Joshua Tree South Dispersed Camping
BLM
Write a Review Cottonwood Spring Rd. Chiriaco Summit, CA 92201 760-833-7100 Official WebsiteGPS: 33.6745, -115.8019
Overview of Joshua Tree South Dispersed Camping
Accessibility is not guaranteed, always scout ahead before driving down dirt roads. Learn more: Boondocking 101.
Last Price Paid: $0
Reported by Amber on 6/30/2024
Longest RV Reported: 42 feet (Class A)
Reported by WeavingRVer on 12/7/2017
Pad Type dirt
Elevation 1,771 ft / 539 m
Max Stay 14
Tent Camping Yes
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Q&A - Ask the Community about Joshua Tree South Dispersed Camping
To ask questions of the owner or manager please contact the campground directly. 760-833-7100
camper-836124 asked on 12/11/2023
Where do people shower when staying here longer term? Seems like planet fitness in Coachella is the closest?
Joni asked on 2/22/2022
Do we have to let any one know where we are camping or can we just find our spot and settle in?
Sal asked on 2/21/2022
Are there many ticks or rattlesnakes at Joshua Tree South? Thanks!
Jess asked on 2/20/2022
Generator okay to use at Joshua Tree South? Like inverted type? Thanks!
Wandering Webers asked on 11/2/2021
How far back can a Class A RV get on those roads? How is the weather in February? Thanks!
FJara asked on 5/12/2021
Hello I’m new to camping and I was wondering if I’m doing tent camping, no RV just my truck, how does the restroom si...
Reviews of Joshua Tree South Dispersed Camping 140 people have reviewed this location.
Cell Phone Coverage
Confirmed by 87 Users
Last reported 6/30/2024
Confirmed by 48 Users
Last reported 6/30/2024
Confirmed by 23 Users
Last reported 6/30/2024
“Quiet and secluded”
Reviewed 2/1/2020
| Nightly rate: | FREE! |
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| Days stayed: | 5 |
| Site Number: | 33.6765758, -115.7580753 |
Overall Rating
We arrived on a Monday in late January. We found this site off a secondary road of well-packed sand. We never did get quite level but that's not a big deal for us. This particular site was surrounded by terrain on three sides with full sun most of the day. Our nearest neighbor was a few hundred yards away, but out of sight. There wa... more
We arrived on a Monday in late January. We found this site off a secondary road of well-packed sand. We never did get quite level but that's not a big deal for us. This particular site was surrounded by terrain on three sides with full sun most of the day. Our nearest neighbor was a few hundred yards away, but out of sight.
There was one full day that the wind was ferocious. Temps were lows in the 50s overnight and upper 60s during the day.
Unlike reviews for the BLM land on the north side of the park, it was quiet in the evenings. Only one day we saw motocross bikes riding down the road.
This was a great launch spot for Joshua Tree NP, Salton Sea, and Anza-Borrego State Park. Indio is about 30 minutes away with all the city amenities and shopping needed.
We would return here without question.
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AT&T 4G
Doug C would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Close to JTNP Cottonwood Camp’s $5 Dump and Potable Water”
Reviewed 1/20/2020
| Nightly rate: | FREE! |
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| Days stayed: | 5 |
| RV Length: | 25' (Class C) |
Overall Rating
I think one of the best parts about camping here (other than that it’s free) is that it’s only about 6 miles to the dump station at the Cottonwood Campground in Joshua Tree. The dump is $5. There is also a fresh water spigot and that is free to use. Having a National Parks Annual Pass, you aren’t breaking any laws by driving in there t... more
I think one of the best parts about camping here (other than that it’s free) is that it’s only about 6 miles to the dump station at the Cottonwood Campground in Joshua Tree. The dump is $5. There is also a fresh water spigot and that is free to use. Having a National Parks Annual Pass, you aren’t breaking any laws by driving in there to use the dump station or to get water. Past the dump station, closer to the Cottonwood campground loop, there are also dumpsters and recycling.
The other things better about the BLM camping is that the spots are much larger and flatter and more spread out than the sites in the park and there is great Verizon service in the BLM but none in the park.
The sites aren’t super scenic, and there isn’t much to do there, but bonuses are that it isn’t a noisy OHV area since there aren’t really trails there, so it was overall pretty peaceful.
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Verizon 4G
Brenda & Linus would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Good, spacious sites next to Joshua Tree NP ”
Reviewed 1/19/2020
| Nightly rate: | FREE! |
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| Days stayed: | 1 |
Overall Rating
We only stayed for one night and had no problems. Very convenient location between the I-10 exit and the park entrance. The North Joshua Tree site would be closer to the bigger attractions in the park but the negative reviews for that location were enough to keep me away.
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AT&T 4G
Verizon 4G
CBarry would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“FANTASTIC!”
Reviewed 1/14/2020
| Nightly rate: | FREE! |
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| Days stayed: | 5 |
| RV Length: | 41' (Fifth Wheel) |
Overall Rating
As with any new place we were a little hesitant, at first, but s glad we took the chance. We took the exit for the park, then the right turn at the last dirt road. Most of the spots near the park entrance were occupied since we got there late afternoon on Friday. The road wasn't too bad, a bit washboard, but nothing we couldn't hand... more
As with any new place we were a little hesitant, at first, but s glad we took the chance. We took the exit for the park, then the right turn at the last dirt road. Most of the spots near the park entrance were occupied since we got there late afternoon on Friday. The road wasn't too bad, a bit washboard, but nothing we couldn't handle (and nothing fell in the rig). We ended up driving 1.3 miles down the dirt road and found a nice big area where we could park and still have room for a second camper (my brother's family joined us for a few days). We had plenty of room for our 41' 5th wheel and their 28' TT, 2 trucks, and plenty of space for the kids to run around. The space was downhill from the main dirt road. The space backed up to the utility road that runs with the power lines that would be great for off roading vehicles. We had FANTASTIC AT&T service and I was able to work without any hiccups. When we tilted our solar panels we were able to get more than enough charge. The Cottonwood visitor center was about a 20 minute ride from our spot, with many nature trails on the way. Skull Rock was about an hour drive from our camping spot. We ended up leaving the opposite direction as we came in because we were closer to the next on-ramp at Chariaco Summit.
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AT&T 4G
ATeamFamilyTravels would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Did the job”
Reviewed 12/9/2019
| Nightly rate: | FREE! |
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| Days stayed: | 1 |
| RV Length: | 17' (Travel Trailer) |
Overall Rating
We were here Nov 25, 2019. Stayed at 33°40'33.7"N 115°48'41.0"W which was level and big enough to get my trailer in and the turned around to get out. Road was easy to tow into and many people had big rigs. The south entrance has no services at the exit off I-10 and most of the interesting parts of the park are up north. Not sure I'd... more
We were here Nov 25, 2019. Stayed at 33°40'33.7"N 115°48'41.0"W which was level and big enough to get my trailer in and the turned around to get out. Road was easy to tow into and many people had big rigs.
The south entrance has no services at the exit off I-10 and most of the interesting parts of the park are up north. Not sure I'd camp here again because I hiked everything at Cottonwood in the day & a half we were here. The campsite worked, but was so windy you just hunker in the trailer all the time. If trailer has no bathroom, there is no real cover outside to pop a squat - just know that.
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Verizon 4G
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Gusty, windy night”
Reviewed 11/26/2019
| Nightly rate: | FREE! |
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| Days stayed: | 1 |
| Site Number: | N/A |
Overall Rating
We arrived after sunset during a very gusty windy night! The sites were easy to navigate to from I-10. We noticed that just after the “campgrounds full” sign there was a turn off on the left side of Cottonwood Road. We turned in and had no problem with our 4WD, but the road is graded and would not be a problem for non 4WD vehicles. The... more
We arrived after sunset during a very gusty windy night! The sites were easy to navigate to from I-10. We noticed that just after the “campgrounds full” sign there was a turn off on the left side of Cottonwood Road. We turned in and had no problem with our 4WD, but the road is graded and would not be a problem for non 4WD vehicles. There was many rvs there and we continued down the road until we found a spot. It was very windy! The gusts shook our small trailer all night long. The other campers that we saw the next morning kept to their campsites, but all were friendly and waved. We were not there long enough to encounter too much. We ended up packing the next morning and finding a campsite inside the park. We will return here again. Hopefully, it will not be so windy.
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AT&T 4G
Verizon 4G
machado1751 would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Overall a wonderful alternative to being in the park...”
Reviewed 11/24/2019
| Nightly rate: | FREE! |
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| Days stayed: | 3 |
| RV Length: | 24' (Travel Trailer) |
Overall Rating
We loved staying here, but I can imagine this becoming pretty busy during the busy season. In most cases, this would be saying stay away if you can during this time, but instead, you just need to drive further down the road. We camped off the West side of the main road, but you can camp East, as well as South of the freeway from what... more
We loved staying here, but I can imagine this becoming pretty busy during the busy season. In most cases, this would be saying stay away if you can during this time, but instead, you just need to drive further down the road. We camped off the West side of the main road, but you can camp East, as well as South of the freeway from what I've seen on the maps. We stayed for three days and two nights, but wanted to stay much longer. The farther you go away from the main road, the more privacy you will have. It is worth the short journey on the washboard road. That being said, if you plan on using this as basecamp, remember you will be forced to traverse this road constantly and can get annoying if you don't have the right vehicle to mitigate the washboard. That being said, almost any car/vehicle can make this road. Access is good to established campsites, as we easily got in a 25ft travel trailer and 35ft Class A. That being said, be careful for soft sand on the outside perimeter of any established campsites or when exploring with a heavy rig. Read: Commonsense should be used on any BLM land. The established sites are relatively level, but bring extra leveling blocks as the location is full of washes and inherently on a hillside. We did have some issues keeping the rear wheels down on the Class A, so moving it to a more appropriate location within the campsite was needed. If you're planning on having a large party, I would recommend staying closer on larger more established sites where the ground is more predictable and better accommodating for a large group. Generally, the sites are far enough apart that you do have privacy. We did camp farther out, but we did not hear a single generator, people, or any sounds from any of our neighbors. I believe our nearest neighbor was across a wash over 100 yards away and the neighbor to the other side was much farther than that. For the most part the site we used was clean, but we did find few cans that most likely were overlooked, some fire pit garbage, and intentional unique booze bottles left. Still it was in decent shape.
This is BLM land, so there are no amenities available to you directly on the land, but there is access to water and dump station ($10) at Cottonwood Spring Campground within the park or the many service stations along the freeway on your way in. This is desert land, so your solar will work fine, even in the Winter months, but tilting your solar would be idea. Otherwise, bring an appropriate generator. There is good internet access, which I believe comes from the East. I had at least a 2-3 bars or more on AT&T and Verizon and the throughput was fast. It is enough to stream movies if you wanted to.
Located on the South side of the park, this is the farthest away from most of the major sites in Joshua Tree, so be mindful you will have a decent drive to get to the North side of the park where a lot of major trails and sites are located. The land is located between the park boundaries and the freeway, which you can see. At night you can see the lights, but very little sound and no light wash. From the area at night, you can make out quite a few constellations and the Milky Way. Every once in a while we got a vehicle coming down the road, but it was hard notice/hear had it not been for their headlights.
Overall, I would highly recommend this area if you can manage boondocking on BLM land.
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AT&T 4G
Verizon 4G
Arnell would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Nice place!!”
Reviewed 11/15/2019
| Nightly rate: | FREE! |
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| Days stayed: | 5 |
| RV Length: | 22' (Class A) |
Overall Rating
Very nice place to stay!! The area is clean, level enough to park your any size RV. There are some soft sands in some locations but overall, very clean, quiet, big sky, great for star gazing, when THEY aren't making clouds, that produce no rain.
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AT&T 4G
Slow Butt Shirley would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Pleasant and relaxing ”
Reviewed 6/2/2019
| Nightly rate: | FREE! |
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| Days stayed: | 4 |
| Site Number: | Na |
Overall Rating
Amazing views and sunsets galore. Some truck with lights was driving up and down the road making sure no one was on the side your not allowed on. (Can only camp on the left when you pull on dirt road) could see other people but couldn’t really hear them and same with the highway, just a hum. Overall great.
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AT&T 4G
Kita would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Expansive and easy to reach!”
Reviewed 5/30/2019
| Nightly rate: | FREE! |
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| Days stayed: | 1 |
Overall Rating
We stayed here Friday night before Memorial Day and there was plenty of sites, even arriving after 6 pm like we did. The road on the west side goes on for a long, long way, so the chances that there won’t be room for you is very low. We have a 20’ van and the roads were groomed and easy for it to handle. Many sites have fire rings. Wis... more
We stayed here Friday night before Memorial Day and there was plenty of sites, even arriving after 6 pm like we did. The road on the west side goes on for a long, long way, so the chances that there won’t be room for you is very low. We have a 20’ van and the roads were groomed and easy for it to handle. Many sites have fire rings. Wish we would’ve gone here first instead of checking all the sites inside the park which are tiny and cramped, and always full!!
Lizanne would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
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