Joshua Tree National Park has about 500 campsites in nine campgrounds. From fall to spring they fill up: the park says every campground is usually full on weekends from fall through May, and the first-come sites go by Friday afternoon. Here's how each campground compares, how to get a site, and where to go if the park is full.

Joshua Tree campgrounds at a glance

Campground Sites Fee (2026) Elevation Water and toilets Booking
Black Rock 99 $35 4,000 ft Water, flush toilets, dump station Reservations
Cottonwood 62 $35 3,000 ft Water, flush toilets, dump station Reservations
Indian Cove 101 $35 3,200 ft Pit toilets, no water Reservations
Jumbo Rocks 124 $30 4,400 ft Pit toilets, no water Reservations
Ryan 31 $30 4,000 ft Pit toilets, no water Reservations
Sheep Pass (group) 6 group sites From $55 4,500 ft Pit toilets, no water Reservations
Hidden Valley 44 $25 4,200 ft Pit toilets, no water First come
White Tank 15 $25 3,800 ft Pit toilets, no water First come
Belle 18 $25 3,800 ft Pit toilets, no water First come

Every site has a table and a fire grate. No campground has showers, and only Black Rock and Cottonwood have water.

The best campground for you

  • Most sites to choose from: Jumbo Rocks, the largest (124 sites), centrally located with views of the rock formations.
  • Without a reservation, any time of year: Hidden Valley, first come and open all year.
  • With water and a dump station: Black Rock or Cottonwood (next to its visitor center), the only two with flush toilets and water.
  • With a group: Indian Cove, whose 101 sites include 13 group sites that take small RVs or trailers up to 25 feet combined.
  • Small: White Tank (15 sites) and Belle (18), both first come and both closed temporarily in summer.
  • With a horse: Black Rock and Ryan have designated horse camps; you must bring a horse to book one.

How to get a campsite

Reservations

  • Black Rock, Cottonwood, Indian Cove, Jumbo Rocks, Ryan and Sheep Pass are reservation only, plus the Cottonwood and Indian Cove group sites (Ryan's three $5 bicycle sites are first come).
  • Book on Recreation.gov or at 1-877-444-6777, from the same day up to 6 months ahead.
  • The park recommends booking for any holiday or weekend, and for any day in spring; its busy season runs October to May.
  • Book before you arrive: cell service in the park is very limited.
  • There's no formal check-in: drive in and take your site. If you'll arrive a night late, call 760-367-3001 so the reservation isn't cancelled.

First-come sites: Hidden Valley, White Tank and Belle

  1. Find an empty site and occupy it (set up a tent or leave gear in it).
  2. Go straight to an entrance station and pay $25 a night within one hour. Card only. If the entrance stations are closed, pay the next morning.
  3. Up to six people and three tents, and two vehicles if they fit.

These sites are full nearly every weekend from September to May, usually by Friday afternoon, and most weeknights from mid-February to mid-May. Arrive early in the week.

Summer

Summer is the quiet season, but expect partial closures: White Tank and Belle close temporarily, some Black Rock sites close, Indian Cove keeps only 39 reservable sites between Memorial Day and Labor Day, and at Cottonwood Loop B usually closes while Loop A goes first come. Hidden Valley stays open all year.

Campground rules

  • Stay limit: 30 nights a year in the park, and only 14 of them from October to May.
  • Check-out at noon; reserved sites can be occupied after noon. Quiet hours 10 p.m. to 6 a.m.
  • Generators only 7–9 a.m., noon–2 p.m. and 5–7 p.m.
  • Vehicles: usually two per site, sometimes one. A trailer, pop-up or towed car counts as a vehicle, and there's no overflow parking in the park.
  • Pets on a leash at all times and never left unattended.
  • No hammocks or slacklines in campgrounds, and nothing tied to Joshua trees, junipers or other plants.
  • Campfires only in your site's fire ring, with an annual ban from June 15 to October 1. Firewood isn't sold in the park; buy it in town. Charcoal grills are fine.
  • Store food and trash in your vehicle or a secure container; ravens and rodents get into anything left out.

Fees and passes

The entrance fee is $30 per vehicle, good for 7 days ($25 per motorcycle, $15 per person on foot or bike). Senior and Access pass holders pay half the camping fee ($12.50 to $17.50 a night). The per-person fee applies from age 16. A $55 Joshua Tree annual pass or an America the Beautiful pass covers it; the senior pass does too.

RV camping in Joshua Tree

There are no hookups anywhere in the park. Some sites at Jumbo Rocks, Indian Cove, Black Rock and Cottonwood take an RV with a combined length of up to 35 feet including any towed vehicle; check each site's limit on Recreation.gov before you book. At first-come Hidden Valley and White Tank, RVs and trailers may not exceed 25 feet combined; Belle has a few sites (2, 4, 6–8, 14–18) for up to 35 feet, though most fit 25–30 feet. Dump stations are at Black Rock (near site 6) and Cottonwood (between the visitor center and the campground), $5, paid at any entrance station, with water fill stations at the same two campgrounds. The Indian Cove group sites take small RVs up to 25 feet combined; the Cottonwood and Sheep Pass group sites are tents only.

Group camping

Group sites at Cottonwood, Indian Cove and Sheep Pass hold 10 to 60 people and can be reserved up to 6 months ahead. Respect the vehicle limit: extra cars have nowhere to park.

Backcountry camping

  • A permit is required for every overnight trip: $6 for a group of 1 to 12, for up to 14 nights, with no more than 3 consecutive nights in one zone.
  • Book on Recreation.gov, by phone at 1-877-444-6777, or in person at the permit office at park headquarters in Twentynine Palms (8 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily). Self-registration permits are no longer used.
  • Permits can be booked up to 6 months ahead. No pets in the backcountry.
  • You camp in one of 15 zones; in the busy Boy Scout zone, only at its 14 designated sites.
  • Park only at the 13 backcountry trailheads or outside the park.
  • No campfires in the backcountry, and burying human waste is no longer allowed: pack it out in a wag bag.

When the park is full

Sleeping in your vehicle along a road or at a pullout is not allowed. Instead:

  • BLM land north and south of the park allows dispersed camping in the areas shown on the park's maps, at least 300 feet from roads and away from posted closures, with no facilities; the northern area is surrounded by private land where camping isn't allowed, and campfires need a BLM permit. See California dispersed camping for the details.
  • Private campgrounds listed by the park include Joshua Tree Lake RV & Campground and Joshua Tree RV & Campground in Joshua Tree, Desert Drifter RV Resort in Yucca Valley, Twentynine Palms RV Resort, Pioneertown Corrals, and, south of the park, Chiriaco Summit, the Palm Springs/Joshua Tree KOA in Desert Hot Springs and Emerald Desert RV Resort in Palm Desert.
  • Joshua Tree Lake RV & Campground has RV sites with power, water and sewer, dry camping, drive-up tent sites, cabins, and hot showers for guests.

Glamping near Joshua Tree

AutoCamp Joshua Tree rents 31-foot Airstreams with a private bathroom and kitchenette, and modern cabins, with a pool and clubhouse. Hipcamp lists more glamping and tent sites on private land near the park.

Before you go

  • Bring all your water unless you're at Black Rock or Cottonwood, and more than you think you'll need.
  • Check current conditions: as of November 2026, Geology Tour Road was closed by flooding.
  • Nights get cold at 4,000 feet in winter, even when days are warm.
  • Showers are available for a fee at some private campgrounds, gyms and travel centers in town.

To sleep in an Airstream, yurt or cabin instead, see Joshua Tree glamping. For the rest of the state, see our California camping guide, and for another desert park, Death Valley camping.