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Established Camping

Chiriaco Summit Dry Camp Area

17 Reviews

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About

Look for sign that reads "Welcome to Chiriaco Summit Dry Camp Area” directing you to camping area behind the General Patton Museum.

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Location

Chiriaco Summit Dry Camp Area is located in California

Address

62500 Chiriaco Rd
Chiriaco Summit, CA 92201

Coordinates

33.663365 N
115.722647 W

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Access

Drive-In
Park next to your site

Stay Connected

WiFi
Good
Verizon
Good
AT&T
Good
T-Mobile
Good

Site Types

Tent Sites
RV Sites
Standard (Tent/RV)
Cabins

Features

For Campers

Market
Trash
Phone Service
WiFi
Showers
Toilets
Alcohol
Pets
Fires

For Vehicles

Big Rig Friendly

For information regarding reservations, contact this campground directly.

First Come - First Served

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General Info

Steve R.

Scout

Reviewed Feb. 14, 2024

Fantastic find

I have camped here off my motorcycle on three different trips May, and October. It can be hot and there are not amenities at the campground itself but restaurants, gas, and a convenience store are close by. See the museum while you're there. It's a fascinating piece of history.

Frank M.

Traveler

Reviewed Jun. 12, 2023

Close to the Interstate but not too noisy.

This 1700ft pass has a breeze and stays cooler than the valleys. Not crowded. Room for big rigs. No ten year rule. Easy walk to a Foster Freeze or the George Patton museum.

Site11

Month of VisitJuly

Patrick

Traveler

Reviewed Apr. 27, 2023

Great find

Very interesting campground with ambiance. Sites are a bit skewed towards the interstate highway but our leveling system was able to handle it easily. Highway noise is not a problem.

Site13

Month of VisitMay

Maddie C.

Scout

Reviewed Mar. 24, 2023

Nice campground

Tons of space for any size camper, there was barley anyone else here when we camped.

Tanner H.

Guide

Reviewed Jan. 23, 2023

Great for a night, or a week!

Perfect spot if you need a place to sleep overnight and be able to be on the road the next day. You can check in with the camp host if you plan on staying longer than a week. Busy on the weekends but didn’t see if fill up while I was there. I’m sure that changes closer to spring/summer.

Site6

Month of VisitFebruary

Kevin H.

Guide

Reviewed Dec. 15, 2022

No Complaints

Close to I-10, but a private property with designated spots right next to a local diner and truck stop. Wi-Fi at the diner, restrooms and trash at the truck stop, reliable cell service everywhere. No dump station that I saw personally, and no site manager came to check in on me like in other reviews. It really is perfect as a boondocker's gift. A f!ck ton of WW2 tanks will greet you on your way in though. Best of luck navigating those! 🤞

Site20

Month of VisitJanuary

crystal J.

Traveler

Reviewed Dec. 18, 2021

Awesome find!

This spot was clean, felt safe and well maintained by the site Manager. Dry camping with great views and minimal Interstate noise for being so close to the Hwy. There is a gas station and mini mart within walking distance in case you need something. Would definitely recommend.

Month of VisitJanuary

(5) View All

Jorah

Guide

Reviewed Dec. 4, 2021

A Gift to Campers

Why does this beautiful free campground exist? I don't know, but it is awesome. There are no "amenities," but there is a campground manager who greeted me and told me where I could park. This starry little camping spot smells like creosote bush and is up the hill from a happening corner on I-10. Between the camping zone and the happening zone is a small community - I walked down the one street/alley to find out where the live music was coming from (a party) and noticed that I was unexpectedly being observed by a goat. A good place.

Month of VisitDecember

lauralee H.

Scout

Reviewed Nov. 30, 2021

It is what it is…peaceful

First of all, this is a dry camp only. There are no hook ups and it’s free. With that said, it’s nearly empty and incredibly serene. The camp manager “Paul” came right over and introduced himself. Tomorrow we will tour, The General Patton Memorial Museum before we head towards Arizona. The tanks look amazing and my kids are so excited. My only negative: dang dog poop! Y’all need to pick up your dogs poop.

Sites: 1 designated spot for 40 ft and over, several tent only sites and many back in spots that are plenty big enough for large fifth wheels or RVs. We could have backed into a spot with our 36 ft Fifth wheel and kept our truck hooked up easily.

Site40 foot only spot.

Month of VisitDecember

Linda V.

Guide

Reviewed Apr. 7, 2021

Great free camping spot

There are no bathrooms or water here, but you have cell service and a convenience store very close by. This is a great spot to find a free camping site and still be somewhat in your own seclusion. The sky is really nice here at night. You can see the freeway a bit of a distance out from this location and it takes about 45mins or so get back into Joshua tree National park from here. The fire pits are in the ground so you might have to rebuild the walls above ground if they’ve been knocked down. Overall a very cool spot to check out that’s right outside of Joshua tree National park with beautiful sunset views. This is BLM land

Jeff B.

Traveler

Reviewed Mar. 24, 2021

Perfect overnight stop along the Interstate.

Directly behind the Tank Museum, this small plot of spaces to park is perfect close in, FREE, dry camping location. Great AT&T cell coverage, 4G - four bars. Food and fuel a stones throw away. Make sure to see the camp host if you intend to be here more than 1 night.

Shawn A.

Ranger

Reviewed Jan. 10, 2021

More desert camping

FREE dispersed camping sites behind the general Patton museum. One of the most peaceful places in the desert that I have camped. Good for a few nights, especially after driving through traffic in San Bernadino....😳

Larry B.

Legend

Reviewed Dec. 26, 2020

Nice place for a stop over.

Very nicely laid out dry camping area. Difficult to find at first because it is located right off the Interstate and looks like a normal rest area with Fuel and Eating places. There is a small dirt road that leads back behind the General Patton Museum. After that the signs clearly show the campground.

Month of VisitJanuary

(14) View All

Berton M.

Legend

Reviewed Jan. 26, 2020

Meet General Patton

This campsite is located behind the Gen. Patton Museum. There will be a sign telling you to turn down a dirt road towards the campsite. It’s about a 1/10 mile. There are approximately 20 campsites. If you are staying longer than one night you are required to check in with camp host.

Cell Coverage: Excellent

(5) View All

Mitch F.

Scout

Reviewed Dec. 21, 2019

Good for a sleeping pit stop

This worked out well for me as a quick overnight spot on a long road trip. I rolled in at 8 pm and there were maybe 10 campers there and several open spots. Other than the highway noise it was quiet and peaceful. Nobody had lights on. I woke early and was back on the road by 4 am. I could tell that the desert view to the north would have been decent, but I never saw it in the daylight. I noticed that there was a camp host. I’d use it again in a similar situation.

Carter Y.

Guide

Reviewed May. 3, 2019

Nice free camp

Nice camping area behind the gas station follow the signs! Close to Indio for shopping and you can stay here a week!

Mon M.

Guide

Reviewed Jul. 29, 2018

Nice little dry camp area for transit

We camped here in April, 2017 on our way to Mecca Hills. It is located right by Interstate 10, right behind General Patton Museum. It is meant for transit camping so just a good break for a long trip. First come first serve so you may not get a spot. It was interesting to explore the museum and its tanks right next to the campground. There is no amenities, but there is a nice Chiriaco Summit Restaurant/Coffee Shop close by so it is a perfect stop to enjoy a nice meal, use their restroom and go back to camp. There is a gas station nearby to fill up before heading out the next morning. Nice desert views from the campground. There is a slight highway noise since it is so close, but it is not unbearable.

Month of VisitMay