Kelbaker Boulders

Stayed: 6/1/2022
Cost: FREE
Site: Behind Boulders
Vehicle: GMC Terrain
Equipment: Tent
AT&T and T-Mobile: Pretty solid

Not far from the Kelbaker Road entrance of Mojave National Preserve, you will come across some boulders on the right-hand side. Extremely close off of I40, but you don’t hear a thing. This was one of our favorite sites throughout our trip. There was a couple already parked near the “entrance”, so we drove around to the back. We had a sort of private little site, surrounded by the boulders and with a perfect view of the sunset. 10/10 would stay here again!

#DareToEverywhere

Like others have said it’s not good for trailers and big rigs and anything without 4x4. Yeah maybe the main spot is easy to get to but it’s small and if that is occupied and you take any other avenue you will very likely get stuck as it is. Narrow and sandy. Wish I had listened to the reviews more and avoided the unnecessary stress. Great for 4x4 tent campers.

I plan to stay longer but I wanted to leave this review ASAP. Be careful on the sand! Today the third person in a van drove up and got stuck. The sand is far deeper than it looks and the area you can actually camp and drive to is very small. When you come in you’ll see the giant boulders on the right and there’s one spot there big enough for a large RV. Someone there right now has a 30 footer. Then there is a little road that whines behind the rocks with one more space in the right for a van, then a fairly big spot around back but there’s someone who apparently “camps permanently” so nobody can use that area ATM. The person leaves for work every day and asks everyone who comes not to park in the road so she can get out. I am in a truck and 13 foot travel trailer and I turned left instead and went up to the top of a small hill and found a spot that’s probably meant for car camping but worked in my 4wd and tiny trailer. Other than that the views are beautiful absolutely magnificent and it is so quiet. The T-Mobile and Verizon is extremely fast and great for working or teaching online. Make sure you bring enough supplies because there’s no store nearby for an hour. It’s only been a little windy. You can walk down into the old wash and see amazing plants and stone formations. I love this place

After reading about Mojave National Preserve and looking up camping and public land spots, the Kelbaker Boulders looked perfect. I got up at 4AM on a Friday and got out here about 8:30 AM and no one was in the area at all, so I was excited to land the best of only two spots in this area. Another camper arrived around 2PM to take the spot across the dirt road which is about 200 yards from my spot.

As you come down Kelbaker road, really pay attention as the turn is almost not noticeable. The road in is hard pack dirt/gravel with a couple undulating spots but easy to navigate with my trailer. The best spot is about 100 yards in on the right, but the other spot on the left won't disappoint you! The spot has a turn about circle which made it easy for my Jeep and 17' Winnebago to get situated in front of the boulders. BEWARE of trying to find other spots around the back of the boulders or farther down the road. The hard pack immediately turns to deep sand, so if you are pulling a trailer or have a 2WD car you are at serious risk of getting stuck. Vehicles that can get to that back spot are likely going to be 4WD with rooftop tents or ground tent set ups, but not much real estate back there.

I am camping here mid-April, and the daytime temps reached 82 degrees so I set my trailer fans to exhaust and it was cool through the day. I work continuously, so cell coverage is key for me. I had 3 bars with Verizon LTE, and when I turned on my Weboost Cell Booster it went to 5 bars. My dogs travel with me and it was safe for them to hang outside unattended as there is no glass or trash about like other places I have experienced.

There is very slight road noise from Kelbaker Road but it is a little bit of a lullaby at night honestly. The sunsets are perfect and can't wait to lay on the roof and watch the satellites dodge the stars...

Cheers to BLM sites! Our favorite campsite so far and we’ve been to a lot. This campsite is close to the entrance of the Mojave Desert preserve down a short dirt road. There are at least 3 primitive dry campsites — although only one is really suitable for an RV or trailer. However, they are spread out enough that you can barely see each other. You’ll probably need a 4x4 to get to the others. The sunsets are stunning and it’s beyond quiet — if you’re lucky enough to get the place to yourself there’s no soul in sight except the cars in the distance. A nice change from the jam-packed parks. Also the stars! So many stars!! And just stunning sunsets.

There’s a cell tower not far so it has strong cell signals — at least for AT&T and t-mobile.

Bring everything with you (firewood, food, water, etc) because there’s nothing for miles and when you do get there it’s stupidly expensive.

We went at the end of February and the temperature was perfect. 60-70s during the day and then 40-50s at night.

Pros
Secluded / remote
Views / sunsets
Beautiful scenery
Not far off the paved road
Level site (1 out of 3 at least)
Strong cell signal
Lots of sun for solar panels
Quiet
Lots of privacy

Cons
No hookups
No stores nearby

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