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Dispersed Camping

Joshua Tree Lake Dispersed Camping

33 Reviews

About

Bureau of Land Management

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Location

Joshua Tree Lake Dispersed Camping is located in California

Coordinates

34.164145256417584 N
116.21387550484383 W

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Access

Drive-In
Park next to your site

Stay Connected

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

Site Types

Tent Sites
RV Sites
Standard (Tent/RV)
Dispersed
Group

Features

For Campers

ADA Access
Phone Service
Alcohol
Pets

For Vehicles

Sanitary Dump
Sewer Hookups
Water Hookups
Pull-Through Sites
Big Rig Friendly

Enjoy dispersed camping on government land and leave no trace. Pack in and pack out. No (or limited) services at this camping area. Permit may be required.

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Contact

General Info

Daniel H.

Traveler

Reviewed May. 12, 2024

GOOD ENOUGH

The area was easy to navigate; even when we pulled in late at night. There were a lot of people coming in and out as well. I wouldn’t recommend if you’re looking for privacy. Aside from that, I would camp if you’re looking for something easy, safe, and accessible.

Month of VisitJune

Jin S.

Scout

Reviewed May. 9, 2024

Some areas are private land

Nice area but we were told that some areas have now become private land, so that’s something to watch out for.

Month of VisitJune

Emmi O.

Guide

Reviewed Apr. 10, 2024

Ok for one night stay

We arrived late in the evening and spent one night there. There was couple of other campers too, so we felt safe. No trash but smelled like urine. Cell service was okay.

Month of VisitMay

Maura G.

Scout

Reviewed Mar. 13, 2024

Stolen Tent

Not a bad spot in close proximity to Joshua Tree, but our tent disappeared from our site on 3/12. We left in the morning to hike and returned to our site to find that every piece of our tent and sleeping gear was gone.

Month of VisitApril

Sine N.

Traveler

Reviewed Mar. 10, 2024

Easy to find a spot

Free. Easy to find a spot, lots to choose from. Clean and quiet. Cell reception was ok. The road was quite bumpy, but we managed with a campervan.

Month of VisitApril

Danielle

Traveler

Reviewed Jan. 2, 2024

Free spot by Joshua Tree NP

It was ok for what we needed it for. All campgrounds were full in the park and this was a free spot not far from the entrance. Lots of other people camping. We saw every type of rig out there. Easy to get to. No amenities, no shade. Great location for the park.

Month of VisitFebruary

Clayton T.

Traveler

Reviewed Jan. 28, 2023

Zero hassle sleeping area with no amenities

Pull up and sleep and not get bothered. Arrived at midnight and parked next to a fire pit. Roads bumpy going in but small cars can make it. No amenities whatsoever. 5-bars AT&T that wouldn’t load somehow, I think the marine base interferes with cell reception, I had issues all over town as well.

SiteDispersed

Month of VisitFebruary

(4) View All

Marie K.

Guide

Reviewed Apr. 23, 2022

Spacious, free, close to Joshua Tree NP

I would actually give this campsite a 3.5 just because it is so barebones, no privacy, and where the pavement turned to dirt there was a huge hole that I hit just right and it was nasty - so heads up! On the other hand, it’s got lots of spots, it’s free, close to the north end of the NP, spacious, and I actually got pretty god internet out there! It is hard to see where spots are at night, but the sky is gorgeous out there at night. The roads aren’t horrible if you go slow (just watch out for that first hole!). Nothing fancy, but gets the job done.

SiteDispersed

Month of VisitMay

Jessica G.

Traveler

Reviewed Mar. 21, 2022

Easy access camping in Joshua Tree

As others have noted, this a giant dry lake bed. There is tons of space, plenty of room to spread out and not be near other campers, which there are many on the weekends. The location is very convenient for accessing Joshua Tree and the surrounding areas.

I was able to access the whole lake in my compact sedan. Just had to drive a little slowly at the entrance, where it is pretty rutted out, but not impassible. Easy to access in the dark too.

Very reliable cell phone connection. Full service on Verizon LTE. I worked remotely during the week here.

Month of VisitApril

gloria

Traveler

Reviewed Jan. 29, 2022

Gross

This place smells like poop. Couldn’t stand the smell and left

Month of VisitFebruary

Terry B.

Scout

Reviewed Dec. 13, 2021

Dry Lake bed

This is just a dry lake bed not far from Josh Tree National Park. It’s just a dry lake bed on BLM land.

Month of VisitJanuary

Tyler C.

Traveler

Reviewed Dec. 12, 2021

Spacious

Camped overnight in a Tesla Model 3.

Cons: Very hard to navigate at night - can't really see anything. Dusty

Pros: Lots of space - never too close to anyone Starry sky

Thoughts: I’ve read that you can camp in the parking lot of the nearby casino where the superchargers are, maybe that would have been a better option.

Month of VisitJanuary

Cameron M.

Guide

Reviewed Dec. 9, 2021

Spacious Boondocking

My girlfriend and I loved it here. Tons of space, and a beautiful view of the sky at night. It may not have Joshua trees but it’s not far from them.

Month of VisitJanuary

Dana W.

Guide

Reviewed Nov. 29, 2021

It does the job

I wouldn't say this was top three camping locations for me, mainly because it feels like you are on Mars and it's super dusty given it's the bottom of Lake. It's a good fall back if you can find any spot at the campgrounds.

Month of VisitNovember

steven

Scout

Reviewed May. 31, 2021

Good back up if JT is full

I’m fairly new to tent camping, city boy type. I had a pleasant experience over Memorial Day weekend. The dirt bikes and sand rails didn’t make much noise late in the night. But you choose where you camp. There’s so much distance I think you could walk around nude and nobody would notice 🤷🏻‍♂️

The only con and reason I took away a star is because there was no signage with directions from the main roads, at least none that I saw. And no signage where the lake bed begins because as I approached from cascade road there were a bunch of private property signs so I trusted that the few other tents I saw meant I was good.

Neutral: it was a bit windy that the darn Bug OFF candle would never stay lit which was a pain because there was ample bugs flying around. The wind comes to an almost standstill at night. It was cool seeing the bats out at dusk.

Other than that, it’s exactly as expected and it’s free!

SiteRandom spot on the dry lake bed, I think

Month of VisitJune

Alyssa L.

Guide

Reviewed May. 22, 2021

Mediocre experience, but great location

So…if you camp here you may be surprised to see 40 fters out in the middle of nowhere. Just be careful of the sand. We got stuck with our camper and had to call AAA, luckily they got us out just fine:) but save yourself the trouble and watch out for soft sand…other than that, the location is right outside of Joshua Tree and makes it super easy to get to the park! Great spot, lots of space and good for large groups!

Month of VisitFebruary

Harry E.

Traveler

Reviewed Apr. 23, 2021

It’s free

Good home base for Joshua Tree is NP campgrounds are full. Pretty barebones. A few weirdos, but enough space to steer clear of them. The wind can be brutal if you’re tent camping. Have large stakes.

Month of VisitMay

Grace

Traveler

Reviewed Apr. 16, 2021

BLM, Fine Spot

Typical BLM land, not far at all from Joshua Tree Park. Open and spacious, was able to dig my daily fox hole butt naked in broad daylight without being spotted. Very dispersed, road wasn’t too bad either. I’ll stop by again if I can’t get a reservation in Joshua Tree Park next year. Thanks BLM!

Scott S.

Scout

Reviewed Apr. 8, 2021

BEWARE!

started off great, then some local kids ended up terrorizing us with there off road vehicles, kicking up dirt.. when we asked them to stop,we found out they were young adults who then proceeded to assault me and fracture my skull. I will not be going back here. Also the Deputy Sheriffs were young and unprofessional.

Venice G.

Guide

Reviewed Mar. 29, 2021

Good place to spend the night

Camping inside Joshua Tree was impossible for us, so we spent the night here. If coming in at night, just keep going down the road until it opens up and pick a spot. Road is pretty rough. Free is always good

Gillian C.

Guide

Reviewed Mar. 20, 2021

No frills free camping

Free camping just outside Joshua Tree. No amenities or designated campsites. Large open area where you can camp wherever you'd like. Previous campers have built fire pits from the rocks laying around. Beautiful views, off road vehicle recommend.

(5) View All

Pinkie K.

Guide

Reviewed Mar. 18, 2021

Fine For A Night

March 11-12, 2021

We headed out for a family b-day trip and wanted to see if we could get a spot inside Joshua Tree. When we learned that all the camping (including the disbursed sites) were full IN JT, (which we honestly expected) this was the closest place to stop for the night. It's a huge dry lake bed and not much to do but it was nice for the kids and dogs to run around and not have to worry about scorpions or snakes where we were. We were able to find a pretty level spot regardless and made it a fun evening. We were pretty far from anyone else and didn't hear people during the night. A regular RV made it in fine. It's bumpy due to the dry dirt, but not a challenge. Verizon cell service was perfect and no trash lying around. It's nothing fancy but a free place is better than no place. Pack it in, Pack it out. Happy Camping!

Month of VisitApril

(5) View All

Emma J.

Guide

Reviewed Jan. 23, 2021

Beautiful Stars

This camping site came in really handy for us as the official campgrounds in Joshua Tree park are closed due to Covid-19 regulations. We arrived right before sunset and were able to get a nice spot pretty distanced from other sites. The road in is VERY uneven so caution is advised. We drove in a Ford Explorer with a cricket trailer and managed fine but keep your eyes peeled and take it slow. There is little to no shade in the lakebed and there are lots of burrs and prickly things which should be kept in mind if you plan to bring your furry friends. There are some campfire rings in some of the sites which is nice and it seems that people have been very good at packing in and packing out. The sites were clean, although we did find some shotgun shells lying around. Cell reception was good for T-Mobile and Sprint. Would definitely come back, although probably at a warmer time of the year.

Jody S.

Guide

Reviewed Jan. 20, 2021

Joshua Tree/Coyote Lake bed dispersed desert camping

Words Can’t Describe...How amazing the evening colors are over Joshua Tree as the sunsets. The entire lake bed area and well beyond into the desert N.E. is dispersed desert camping. This spot specifically is close to the motorcycle track and 4x4 area. If your into off roading this is a fun place to check out while exploring Joshua Tree National Park. Be prepared but Walmart is like 15min away and Joashua Tree RV/camp is 3.5 miles further up the road passed Broadway and they only charged me $3 for 45 gallons of potable water that I took back to the desert. Score in a pinch.

(4) View All

Recess T.

Scout

Reviewed Jan. 2, 2021

Great/free site

During COVID, many campgrounds are shut down making social distance travel challenging. This campsite is great for a short weekend trip. We went to this site when it’s pitch dark. The unpaved road was a bit bumpy however our kids enjoyed the “roller coaster”. We went in our RV and though there wasn’t any hook ups, it was a quiet location to be away from the city.

Michelle T.

Traveler

Reviewed Dec. 4, 2020

A Place to Lay Your Head

Within 15 min. or so of JTNP, farther depending on where in the park you're going/coming from. I camped here Thanksgiving week. There are established sites all over the place, all along plenty of side roads. Saw mostly RVs, with very few tent campers, like myself. No vegetation above maybe 1m, so you're well within sight of everyone and vice versa. Not much of a problem when it gets dark at 5pm, but there's campsites along Sunflower Rd., I believe, with portable toilets if you're tent camping and can't find a concealed spot to pee, though I didn't have trouble. Main roads are pretty busy; people get in at all hours, but I noticed most people were driving farther into the lakebed. Don't expect to feel very isolated or solitary out here; expect to wake up to more people around you than you thought. Roads go from bumpy to pretty rough--be careful if the first time you're driving here is in the dark (I was in a Jetta, granted). I showed up after sunset every day and easily found a spot on the outskirts. It was noticeably cooler here than in the park--each morning I woke up, my car was saying it was at least 10 degrees cooler, 20 one morning. I ended up getting out of there first thing and cooking breakfast in the park to be a little warmer. Easy to find, and it works if you're just looking for a place to rest for the night.

Joe L.

Guide

Reviewed Nov. 21, 2020

Decent but not isolated

Depending on where you camp the roads go from semi rough to very rough. Tough if it rains. Lots of established camps at the beginning with a wide spread of space. Great for RV or none tent campers all around. I'm tent camping so drove to the outskirts and decided that the softer sand at the beginning was more suitable than the cracked surface of the once was lake. Lots of space between camps but not many high trees so isolated but in sight. That and the rougher roads plus high traffic led to the 3 rating. Free is free and no one within 100 ft so 3 is what it is for me. Not bad. Not good.

(4) View All

Paul N.

Guide

Reviewed Oct. 27, 2020

Dispersed.

Tons of space on this dry lake bed. No amenities whatsoever so pack it in and pack it out. Great spot to bring your OHV toys.

Jonathan G.

Ranger

Reviewed Oct. 25, 2020

BLM. What else can you ask for?

It's free camping so be respectful and clean up after yourself. That said, there are no facilities so pack it in and pack it out. The road going in isn't too rough, and you'll likely find makeshift fire pits. Work with what is already there instead of making making a mess. Bring your own shade too.

Antonio C.

Guide

Reviewed Oct. 22, 2020

Nice place

Good place to stay when all campgrounds inside Joshua tree are full. Spent one night here and it was great. A lot of people were doing donuts which was cool to watch. A lot of open space out here to have fun.