Joshua Tree North

March 6th 2019. We had pulled in late around ten after a full days drive to Indian Cove campground which was gorgeous even in the dark only to find all sites marked reserved but many vacant. Since it was past hours couldn’t find a ranger anywhere so asked a person who informed us that everything was now done online. We could’ve taken our chances and got a spot but would possibly have been asked to move in the middle of the night by another person coming in, so I got out my handy-dandy laptop with all my free sites and not far out of camp was Joshua tree north. It’s basically a long road just out intovast flatlands and you just pull over where you can. There were a lot of people out there but it was very quiet, convenient and I was thankful for it as we fell into our beds.

We camped here for 3 nights while visiting Joshua Tree National Park. The camping area is essentially a gigantic open desert with room for everyone who needs a place to camp. It’s huge, so need to worry about finding a space. It’s dark at night though so arrive during the day if you really want to see your options for camping.

This is a very popular place to camp, with lots of folks coming in for the weekend. We didn’t have problems with loud parties, but we situated ourselves well where no big camping spaces were near us. A lot of loud campers do come in, especially during the weekend. We just observed from afar and didn’t have any trouble sleeping at night.

It can get windy and trash is prevalent in some campsites. We set up our gazebo tent and left it during the day with no problem. Lots of day use folks doing target practice, driving off road vehicles, etc.

Take Broadway in, especially with bigger rigs. The road is in pretty good shape from there on out. There is a BIG bump where the pavement turns to dirt road so go slowly.

Joshua Tree campgrounds were all full so we decided to go to JT North since it’s so close to the park. We followed the directions of others and entered using E Broadway St. The road was bumpy but we were fine in a Subaru Outback. It was late when we arrived so it took a minute to get our bearings and find a spot to set up the tent. It would’ve been nice to have some light when setting up and finding a spot, but we ended up in a good place. The site was a bit loud with cars coming in most of the night but we slept well enough.

Overall a totally fine place. Have stayed Thurs - Sun night so far. Yes, lots of people on a weekend, but this place is absolutely huge, so no problem finding a spot. The roads are a bit rutted, so we wouldn't really think of traveling beyond the initial sections. I would say unless you have 4x4 or toys, probably not going to get too far back, but that still leaves you +/- 100 acres to find a spot.

The wind here is nuts. Comes and goes, but a few times a days there was a constant 20+ mph wind with 30+ mph gusts. Park in the right direction and you're good!

About 15 minutes from Yucca Valley; Walmart and Stater Bros are grocery stores there. Not sure about in Joshua Tree.

This is a nice easily accessible spot. As mentioned in another review, roads are paved until the BLM land if you take Broadway Street. No toilets, water, or trash but it’s fine if you come prepared. I didn’t see the poop other people mentioned; in fact is was very clean. If you’re tent camping, like we were, there is very little privacy.

The place was very busy on a Friday night in mid-February. There were a number of others campers - RVs and tents. They aren’t really marked sites but it’s huge and you can easily find a good spot to set up. It’s not particularly scenic but it’s close to Joshua Tree NP and it’s free so can’t really complain.

The major issue we had was that a group of young people rolled in about 11:30pm and set up camp about 100 yards from us. They shined their car lights in our tent and blasted music until 6am. It was awful and we did not sleep well. When they started the music again at 9am and didn’t show any signs of packing up, we decided to move to Joshua Tree South for the rest of our stay.

I would not come back on a weekend but this seems like a fine spot for a weekday.

Came in October 2018, arrived mid-evening and couldn't find a walk-in spot. After visiting every single campsite at Joshua Tree, we spotted a bulletin at one of the campsites that recommended Joshua Tree North as an overflow option.

30 minutes later we were rolling down a dusty dirt road in the dark that was heavily rutted in some areas, but definitely navigable by a 25' Class C. We were also able to park without needing to level. We didn't realize the sheer size of this space until morning. There were maybe 10 other campers in a space that could hold well over a 100.

A bit dusty for your pup but a very peaceful spot.

I read all of the other reviews and I had some trepidation about staying at this site, since we were driving a 24’ RV.

Yes, if you looked for it, you could find some poop and some tissue paper in bushes. If you weren’t looking for it, it wasn’t noticeable at all. I didn’t see any trash to speak of, whatsoever. I am sure that this is different depending on the time of week and time of year.

We have had a very epic RV journey for the last 2 weeks and we boondocked the whole time (using this fantastic site to help us pick out spots). The road here is NOT bad- slightly bumpy from ample use. Just go slow.

This sight is maybe a half an hour from Joshua Tree NP entrance in Twentynine Palms- not 70 minutes as the other reviewer mentioned.

When we were here we saw a half a donzen other RVs spread out all over his large section of land. We were no where near a neighbor, but again, I imagine this place can be a zoo during peak times of the year.

Lastly, we saw one person on a dirt bike when we first pulled in, around 7pm. Other than that, it was very quite and peaceful out here.

In short, we would absolutely stray here again because you can’t beat the price and the proximity to the National Park!