Joshua Tree South Dispersed Camping
BLM
Write a Review Cottonwood Spring Rd. Chiriaco Summit, CA 92201 760-833-7100 Official WebsiteGPS: 33.6745, -115.8019
Overview of Joshua Tree South Dispersed Camping
Accessibility is not guaranteed, always scout ahead before driving down dirt roads. Learn more: Boondocking 101.
Last Price Paid: $0
Reported by Amber on 6/30/2024
Longest RV Reported: 42 feet (Class A)
Reported by WeavingRVer on 12/7/2017
Pad Type dirt
Elevation 1,771 ft / 539 m
Max Stay 14
Tent Camping Yes
Featured Video by The Wandering Shores
Discover a smarter way to RV with Roadtrippers
All your Campendium favorites and more are now in Roadtrippers.
Q&A - Ask the Community about Joshua Tree South Dispersed Camping
To ask questions of the owner or manager please contact the campground directly. 760-833-7100
camper-836124 asked on 12/11/2023
Where do people shower when staying here longer term? Seems like planet fitness in Coachella is the closest?
Joni asked on 2/22/2022
Do we have to let any one know where we are camping or can we just find our spot and settle in?
Sal asked on 2/21/2022
Are there many ticks or rattlesnakes at Joshua Tree South? Thanks!
Jess asked on 2/20/2022
Generator okay to use at Joshua Tree South? Like inverted type? Thanks!
Wandering Webers asked on 11/2/2021
How far back can a Class A RV get on those roads? How is the weather in February? Thanks!
FJara asked on 5/12/2021
Hello I’m new to camping and I was wondering if I’m doing tent camping, no RV just my truck, how does the restroom si...
Reviews of Joshua Tree South Dispersed Camping 140 people have reviewed this location.
“Excellent location, beautiful sunsets, we'll be back!”
Reviewed 2/6/2021
Nightly rate: | FREE! |
---|---|
Days stayed: | 14 |
RV Length: | 40' (Fifth Wheel) |
Joshua Tree is like no other wilderness, the mix of Mojave and Colorado desert is so striking. Spend as much time here as you can, and this camping location is the best one for RV-ers, full-time or weekenders alike. Connectivity is stellar, we had great AT&T and Verizon at all times. 3-4 bars. Access could not possibly be easier,... more
Joshua Tree is like no other wilderness, the mix of Mojave and Colorado desert is so striking. Spend as much time here as you can, and this camping location is the best one for RV-ers, full-time or weekenders alike.
Connectivity is stellar, we had great AT&T and Verizon at all times. 3-4 bars.
Access could not possibly be easier, you're a stone's throw from the south entrance to Joshua tree, just a minute off of I-10. The road in is great, a well-maintained gravel road, very few bumps or washes. There are actually two roads here, one that stops and loops back around after a mile or so, and the other continues going into the park (and then turns into a 4X4 road). Either one will give you access to sites, and there are many sites in between and connected by the two roads.
The sites are clean-ish, we had some broken glass at ours but overall, for a California BLM site that gets this much use, they are pretty nice. This campsite is on a bajada (sloping mountain plain) so don't expect perfectly level sites. For our big rig, we had more luck aiming our nose southwards and letting the front levelers extend out a bit extra.
One of the great selling points of this site is the access to the Cottonwood Visitor Center on the southern side of the park. It's only about 15 minutes into the park, so if you're having an extended stay here you can use their dump station and freshwater fill (assuming you have a National Parks Annual or Senior pass) free of charge. I was able to dump and fill on a weekday and get back to my campsite in just over an hour, pretty impressive for a 40' fifth wheel.
The downside, like I'm sure other reviews mention, is the distance this campsite is from the actual Joshua trees. Plan on at least a 40-minute drive across mostly-barren desert to get to the northern side of the park where the big rocks and Joshua trees are. There are cool features along that route, like the Cholla garden and Ocotillo patch. For us this is not a dealbreaker as everything else about this site is pretty much perfect.
Chest Heir would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Beautiful and quiet”
Reviewed 1/26/2021
Nightly rate: | FREE! |
---|---|
Days stayed: | 10 |
Hundreds of spots from which to choose, so you may want to score it out (we pulled off to the side of the main road while I walked around for 15 minutes looking at spots). Most spots aren't perfectly level, but plenty of space and the desert is beautiful. Easy access from the interstate, but we couldn't hear the traffic noise at all in... more
Hundreds of spots from which to choose, so you may want to score it out (we pulled off to the side of the main road while I walked around for 15 minutes looking at spots). Most spots aren't perfectly level, but plenty of space and the desert is beautiful. Easy access from the interstate, but we couldn't hear the traffic noise at all inside. A lot more RVs than many BLM sites, but everyone was respectful and seemed to keep the area clean. Amazing to be so close to the park even though many of the popular trails are a 45-60 minute drive.
Dump and freshwater by the Cottonwood visitors center for $5 (with decent water for the desert).
abiteccentric would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Perfect boondocking site”
Reviewed 1/18/2021
Nightly rate: | FREE! |
---|---|
Days stayed: | 1 |
Site Number: | na |
RV Length: | 40' (Class A) |
We pulled in here at 5:30 pm on a Saturday night and had no issues finding room. I’ve read and heard it can be harder when we’re not in the middle of a pandemic so I guess keep that in mind.
We’re flat towing a Honda Fit with our 40 ft. class a and had no issues pulling in and setting up. Quiet and beautiful.
amee would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“free, dusty, rats and nice people”
Reviewed 1/16/2021
Nightly rate: | FREE! |
---|---|
Days stayed: | 4 |
Site Number: | N/A |
we stay here often, enjoy the atmosphere and people.
Serg would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Good Boondocking ”
Reviewed 1/15/2021
Nightly rate: | FREE! |
---|---|
Days stayed: | 4 |
Site Number: | NA |
RV Length: | 27' (Travel Trailer) |
Great dispersed camping just outside Joshua Tree National Park. Beautiful sunset but may be windy at times. WE Were there Sunday to Thursday in January 2021 and our closest neighbor was 200 yards away. In can be busy on weekends and in season. There is water and a dump at Cottonwood campsite 8 miles in the park ($5) that was open even ... more
Great dispersed camping just outside Joshua Tree National Park. Beautiful sunset but may be windy at times. WE Were there Sunday to Thursday in January 2021 and our closest neighbor was 200 yards away. In can be busy on weekends and in season. There is water and a dump at Cottonwood campsite 8 miles in the park ($5) that was open even though all sites in the park were covid closed.
Imagine would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Excellent BLM spot with many sites to choose from”
Reviewed 1/13/2021
Nightly rate: | FREE! |
---|---|
Days stayed: | 2 |
Site Number: | BLM |
RV Length: | 33' (Travel Trailer) |
Road in is a bit rough, We had no issues with a 33 foot AS. Sites were big enough for larger rigs and thre was a few. Many others around but enough sites to have some space around you.
Simplicity would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
Reviewed 1/2/2021
Nightly rate: | FREE! |
---|---|
Days stayed: | 4 |
Site Number: | N/a |
RV Length: | 31' (Class C) |
Easy access right off the highway and super closed to JT. We stayed three nights and only one of them was super windy! Pretty busy for dispersed camping but that’s probably because we stayed over New Years Eve. Great stars at night, warm bright sunshine in the day. No complaints other than the crazy washboard road! We drove about a mil... more
Easy access right off the highway and super closed to JT. We stayed three nights and only one of them was super windy! Pretty busy for dispersed camping but that’s probably because we stayed over New Years Eve. Great stars at night, warm bright sunshine in the day. No complaints other than the crazy washboard road! We drove about a mile and a half in until we found a spot big enough for our group and away from others. Many established spots and fire pits available! Our spot was really level luckily, so not need to adjust the rig. Our group camped with a 31ft motorhome, a truck camper and some tents.
AniMaria27 would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Tall Tree Privacy”
Reviewed 12/24/2020
Nightly rate: | FREE! |
---|---|
Days stayed: | 5 |
Site Number: | South |
There are many ocotillo and pala verde here adding serious privacy if you want it. We went halfway between the road and the service road to the south. There was a little more freeway nose as we were closer to the traffic, but it want serious. We left on the fifth night because we had a cute little kangaroo rat visitor crawling in our r... more
There are many ocotillo and pala verde here adding serious privacy if you want it. We went halfway between the road and the service road to the south. There was a little more freeway nose as we were closer to the traffic, but it want serious. We left on the fifth night because we had a cute little kangaroo rat visitor crawling in our rig.
Ashley would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Great spot right outside Joshua Tree NP”
Reviewed 12/17/2020
Nightly rate: | FREE! |
---|---|
Days stayed: | 5 |
RV Length: | 24' (Class C) |
There are so many camping spots to park at and they're all very dispersed. I stayed at a few different spots while I was here and the closest I was to the next person was maybe 200 feet and the furthest was 600 feet or so. Obviously since it's right outside the park, there's a big weekend crowd and there were quite a few campers during... more
There are so many camping spots to park at and they're all very dispersed. I stayed at a few different spots while I was here and the closest I was to the next person was maybe 200 feet and the furthest was 600 feet or so. Obviously since it's right outside the park, there's a big weekend crowd and there were quite a few campers during the week since the parked closed its camping the Sunday before I got here. But there are so many spots and if you want to spend the time traveling down the gravel road you can find some pretty secluded spots. I would recommend driving down the first road (going north towards the park entrance) and not the second one, which is extremely washboarded.
Love: easy access and any rig can get there, right outside the park, so many spots to choose from and they're very far away from each other, the sites are mostly level and need only a few adjustments, fire rings at every site
Dislike: there was some crazy large trash at some of the sites (like an entire stove) and the weekend crowd isn't respectful of neighbors
Danielle C would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Great Boondocking”
Reviewed 12/9/2020
Nightly rate: | FREE! |
---|---|
Days stayed: | 1 |
Easy access to the south side of Joshua Tree National Park. Lots of room both east and west of entrance road to find a spot. Some highway noise depending on where you land. We enjoyed a beautiful sunset and sunrise and a half-day in Joshua Tree before continuing our journey.
satravis would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
Joshua Tree BLM South - Second Time Around - Road Pickle
Sash and I returned to Joshua Tree BLM South, a dispersed camping area on BLM land, just on the south side of Joshua Tree National Park. The first time we camped here, back in November...
Our Journey Begins and Joshua Tree National Park, Riverside County, CA – Two Plus Lu
February 8, 2017 was our official Launch Day! There was no way we could be more ready. Our equipment was packed. Our grocery list for two weeks was written. The camper was as powered as we could get...
Life's Little Adventures: Slots and Ladders
On Tuesday we hooked up the car and took the long and winding road from north to south through Joshua Tree National Park. Our destination was the south overflow camping area on Cottonwood Springs Rd...
Joshua Tree Boondocking - WatsonsWander
Three winters ago we went on a day trip through Joshua Tree National Park. An entire day of driving took us through the park from south to north where we saw Pinto Mountain, strolled around the...
Joshua Tree South - Aluminarium
There are a few free dispersed RV camping areas at Joshua Tree National Park. We’ve been referring to them as North Joshua Tree and South Joshua Tree. We were disappointed when we first arriv...
Contact us to update this listing.
Amenities
Hookups
- dry camping
- Dispersed Camping
Site Amenities
- big rig
Pets
- pets
Please select a reason for flagging this item: