get in and out of for a quick overnight, you've found it. While there are more pull outs for smaller RV's there is plenty of room for large rigs. This location is all rock and sand, so staying in designated sites (look for fire pits) will prevent you from sinking into softer sand.

Keep in mind the area is an OHV playground. Looking at the amount of trash left behind we assume weekends tend to be busy with lots of parties. During the week there were only a few people out OHV and the nights were very quiet. There are a few large water pipelines that run through the area with larger camping sites set up near the pipelines. We had to reposition our rig a few times to find a location to make leveling easier.

Our AT&T router was usable. However we only stayed about 1 mile from Hwy 14.

The campsites are laid out along a long wide canyon road that unlike most of California is actually well paved. The only indicator of the sites are small numbered markers and usually a stone fire ring. This is a secluded place in the wild that is easily accessed. The only people who come here are those wanting to play on their ATVs. It can be noisy, especially on the weekends but for the most part, the activity settles down once the sun drops. While there is some T-mobile service at the entrance to the canyon it drops off before reaching the first numbered site. You could camp in the parking lot at the visitor center but who wants to do that when so much of nature lies in the canyon. Verizon is a better service and we picked up very fast speeds from site #6 and in truth is the reason we choose it as we need to work while living on the road full-time.

Beautiful landscape, particularly “Green Mountain.” My kids name the mound of copper just off the north side of the road. We always camp past the aqueduct. Jawbone has no shortage of flat campsites.

There are a lot of riders, so do not come here for peace and quiet. I become deaf to the noise after a day. The noise that gets me are people setting off bombs. No joke. Bombs. The kind that will physically shake you from across a canyon.

Fireworks are pretty at night.

When looking for a site scout ahead as you drive off-road. Consider unhitching. Some “roads” turn into sandy washes.

Go ahead, set off bombs, but do not burn pallets and leave nails on the ground. The tire store is far away and you are ruining someone’s day. AAA will not touch you if you are off pavement. The road out the canyon is in great shape.

No Verizon cell service past the aqueduct. Best service much closer to the 14.