Camping

Mojave National Preserve provides opportunities for both RV and tent camping.

NPS

Camping in Mojave National Preserve is an enjoyable and rewarding experience for visitors of all ages, backgrounds, and experience levels. Developed campgrounds are ideal for less experienced campers or visitors with passenger vehicles and RVs, while previously used undeveloped roadside camping sites offer a more wild experience for well-prepared four-wheel-drive vehicle based campers. For the adventurous and dedicated expert desert backpacker, there are more that 700,000 acres of wilderness to explore on foot.

All campgrounds are first-come, first-serve with the exception of the group campsites which require a reservation. Cashless payments can be made via Pay.Gov. These payments do not secure or reserve a site. Public Wi-fi is available at Hole-in-the-Wall Visitor Center. Be sure to follow our camping regulations.

Note: On December 23, 2024, all campgrounds will only be reservable online at recreation.gov or by calling 877-444-6777 for nights beginning January 1, 2025.

 

Developed Campgrounds

If you're looking for a designated camping spot with two-wheel drive passenger vehicle access that can accommodate most RVs and trailers, one of the three developed campgrounds, Mid Hills, Hole-in-the-Wall, and Black Canyon is your best choice. These three campgrounds are open year-round. These sites are equipped with vault toilets, trash receptacles, fire rings and picnic tables. Mid Hills and Hole-in-the-Wall can accommodate up to 8 people per site and are first-come, first-served. Water is available at Hole-in-the-Wall and Black Canyon Group Campgrounds, while water needs to be hauled in at Mid Hills. Potable water for filling bottles and camping jugs is available for all overnight and day use visitors at the Hole-in-the-Wall Visitor Center and Kelso Depot. Spigots in the preserve are not set up for filling RV water tanks. A dump station for RV tanks and portable toilets is available at Hole-in-the-Wall Campground.

Groups larger than 8 people will need to make reservations for Black Canyon Group and Equestrian Campground.

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Camping is first come, first served. Weekends can be busy.

Camping is first-come, first-served at both the Hole-in-the-Wall and Mid Hills Campgrounds. The Hole-in-the-Wall Campground is popular during the spring and fall season and can reach capacity on Friday and Saturday evenings.

 

Pay your campground fees on Pay.gov

Cashless payments for campsites are highly preferred and may be paid on Pay.gov. Limited cellphone coverage in the area may limit access to the payment platform, but public NPS Visitor Wifi is available at the Hole-in-the-Wall Information Center (Including on the outside porch area after hours). Information how to pay for a site and the Pay.gov link are available at Mojave Campground Fees. 

NOTE: Payment of fees IS NOT A RESERVATION, It is best to select a site before paying your fees.

Contact us if you paid ahead of time and the campground was full when you arrived.

 

Average Weather at the Developed Campgrounds

Average Day and Night Temperatures (°F)	Mid Hills Campground 5,600 ft elevation	Hole-in-the-Wall Campground 4,400 ft elevation
April to May	Day 45°F to 65°F Night 35°F to 50°F	Day 55°F to 75°F Night 45°F to 60°F
June to August	Day 60°F to 100°F Night 55°F to 80°F	Day 70°F to 105°F Night 65°F to 75°F
September to October	Day 45°F to 70°F Night 40°F to 60°F	Day 55°F to 80°F Night 50°F to 70°F
November to March	Day 30°F to 50°F Night 10°F to 30°F	Day 40°F to 60°F Night 20°F to 40°F

 

Camping with Horses and Other Pack Animals

Horses and riders are welcome in Mojave National Preserve! Horses and/or other pack animals (llamas and mules) are permitted on all trails, backcountry roads, and open country (including wilderness areas) within the preserve.

Developed camping facilities are available at the Black Canyon Equestrian & Group Campground. Backcountry users should familiarize themselves with guidelines and regulations for backcountry travel and camping, as well as the following:

• Free-trailing or loose-herding is prohibited throughout the preserve
• Ranging/grazing is prohibited; Livestock must be fed certified weed-free hay or pelleted food before arrival and during their stay in the preserve.
• All manure should be raked out and spread over a large area.
• Horse camps should be at least 200 yards from a water source.
• Up to 7 animals are allowed per group; othwerwise, a Special Use Permit is required.

Horse rentals are unavailable in the preserve. So, bring your own horse (B.Y.O.H.). 

Backpacking

Backpackers will enjoy sweeping views, solitude, nearly 700,000 acres of designated wilderness, and a truly dark nighttime canopy of countless stars. There is rarely naturally occuring water in the preserve, so prepare to carry all your own water or create an itinerary that stops by either park sources at Hole-in-the-Wall or Kelso Depot. Make sure you contact us prior to your trip about your plans for parking your vehicle overnight. This helps us monitor the preserve for abandoned vehicles.  

Undeveloped or Roadside Camping Sites

Camping outside of developed campgrounds takes extra skill in route-finding, handling unimproved roads, planning ahead, and attention to the Leave No Trace principles to protect the wildness of Mojave National Preserve backcountry. The follwing rules and guidelines apply:
 

• Firewood collecting is not allowed, save the rare downed wood for the plants and wildlife that need healthy soil. Bring firewood with you from outside the preserve (if fire conditions permit)
• Use only prexisting sites on durable surfaces, do not park on undisturbed soil or vegetation
• Do not build new rings.
• Do not make new sites. If you see crunched vegation, or have to drive over any, its not a legal site, find an alternative spot
• Pack it in, pack it out, including your toilet paper - no body likes to see or pick up used toilet paper, especially your fellow campers 
• Bury human waste at least 6 inches deep, or pack it out as well. 
• Find a site that fits your group. Do not expand the size of the site to accomodate extra vehicles or tents.
• Groups with 8 or more vehicles and/or 25 or more people require a special use permit. Large unpermitted groups have caused extensive damage to vegetation and soil. 
• Most roadside & undeveliped camping areas require a high clearnance, four wheel drive vehicle to access safely. 

 

A volunteer service group camping out in a previously disturbed campsite near Cowhole Mountain.

NPS Photo / Sierra Willoughby

Roadside or Undeveloped Campsites

Undeveloped roadside campsites are an option for well-prepared campers who are self-sufficient and have a vehicle that can handle rougher road conditions. Most sites require a high clearance, four-wheel-drive vehicle to access, while a select few can be found where two-wheel drive high clearance would be adequate. (Note that backcountry road conditions can change at anytime) There is a 14-day camping limit. There is no fee to camp at an undeveloped campground.

Roadside and Undeveloped Camping Regulations

• Roadside and undeveloped camping must be in previously used sites outside of any posted no camping areas, or areas listed below.
• In order to protect sensitive habitat for wildlife, campsites must be more than 200 yards from any natural or constructed water source.
• Groups over 7 vehicles/ 25 people and/or organized events will need to obtain a permit Large groups can cause extensive damage to vegetation in non permitted areas. A permit ranger may be able to assist you and your group to find an appropriate site to stay.
• Vehicles must remain in previously disturbed areas. The creation of new campsites will not be allowed. Driving off of established roads is not permitted.
• Campfires are allowed in existing fire ring or in a fire pan. Constructing New Fire rings is not allowed
• Collecting and or cutting firewood is prohibited in the Preserve. Bring your firewood with your from outside the preserve
• Backcountry campers may camp anywhere in the Preserve outside of designated day use only areas but must erect their tent out of sight of paved roads.
• Trash must be packed out, leave the area cleaner than you found it.
• Human waste must be buried at least 6 inches deep, toilet paper needs to be packed out as trash. Nobody likes to find used toilet paper on their national park expereince.
• Do not bury or leave behind any food scraps, trash, or compost. This attracts ravens and other predators of the threatened desert tortoise.

Areas Where Camping is prohibited

• All areas within ¼ mile of paved roads, unless formally designated as a camping area.

• The access road to the Kelso Dunes, the parking lot, and the area north of the road to the crest of the dunes, or a distance of 1 mile, and the area ¼ mile south of the road.

• All areas within ¼ mile of the access road to Zzyzx, including the visitor parking lot.

• All areas within ½ mile of Fort Piute.

• All areas within ½ mile of the Kelso Depot.

Additional undeveloped campsites can be found here

 

Caution:

No maintenance is performed on dirt roads in Mojave National Preserve. Drivers should be prepared for a wilderness experience with rough and narrow roads, no turn arounds, soft sand, and self-rescue and survial. Drivers are advised not go beyond the GPS points. Wilderness dirt roads were not designed to support RVs. Going beyond the GPS points increases your chances of getting stuck. Please do additional research prior to heading to any undeveloped campsite.

 

Black Canyon Road

Name	GPS	Miles from the Freeway	Class Size	Hazard Warnings
Black Canyon North Site	34.9824, -115.3889	15.3 Miles from I-40	A, B, C	Large rocks and desert pin stripping. Limited space.
Black Canyon South Site	34.9352, -115.412	13.5 Miles from I-15	A, B, C	Narrow with some divits.

 

Cima Road

Name	GPS	Miles from the Freeway	Class Size	Hazard Warnings
Sunrise Rocks	35.3152, -115.5508	11.1 Miles from I-15	A, B, C	Rocky road and soft sand. 4WD recommned.

 

Kelbaker Road

Name	GPS	Miles from the Freeway	Class Size	Hazard Warnings
Soda Dry Lake View	35.2533, -115.8915	11.1 Miles from I-15	A, B, C	Soft sand and no turn around beyond GPS point. Soft sand at final right turn into the campsite.
Black Tank Wash	35.2004412, -115.8720195	13.5 Miles from 1-15	A, B, C	Camp East of Kelbaker Road; Soft sand West of Kelbaker Road.
Vulcan Mine Road	34.958053, -115.638608	38.5 Miles from I-15; 18.9 Miles from I-40	A, B, C	No turn around beyond GPS Point. 4WD and High Clearance beyond GPS Point.
Kelso Dunes Mine	34.8881, -115.7166	46.6 Miles from I-15; 18.5 Miles from I-40	A, B, C	Washboard road beyond hiking trailhead.
Hidden Hills	34.7937, -115.6031	6.9 Miles from I-40	Small RVs B,C	Uneven dirt road.
Van Winkle Mountain	34.7777, -115.6076	6.2 Miles from I-40	Small RVs B,C	Desert pin striping hazard. May hear gun shots during quail hunting season.
Dharma Tower	34.765977, -115.634573	4.1 Miles from I-40	Small RVs B,C	Turn on to dirt road at this coordinate. Google Maps will send you the wrong way if you use the tower coordinates. Tower wires may limit taller RVs.
Kelbaker Boulders	34.7457, -115.652	2.5 Miles from I-40	Small RVs B,C	Soft sand and 4WD beyond GPS coordinates.

 

Undeveloped Campsites

Camping in undeveloped campsites is allowed in previously used or disturbed sites outside of the "day-use-only" areas. In most cases these sites include a rock or metal fire ring; not all sites contain a fire ring. All fires must be in a fire ring or fire pan; new fire rings cannot be constructed. Camping tramples vegetation and disturbs soils. By reusing existing sites, you help protect the desert from further damage. Practice Leave No Trace principles, including burrying human waste at least six inches deep.

Careful planning and knowledge of camping guidelines and regulations will help ensure an enjoyable and safe experience for you, future visitors, and the fragile desert environment.

Selected Undeveloped Campsites

Read further descriptions below for more detailed information of primitive campsite locations. Remember your vehicle's limitations and do not drive on roads you are not well-prepared for. Tows are very expensive, and cell phone service is sporadic and unreliable.

Near Kelbaker Road

Rainy Day Mine Area: 15.2 miles southeast of Baker on Kelbaker Road, then 0.3 miles northeast on the unsigned and very sandy road to the Rainy Day Mine. Four-wheel drive recommended; no RVs. There are several campsites along this road. Try (35.185453, -115.844435) or (35.184616, -115.842014).

Aiken Mine Road: 20 miles east of Baker, left turn on a signed rocky dirt road. Several campsites are located along this road, before the Lava Tube. Look on either side of historic cattle corrals along the northwest side of the road. High clearance recommended. Try (35.174747, -115.776423) or (35.212451, -115.754157).

Kelso Dunes: 4 miles west of Kelbaker Road on the unpaved Kelso Dunes Road. One campsite is located south of the road, 1/4 mile past the marked trailhead. Several others are available 3/4 mile beyond. Except at these sites, camping is prohibited along Kelso Dunes Road. Camping is also prohibited at the trailhead. Try (34.890180, -115.704906) or (34.888239, -115.716633).

Granite Pass: 6.1 miles north of I-40 on Kelbaker Road, just north of Granite Pass, then west on one of several access roads. Campsites are located just north of the granite spires. High clearance vehicle recommended; no RVs. Try (34.814501, -115.614250) or (34.812656, -115.620957).

Near Cima Road

Sunrise Rock: 12 miles south of I-15 on the east side of Cima Road. Trailhead for Teutonia Peak Trail is nearby on the opposite side of Cima Road. Try (35.316808, -115.544942), which is OK for most 2WD vehicles, or (35.317035, -115.547231), which is High Clearance/4WD recommended.

Near Morning Star Mine Road

Billy Boy Mine area: Four miles north of Cima on Morning Star Mine road. When the road curves to the east, the primitive campsite is to the north, very close to the road. This is a good choice for RVs. (35.293849, -115.494188)

Near Black Canyon Road

Black Canyon Road: About 4 miles south of Hole-in-the-Wall Information Center on the east side of Black Canyon Road, above the wash and near a hill with excellent views of the Providence Mountains. (34.982297, -115.388995)

Another site is located about 4 miles futher south, also on the east side of Black Canyon Road, near rock piles. (34.935308, -115.412278)

Near Ivanpah and Cedar Canyon Roads

New York Mountains: 5.5 miles west of Ivanpah Road on New York Mountains Road. There are dozens of campsites along this road and along the intersecting Caruthers Canyon Road. High clearance and four-wheel drive recommended; no RVs. Try (35.216125, -115.313074) or (35.212588, -115.313540).

Keystone Canyon: Approx. 15 miles south of Ivanpah Road and Morning Star Mine Road junction. High clearance and four-wheel drive recommended; no RVs. Try (35.278757, -115.251838) or (35.272988, -115.270310).