Owl Canyon Campground
Rainbow Basin Natural Area - BLM
Write a Review 28267 Rainbow-Basin Barstow, CA 92311 760-252-6000 Official WebsiteGPS: 35.0213, -117.0217
Overview of Owl Canyon Campground
Last Price Paid: $6
Reported by eastsidej on 4/3/2024
Longest RV Reported: 40 feet (Fifth Wheel)
Reported by DebbieM on 5/5/2023
Number of Sites 31
Pad Type dirt
Elevation 3,051 ft / 929 m
Max Stay 14
Max Length 35 ft
Tent Camping Yes
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To ask questions of the owner or manager please contact the campground directly. 760-252-6000
Reviews of Owl Canyon Campground 37 people have reviewed this location.
“Beautiful and quiet”
Reviewed 9/13/2020
Nightly rate: | $6 |
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Days stayed: | 1 |
Site Number: | 18 |
Lovely spot. Gravel road wasn’t that bad, but we were in an SUV, not towing anything.
madisonsites would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Very hot, very nice, and very quiet ”
Reviewed 7/16/2020
Nightly rate: | $5 |
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Days stayed: | 2 |
RV Length: | 33' (Class A) |
Very nice campground with large spots. Because of the time of the year, it was very hot, but there was still a lot for us to do! Plenty of OHV trails and scenic drives in the area. You need a high clearance vehicle to use the trails, but 4WD is not necessary if you stay mindful of your limitations. Spoke to a ranger who has been wo... more
Very nice campground with large spots. Because of the time of the year, it was very hot, but there was still a lot for us to do! Plenty of OHV trails and scenic drives in the area. You need a high clearance vehicle to use the trails, but 4WD is not necessary if you stay mindful of your limitations.
Spoke to a ranger who has been working the site for 40 years. He was so kind. If you have any questions about the area, he’s you’re guy!
The campground is close enough to town to access what you need but far enough away that there’s no light to pollute the night sky. We were the only ones camping here and it was deafeningly—but refreshingly—quiet. On our way out, we spotted a fairly large, dead rattlesnake on the side of the road. This is the desert and they are around so be aware of that if you have small children.
It is a washboard road. Add an additional 25 mins to your drive time if you are traveling in an RV. You will have to creep along. It’s also worth noting that the campground is split into a few sections. If you have an RV longer than 25’, do not turn “right” to go toward that portion of the park. You will drag.
Overall, a very nice park and we will be visiting again in the future!
NatashaH would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Bumpy ride but worth it”
Reviewed 10/16/2019
Nightly rate: | $6 |
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Days stayed: | 2 |
Site Number: | 24 |
RV Length: | 37' (Fifth Wheel) |
Awesome spot. It says 35ft max but the sites are huge. My 5th wheel is 37ft & I had lots of room. I treated site 24 like a pull through & faced our slide out towards the hills. Lots to explore here. We stayed in middle of the week so it was quiet. We could hear owls in the hills at night. Very peaceful. Cel coverage is better in the fr... more
Awesome spot. It says 35ft max but the sites are huge. My 5th wheel is 37ft & I had lots of room. I treated site 24 like a pull through & faced our slide out towards the hills. Lots to explore here. We stayed in middle of the week so it was quiet. We could hear owls in the hills at night. Very peaceful. Cel coverage is better in the front of the park. I had almost no signal in back at site 24.
Kelly would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“What an isolated spot to enjoy the view and rocks ”
Reviewed 5/22/2019
Nightly rate: | $3 |
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Days stayed: | 1 |
Site Number: | 25 |
RV Length: | 0' |
We were heading out of California and needed something cheap and quiet. This was perfect
Greatest challenge was the last 5 miles of washboard road. Hubby took the advice of prior reviews and drove about 45 mph and really didn’t have much issues. Just watch as you get closer to camping area some road washed out on the edges
Liznparis would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Worth the access road”
Reviewed 3/18/2019
Nightly rate: | $3 |
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Days stayed: | 4 |
Site Number: | 12 |
RV Length: | 21' |
There are already many reviews here, so I'll just add a few notes. The secret to washboard roads is to drive FAST, not slow. At 35-45 mph, you ride right over the washboard because your suspension cannot respond to that frequency, and you experience no more than the road's roughness. (If you don't believe me, do a test run with you... more
There are already many reviews here, so I'll just add a few notes.
The secret to washboard roads is to drive FAST, not slow. At 35-45 mph, you ride right over the washboard because your suspension cannot respond to that frequency, and you experience no more than the road's roughness. (If you don't believe me, do a test run with your tow vehicle or toad.) You can keep up speed on Fossil Bed Road (off Irwin Rd), Rainbow Basin Road (first right turn), and Own Canyon Road (second right turn) up to the first dip. Go slow after that, due to bends, dips and ruts.
This is an OHV area, but don't plan to camp here with an OHV. OHVs are prohibited from the campground and surrounding area. There is a staging area on Fossil Bed Road, and I suppose you could camp there.
The campground was almost deserted when I arrived on Thursday, but filled up with tent campers Friday evening. I guess they were mostly Los Angelenos coming out after work for the weekend. They all left again Sunday morning.
I chose site 12 because I wanted a north-south orientation in keeping with the typical strong wind direction in March. I do not recommend this site. It was very narrow, and I needed 4WD to back the trailer up the gravel slope.
I had Verizon voice, but no data. There was a usable data signal outside the canyon at the group camping site.
John T would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Quiet and isolated ”
Reviewed 1/8/2019
Nightly rate: | $6 |
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Days stayed: | 1 |
Site Number: | 18 |
Desert boondocking at its finest! Spacious sites and near pit toilets make this a great place to spend the night. With our Senior Pass it was only $3
Even has swings for the kids. Beautiful desert landscapes after 5 miles of washboard dirt road to the entrance. Go slowly. No ruts or major holes to avoid.
Louisa would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Excellent ”
Reviewed 1/1/2019
Nightly rate: | $6 |
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Days stayed: | 3 |
Wonderful Mohave desert terrain with good canyon hikes in multiple directions. Lots of campsites, and very few people, it felt like we had it to ourselves despite two or three other distant neighbors. Good cell reception.
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Nice spot, reasonably close to town”
Reviewed 12/31/2018
Nightly rate: | $6 |
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Days stayed: | 2 |
Site Number: | 24 |
This is a lovely little BLM campground that we've stayed at a couple of times now. Neither time was it at all crowded, but both were in winter, so it may be different at other times of year. The sites are large and well-equipped, and the price is very reasonable. There's also a very pleasant(though short) hiking trail off the end of t... more
This is a lovely little BLM campground that we've stayed at a couple of times now. Neither time was it at all crowded, but both were in winter, so it may be different at other times of year. The sites are large and well-equipped, and the price is very reasonable. There's also a very pleasant(though short) hiking trail off the end of the west loop, well worth your time.
And I don't know why everyone's going on about the "rough road" coming out here - maybe it's worse some times than others? But it's a very reasonable gravel road. Sure, it has some washboarding - hello, GRAVEL. Not rough or rutted, though, and generally in better shape than most National Forest roads, for example.
Overall, the location is far enough from the interstate to be nicely secluded, while not taking an eternity to get there. A good balance, and scenic to boot.
String would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“What a gem! A lovely, spacious BLM campground with hiking trails, great views, and only $6 a night. But you have to work for it – nearly 5 miles of washboard dirt road in and no water for now.”
Reviewed 5/1/2018
Nightly rate: | $6 |
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Days stayed: | 2 |
Site Number: | 24 |
RV Length: | 33' |
Owl Canyon was a great find. Other than the long, bumpy road in (doable, just go slow) we really enjoyed our stay. I do suggest staying more than one night to make the washboard worthwhile. It also gives you time for the Owl Canyon Hike, the scenic drive through Rainbow Basin, and a run into Barstow. The campground is well laid out... more
Owl Canyon was a great find. Other than the long, bumpy road in (doable, just go slow) we really enjoyed our stay. I do suggest staying more than one night to make the washboard worthwhile. It also gives you time for the Owl Canyon Hike, the scenic drive through Rainbow Basin, and a run into Barstow.
The campground is well laid out, with several small loops, each with a pit toilet, garbage cans, and playground area. The sites are well spaced with some desert shrubs between. Each space has a covered picnic table, fire pit and grill. There is a sign saying that water is temporarily unavailable so come prepared. All sites are first come/first served and are available at no charge for day use until dusk. On a Tuesday in mid-April we had nearly the whole campground to ourselves.
The surrounding badlands are striking. The Owl Canyon trailhead is next to space #24 and is a fun hike up a dry wash with a little scrambling to keep it interesting. Another plus was our proximity to Barstow for shopping and services.
Verizon service here varied from none to 1-2 bars of 4G. The booster supposedly gave us 2 bars of 4G, but it wasn’t reliable for internet access.
Teddi & Roger would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Awesome Views”
Reviewed 4/25/2018
Nightly rate: | $6 |
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Days stayed: | 1 |
Site Number: | 27 |
Dirt road was washboard, but no problem. Campground was probably half full. The group campsite had a large geology student group in tents, but our site was far enough away to keep it quiet. It was windy there when we arrived, but we had a storm front going through. Sites were clean, but toilet near our spot was out of TP. Our s... more
Dirt road was washboard, but no problem. Campground was probably half full. The group campsite had a large geology student group in tents, but our site was far enough away to keep it quiet. It was windy there when we arrived, but we had a storm front going through. Sites were clean, but toilet near our spot was out of TP.
Our site was good, but next time would have picked a site to have a little more space for parking our RV (we didn’t want to be right next to someone else).
Rainbow Basin loop was beautiful. We drove it on the way out.
Cell service no problem.
SylviaK would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
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Amenities
Hookups
- dry camping
Recreation
- recreation trail
Site Amenities
- fire ring
- picnic table
Facilities
- restrooms: vault
- trash
- water available
Pets
- pets
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