Headquarters Campground
Salton Sea State Recreation Area
Write a Review State Park Rd. Mecca, CA 92254 760-393-3052 760-393-3059 Official WebsiteGPS: 33.505, -115.9147
Overview of Headquarters Campground
Last Price Paid: $28
Reported by camper-823391 on 3/18/2024
Longest RV Reported: 45 feet (Bus)
Reported by Reflections_of_white on 1/8/2020
Number of Sites 40
Pad Type asphalt
Reservations yes
Elevation -229 ft / -69 m
Max Length 40 ft
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Q&A - Ask the Community about Headquarters Campground
To ask questions of the owner or manager please contact the campground directly. 760-393-3052
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Reviews of Headquarters Campground 15 people have reviewed this location.
Cell Phone Coverage
Confirmed by 7 Users
Last reported 1/30/2023
Confirmed by 5 Users
Last reported 3/28/2022
Confirmed by 3 Users
Last reported 2/16/2023
“Helpful ranger, beautiful views, lots of trains”
Reviewed 3/18/2024
| Nightly rate: | $28 |
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| Days stayed: | 3 |
| Site Number: | 14 |
Overall Rating
This campground gets a 3, strictly because of the trains, which were constant. (I counted four between 10pm and midnight one night.) Otherwise, it was about perfect. It was easy to find, and campsites were clearly marked although a little close together. The rangers and staff were all helpful, had all kinds of good ideas about things t... more
This campground gets a 3, strictly because of the trains, which were constant. (I counted four between 10pm and midnight one night.) Otherwise, it was about perfect. It was easy to find, and campsites were clearly marked although a little close together. The rangers and staff were all helpful, had all kinds of good ideas about things to do and see, worked with us on scheduling another night. We had full hook-ups, which worked perfectly. Asphalt pad, level. Beautiful views of the Salton Sea, and very quiet except for the trains. We had chosen it because of its proximity to Joshua Tree National Park, but we were still at least an hour away from any park entrance. The only problem we had was that someone had parked in our reserved site despite the posting of sites that were not available at the check-in point. We learned that the camp host was on vacation, or that would not have happened.
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AT&T
camper-823391 would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Convenient ”
Reviewed 2/16/2023
| Nightly rate: | $18 |
|---|---|
| Days stayed: | 2 |
| Site Number: | 50 |
| RV Length: | 18' (Travel Trailer) |
Overall Rating
Campground was nearly empty which provided great privacy. Otherwise it would feel very crowded as many sites right next to each other. Good picnic table shaded by ramada. Nice walks with my dog. Very little bird life. Sign warned not to go in the Sea. Train tracks are close and trains frequent. They do not blow horns but are still noisy.
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T-Mobile 4G
Patch would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Great sites. Quiet area with lots of history.”
Reviewed 1/30/2023
| Nightly rate: | $27 |
|---|---|
| Days stayed: | 2 |
| Site Number: | 41 |
| RV Length: | 21' (Class B) |
Overall Rating
Stayed in the New Camp loop for 2 nights. Site 41. Inside loop sites with their own single parking spots are the best, IMO. Some have electric hookups. Clean showers that take state park tokens. I had excellent Verizon coverage. I could easily stream Netflix. Light use on weekdays and a few more on the weekend. Unique history f... more
Stayed in the New Camp loop for 2 nights. Site 41. Inside loop sites with their own single parking spots are the best, IMO. Some have electric hookups. Clean showers that take state park tokens. I had excellent Verizon coverage. I could easily stream Netflix. Light use on weekdays and a few more on the weekend. Unique history found at the Visitor Center. Weather was perfect for January! A bit far South of the 10, but worth the detour and roads are easy.
Verizon 4G
Grenn would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Beautiful scenery, bad signal and no showers”
Reviewed 3/28/2022
| Nightly rate: | $30 |
|---|---|
| Days stayed: | 2 |
| Site Number: | 7 |
| RV Length: | 25' (Class B Plus) |
Overall Rating
The Salton Sea gave us some beautiful sunsets and the characteristic algae smell was very faint during our trip. We stayed at the massive slab of parking lot near the visitor center in site #7 and have no complaints about the site. There are new bathrooms but no showers. There are showers at the "New Camp" sites but they're currentl... more
The Salton Sea gave us some beautiful sunsets and the characteristic algae smell was very faint during our trip.
We stayed at the massive slab of parking lot near the visitor center in site #7 and have no complaints about the site. There are new bathrooms but no showers. There are showers at the "New Camp" sites but they're currently (March 2022) broken and the doors are locked.
Past reviewers remarked that the T-Mobile service was good enough for streaming--this no longer appears to be the case. The LTE is extremely slow on T-Mobile even though it shows as four bars.
Our Winegard (AT&T-based) got great service on its data plan, however.
The trains woke us up once at night.
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AT&T 4G
T-Mobile 4G
Beau would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Wouldn't Choose Site #8”
Reviewed 1/1/2022
| Days stayed: | 5 |
|---|---|
| Site Number: | 8 |
Overall Rating
There were plenty of openings when I booked online, so I chose #8. It's near the middle and no one was scheduled to be right next to me, which was nice since the camp area is small. I won't choose #8 again because I couldn't find the sewer connection in the grass. All of the rest of the sites clearly had a dump, so I moved my van perpe... more
There were plenty of openings when I booked online, so I chose #8. It's near the middle and no one was scheduled to be right next to me, which was nice since the camp area is small. I won't choose #8 again because I couldn't find the sewer connection in the grass. All of the rest of the sites clearly had a dump, so I moved my van perpendicular to #9 occasionally to dump. The camp host was very nice and mentioned that two of the spots don't have grills either. There was a black widow in my electrical box, so be cautious when opening the door & plugging in. There was a great one mile trail to the southern camp area, and pretty sunsets. The trash cans have small openings, and I didn't see dumpsters for bigger items. At Headquarters you're at the back of a day use area, so if you don't like vehicles coming & going, I suggest reserving the other loops. I mostly noticed the trains between 4pm-7pm. However, there were trains sounding their horns around 11:30pm and one even woke me at 3am. The boat launching ramps are closed due to the extremely low water line, but I think you're allowed to launch from the beach. No dogs on the beach (there may be toxic algae anyhow). Overall I would stay here again, just in a different site.
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Verizon 4G
Ashley would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Loved it here!”
Reviewed 4/28/2021
| Nightly rate: | $20 |
|---|---|
| Days stayed: | 1 |
| Site Number: | 47 |
Overall Rating
We weren’t sure which state campground we wanted to stay at, so we drove to all three before deciding on staying here. We didn’t need full hook ups so we chose a site in the back campground. Sites were clean with water nearby. Bathrooms and showers were immaculate. Kudos to the camp host! There is road/train noise but we still slept gr... more
We weren’t sure which state campground we wanted to stay at, so we drove to all three before deciding on staying here. We didn’t need full hook ups so we chose a site in the back campground. Sites were clean with water nearby. Bathrooms and showers were immaculate. Kudos to the camp host! There is road/train noise but we still slept great! There were plenty of available sites as it was a Monday. Just a short walk to the water. Temperature was perfect. We would stay here again in a heartbeat
StumblesandFumbles would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Absolutely Beautiful!! Ample room for this park”
Reviewed 3/4/2021
| Nightly rate: | $30 |
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| Days stayed: | 2 |
| Site Number: | 3 |
Overall Rating
We could not get a reservation on line as it needs to be done with in 48 hours of your trip so we called the park office. Park Rangers man the office so very helpful. They knew what sites were available and where we should park. We wanted FHU so Headquarters was our stop before Joshua Tree. Stunning views from the lot and easy bike/hik... more
We could not get a reservation on line as it needs to be done with in 48 hours of your trip so we called the park office. Park Rangers man the office so very helpful. They knew what sites were available and where we should park. We wanted FHU so Headquarters was our stop before Joshua Tree. Stunning views from the lot and easy bike/hike anywhere on the grounds. Yes the train does go through here but it is quick and gone. Since it is Covid protocols, visitor center not open but you can get info on line at their website https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=639 You can reserve a site at https://www.reservecalifornia.com/CaliforniaWebHome
Very clean, open, not very busy through the week but the weekends are booked. You have so much to see and do that you will have lots of adventures to be had. They have wifi here as well which was a nice surprise with great cell coverage.
This is definitely a wonder to see! Should have stayed longer!
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Verizon 4G
CampHaugy would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Awesome! ”
Reviewed 1/20/2020
| Nightly rate: | $28 |
|---|---|
| Days stayed: | 1 |
| Site Number: | 8 |
| RV Length: | 25' (Class C) |
Overall Rating
I wasn't sure where I was going to land for the night after leaving Anza-Borrega Desert SP on the west side of the Salton Sea. But after turning north out of Salton City it wasn't much of a detour to Headquarters, so I figured I'd check it out. It was totally worth it! If you've read about the area you know it's seen better days, but t... more
I wasn't sure where I was going to land for the night after leaving Anza-Borrega Desert SP on the west side of the Salton Sea. But after turning north out of Salton City it wasn't much of a detour to Headquarters, so I figured I'd check it out. It was totally worth it! If you've read about the area you know it's seen better days, but that is one of the things that makes it worth visiting. The ranger at the entry gate let me do a drive through. I would have been happy with the very large PHU sites (40, 42, 43, 45) in the New Camp loop, but the views from the FHU sites in the Headquarters area were amazing. Yes it's a big parking lot but with the lot essentially empty the views are great. The details of the 15 FHU sites have been previously described. The visitor center is basic but informative. The short film mentioned the architectural tour (see the link under the Notes tab for the PDF) which was very cool if you're interested in mid-century modern. The beach, the birds, the unusual formations, the Ironwood nature trail and the path to the Mecca Beach campground were all fun to explore. It's a no frills CG but it's utterly unique, especially if you're a birdwatcher. Yes, there are trains. And of course there is the San Andreas fault. I'll take the trains. Cell on T-Mobile was good enough for some basic streaming.
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T-Mobile 4G
Wandering Pulse would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Great site, unfortunately beside a very active rail line. ”
Reviewed 1/8/2020
| Nightly rate: | $7 |
|---|---|
| Days stayed: | 1 |
| RV Length: | 45' (Bus) |
Overall Rating
The trains were a no-go for us at this site. The rail line is very active day and night and there is a crossing at the entrance to the site where they blow their whistle. Otherwise a great place. There's lots of room and pull through sites that could accommodate any length of rig. You pay 30 for the hook-up sites. We paid 7 for a da... more
The trains were a no-go for us at this site. The rail line is very active day and night and there is a crossing at the entrance to the site where they blow their whistle.
Otherwise a great place. There's lots of room and pull through sites that could accommodate any length of rig. You pay 30 for the hook-up sites. We paid 7 for a day pass, which the ranger told us when pressed for info is good for 24 hours. We parked right at one of the picnic tables near the beach and spent the night without hookups.
Nice visitors center which the kids enjoyed and lots of places to walk and explore. Unfortunately, the sea itself is a toxic wasteland, but the views and sunrise/set were spectacular.
Low bars on AT&T, but no problem getting fast 4G.
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AT&T 4G
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Felt safe, small campground, and quiet ”
Reviewed 3/5/2019
| Nightly rate: | $30 |
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| Days stayed: | 2 |
| Site Number: | 15 |
| RV Length: | 38' (Class A) |
Overall Rating
Found this area by accident due to wanting to visit slab city after exciting Joshua Tree. Stayed at main campground which has 15 sites with water and electric. Max 10 campers where there on a Saturday and Sunday night. Every one kept to themselves and any visitors had plenty of room to drive past plus and visit beach so we were not bot... more
Found this area by accident due to wanting to visit slab city after exciting Joshua Tree. Stayed at main campground which has 15 sites with water and electric. Max 10 campers where there on a Saturday and Sunday night. Every one kept to themselves and any visitors had plenty of room to drive past plus and visit beach so we were not bothered.
30 minute drive to Slab City. 1.5 to Joshua Tree South entrance. 25 minutes to Denny or Food. RV shop is open till 4 on the weekends and sells ice cream and sandwiches. Nice volunteers!
Volunteer at check in was sweet but park ranger gentleman didn’t seem to know a whole lot about the park, we were not given a list of rules or anything. Had to ask about dogs and check out time. Just interesting. Public restrooms.
Easy to get too...loud trains all day up until 11 PM...beautiful stars, sunsets, and sun rises. We stayed in March but I can only imagine what it smells like in the summer. Relaxing place with not a ton to do but interesting! I would come back
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AT&T 4G
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
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258 reviews
noted 1/20/2020
Here is the link to the very cool Salton Sea State Recreation Area Historical Architectural
Tour PDF (QR code available at the visitor center) - https://goo.gl/hVPXM9
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Amenities
Hookups
- 30 Amp
- water
- dry camping
- sewer
- Full Hookups
Recreation
- boat ramp
- fishing
- picnic area
- playground
- water access
Site Amenities
- big rig
- picnic table
- pull thru
Facilities
- dump station
- recycle
- restrooms: flush
- showers
- trash
- water available
Pets
- pets
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