Joshua Tree North Dispersed Camping
BLM
Write a Review Cascade Rd. / Sunflower Rd. Joshua Tree, CA 92252 760-833-7100 Official WebsiteGPS: 34.172, -116.2237
Overview of Joshua Tree North Dispersed Camping
Accessibility is not guaranteed, always scout ahead before driving down dirt roads. Learn more: Boondocking 101*
Last Price Paid: $0
Reported by white.van_no.plan on 2/14/2024
Longest RV Reported: 44 feet (Toy Hauler Fifth Wheel)
Reported by BandLOnWheels on 3/18/2023
Pad Type dirt
Elevation 2,329 ft / 709 m
Tent Camping Yes
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Q&A - Ask the Community about Joshua Tree North Dispersed Camping
To ask questions of the owner or manager please contact the campground directly. 760-833-7100
Reviews of Joshua Tree North Dispersed Camping 98 people have reviewed this location.
Cell Phone Coverage
Confirmed by 51 Users
Last reported 1/27/2024
Confirmed by 34 Users
Last reported 2/14/2024
Confirmed by 20 Users
Last reported 1/30/2024
“Wide Open and Unique Experience”
Reviewed 3/24/2021
| Nightly rate: | FREE! |
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| Days stayed: | 10 |
| RV Length: | 27' (Travel Trailer) |
Overall Rating
We stayed here for quite a few nights. It's 10 minutes away from the charming town of Joshua Tree, and not much further to multiple National Park entrances (49 Palms trail, Black Canyon hiking trails, main north entrance). There are a few trailers out here that have clearly been here for weeks and have loads of trash piled around them.... more
We stayed here for quite a few nights. It's 10 minutes away from the charming town of Joshua Tree, and not much further to multiple National Park entrances (49 Palms trail, Black Canyon hiking trails, main north entrance). There are a few trailers out here that have clearly been here for weeks and have loads of trash piled around them. As you head east out onto the dry lake bed, you're far enough away that it's really not a concern.
It is a very stark camping experience, with very little vegetation, but the uniqueness and strange beauty of the area grew on us. It clears out during the day, and in the evenings dozens of vans, RVs, and trailers flock back for the evening. Sunrises and sunsets are beautiful.
The wind can get pretty gnarly, and we had a few days of 30+ mph gusts that pushed a lot of dust around. We either stayed inside our trailer or drove into town these days. Going outside was unpleasant on account of the constant wind and dust in the air. This is the only reason for 4 stars overall. The rest of the time, the March weather was extremely pleasant during the day, and in the 40s at night.
We experienced the expected desert motorheads on the weekend, but the rest of the week it's mostly quiet.
The roads in are pretty rough, though we did get our 27' Airstream in without issue (it was just slow). It's best to head north on Sunfair Road from Highway 62, then turn east on one of several different roads. Broadway is the smoothest. If you turn north on Cascade Road there is a deep dip that would hang up most trailers and RVs. Sunflower is further north and avoids traveling on Cascade Road, but it's wash boarded. Your best bet is to stay on Broadway until you reach the mud flat.
The wind blew in some trash, which we filled a trash bag with. Consider spending a few minutes picking up trash while you're here to do your part for the planet. There is surprisingly little trash here given the number of visitors and the way people typically treat the desert.
Blazing fast Verizon. With no booster, I clocked 38 mbps download on a weekday.
Overall a fun site that we will visit again when we return to JTNP!
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Verizon 4G
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Horrible on a weekend ”
Reviewed 3/21/2021
| Nightly rate: | FREE! |
|---|---|
| Days stayed: | 1 |
Overall Rating
... Quads , motorcycles, 4WD run amuck....Lots of dust & noise, fireworks at 1 AM....Trash abounds... Might try it on a weekday, again but not on the weekend.... The good: it’s free & it’s level... Definitely not scenic....
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AT&T 4G
Verizon 4G
Yo-Adrien would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“The absolute worst ”
Reviewed 3/9/2021
| Nightly rate: | FREE! |
|---|---|
| Days stayed: | 1 |
| Site Number: | N/a |
Overall Rating
Whoever thinks this place is great is probably the people that live in one of the homeless camps set up here. It’s an open dirt/stubble field and people are dumb enough to have fires in it. So dangerous. Yes there’s lots of room because there’s not even scrub brush in most of it so people just park where they want. So close to t... more
Whoever thinks this place is great is probably the people that live in one of the homeless camps set up here.
It’s an open dirt/stubble field and people are dumb enough to have fires in it. So dangerous.
Yes there’s lots of room because there’s not even scrub brush in most of it so people just park where they want.
So close to the city you get road noise and city lights.
There was a car that looked stolen up on a block with parts of it missing and trash piled around it. The worst BLM experience I’ve had, If I hadn’t got in so late I would have turned around and left.
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AT&T 4G
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Great disperses camping. But don’t get lost at night!!”
Reviewed 3/6/2021
| Nightly rate: | FREE! |
|---|---|
| Days stayed: | 2 |
| Site Number: | 0 |
| RV Length: | 33' (Travel Trailer) |
Overall Rating
Wide open flat space for dispersed camping. Any size rig is ok. Hardly any vegetation so all neighbors are visible and so are you. So privacy is limited. There are many ways to drive in, but nearly all roads are dirt/sand. And it must have rained recently because there were huge trenches and tire tracks on the road. Take it slow an... more
Wide open flat space for dispersed camping. Any size rig is ok. Hardly any vegetation so all neighbors are visible and so are you. So privacy is limited.
There are many ways to drive in, but nearly all roads are dirt/sand. And it must have rained recently because there were huge trenches and tire tracks on the road. Take it slow and you will be fine.
Dry camping. No water, toilets or trash bins that I know of. Generator friendly but some of my neighbors did move away from me, probably due to the generator noise. (Sorry I had to charge my batteries!) good cell phone service for at&t users.
Word of caution. Joshua tree is known for dark skies and very little light pollution. Good star gazing. However, it can make things difficult to navigate at night, especially if you have a large rig. The asphalt roads are marked with street signs but quickly turn into dirt roads that weave around the campground. Know your entrances and exits, and orient yourself once you find your camp. That way, if you go out to explore, or disconnect to head into town, and you can easily find your way back to your campsite. I recommend a flag pole with an LED light to distinguish your rig from the others. Makes it easier to find.
Town is a few minutes away with plenty of gas stations, dumps, laundromat etc.
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AT&T 4G
RPinAZ would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Wide open but roads getting bad”
Reviewed 3/5/2021
| Nightly rate: | FREE! |
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| Days stayed: | 1 |
| RV Length: | 24' (Class C) |
Overall Rating
There are some deep trenches in the road and side roads. Otherwise it’s okay.
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Verizon 4G
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Large open place”
Reviewed 2/15/2021
| Nightly rate: | FREE! |
|---|---|
| Days stayed: | 2 |
| Site Number: | 0 |
Overall Rating
This is BLM land, no services, no bathroom, no shower, but very big open area, good for RV parking and it is free, beautiful sunset view and good for sky view and quiet.
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T-Mobile 4G
ingrid would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Best Dispersed Camping We've Experienced”
Reviewed 2/11/2021
| Nightly rate: | FREE! |
|---|---|
| Days stayed: | 7 |
| Site Number: | n/a |
Overall Rating
Beautiful location surrounded by mountains on all sides. It's hard to find this big of land that is completely free to stay at. Extremely clean given that there is no funded upkeep. It's dispersed camping, so you may have a few neighbors, but we never once felt unsafe and even left our tent unattended for a few hours and came back to i... more
Beautiful location surrounded by mountains on all sides. It's hard to find this big of land that is completely free to stay at. Extremely clean given that there is no funded upkeep. It's dispersed camping, so you may have a few neighbors, but we never once felt unsafe and even left our tent unattended for a few hours and came back to it completely safe and sound. For tent-users, we highly suggest covering your tent in emergency blankets as they are excellent for insulation (keeps the cold and hot out). The best place to enter the dispersed camping area is on Broadway; there's a paved road that will take you right in. Be sure to drive carefully, and watch for the end of the pavement. If you have animals or children, please be aware that there are coyotes that run around. Port-a-pottys and picnic tables available, though you do have to search for them.
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Verizon 4G
buckadef would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Not for us”
Reviewed 1/18/2021
| Days stayed: | 1 |
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Overall Rating
We are new to boondocking so perhaps still a bit wary and very safety minded.. Upon stopping at Joshua Tree North Visitor station we were told by a park ranger that they were told to "stop Sending campers to BLM NORTH".. " some sketchy behavior"... perhaps that bit of info jaded us a bit but we plowed forward anyway eager to set u... more
We are new to boondocking so perhaps still a bit wary and very safety minded..
Upon stopping at Joshua Tree North Visitor station we were told by a park ranger that they were told to "stop Sending campers to BLM NORTH".. " some sketchy behavior"...
perhaps that bit of info jaded us a bit but we plowed forward anyway eager to set up camp. ( still, those words rang in my head all night ha ha)
Lots of space. Sunday evening still with lots of Local kids on motorcycles zooming through this dry lake bed..no biggee.. lots of space where you can avoid most of the noise..
However.. There are obviously more than a few homeless full time looking car/ tent camps set up.. so don't think the 14 day limit being enforced.. Also looked like a few local shooting ranges set up at base of mountains..a few fires lit. ( "no fires allowed")
In the words of " drivin n vibin" bloggers/ campers.. and a few others... " follow your gut"
We are leaving today. Just not feeling it.. Headed out to try to south Joshua tree BLM instead..
Thanks to all the people who take time to review. We are devouring the info and depending on it!
And a big hug of appreciation to all who help provide BLM accommodations!
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Verizon 4G
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Excellent place to dry camp”
Reviewed 1/7/2021
| Nightly rate: | FREE! |
|---|---|
| Days stayed: | 6 |
| RV Length: | 39' (Travel Trailer) |
Overall Rating
We stayed her New Years eve and several nights into the New Year. Was a little loud New Years eve was a little loud but that was expected. OHV vehicles everywhere but they were all polite and kept their speed down when next to sites. Absolutely beautiful. Yucca Valley and Joshua Tree are nearby if you need supplies. Berri brothers h... more
We stayed her New Years eve and several nights into the New Year. Was a little loud New Years eve was a little loud but that was expected. OHV vehicles everywhere but they were all polite and kept their speed down when next to sites.
Absolutely beautiful. Yucca Valley and Joshua Tree are nearby if you need supplies. Berri brothers has cheap diesel and we got our 39 foot trailer in and out of the station easily.
Tractor supply is close by for cheap Propane refills.
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T-Mobile 4G
Arkaneinc would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Dry, OHV heaven, great views ”
Reviewed 12/11/2020
| Nightly rate: | FREE! |
|---|---|
| Days stayed: | 2 |
| RV Length: | 26' (Travel Trailer) |
Overall Rating
There are a lot of bad reviews on here for this location. When we stayed here it was quiet and beautiful. The weekend brought in weekend warriors with OHV but we stayed near the SW of the camping area and away from the activity and all was fine. Sunsets are great and people mostly keep to themselves. We’d stay here again because it... more
There are a lot of bad reviews on here for this location. When we stayed here it was quiet and beautiful. The weekend brought in weekend warriors with OHV but we stayed near the SW of the camping area and away from the activity and all was fine. Sunsets are great and people mostly keep to themselves.
We’d stay here again because it’s free and super easy access to Joshua tree. No need to stay in the park! There are plenty of spots here!
Note: do not follow google maps. Take one street to the south to get here from what google says. It’s called “Broadway” The way google takes you is 5x longer on dirt roads and really bad ones. Broadway is the way to get here!
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Verizon 4G
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
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- Dispersed Camping
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