Van Winkle Mountain

Fell in love with this place last spring and decided to go back in January, little did I know it was hunting season for quail and was woken up at 7 am by Gun shots😳. They were about a half mile from my camp and continued all weekend. I researched hunting season and discovered it starts in October and ends January 31. If you want quite I would recommend camping between March and September

This is absolutely a great spot and if I used Verizon as my hotspot I would have stayed at least two nights. However, at the posted coordinates, I couldn't pick up AT&T, even with my WeBoost. Verizon was 4 bars on my phone, but I was really hoping to stream some entertainment.

By the time I realized the AT&T was unusable, there was already someone in the spot a little farther that Marshall mentioned in his review.

The 0.8mi road in is easy and the spot is great! Clean, somewhat level, and beautiful.

The GPS coordinates shown on Campendium is the 'main' area at Van Winkle Mountain. It is essentially an open space with room for several rigs. Depending on how cozy you want to get, you could jam at least half a dozen decent sized rigs in there.

This spot was taken when I rolled in, so I continued on a little ways (but not too far) farther in. The spot I found was another semi-open area that could fit another half a dozen rigs.

While this location is marked as needing 4x4 it certainly doesn't. I had a couple of friends join me, both in smaller Class C's, and they had zero problem. Nor did I need 4 wheel drive towing my trailer in.

The road in is hard packed. Even in the rain it didn't become soupy.

HOWEVER, you need to have a liking for desert pin striping if you camp here, especially if you have a wider RV. I certainly added some nice lines to my collection, but hey, that's the hazard of boondocking. There is a considerable amount of shrubs and trees lining the path in, and it only gets 'skinnier' the farther back you go. It's not horrible up to the GPS location (though you may still get pinstripes), but after that, all bets are off!

You are really in the middle of nowhere here. It's really quiet. The cell service (VZW and AT&T) is very good. But don't expect to find a grocery store less than 45 minutes to an hour away. And you will pay top dollar for gas around here, when you do find a gas station.

Keep in mind that Mojave National Preserve is the third largest National Park Unit. It's massive! One day I drove 150 miles and only saw a small slice of it. Another day I was chauffeured so I don't have a clue about the mileage, but it was hours of driving just to see another small section. So get gas when you can, unless you have a fuel sipper.

Come with full water tanks and empty holding tanks as there isn't any dump station or water to be had anywhere convenient. Yes, at least one of the paid campgrounds has these facilities, but trust me, they aren't exactly close by and are far from convenient.

So bring your water, your food, and your enjoyment of wide open, peaceful space. Mojave is a great place to spend at least a week!