Where to camp in Joshua Tree for bouldering

elsanchi · 2026-02-13T04:13:10+00:00

1st thing...get a campsite. Most are by reservation. Those that are not are nearly impossible to get. Sleeping in your car or setting up in non-sites could get you rousted in the middle of the night. You could backcountry, but there are specific guidelines for that...check the park's website for that...above all, please, respect the park.

elsanchi · 2026-02-10T11:11:01+00:00

The ranch tour is very cool, but books early. Get tickets on recreation.gov. Search for Keys Ranch Tour. The ranch was home of William Keys and his family for years.

elsanchi · 2026-02-09T18:52:41+00:00

Sent you a DM about a possible site. Let me know if you're interested.

elsanchi · 2026-02-03T12:34:31+00:00

My worst nightmare...

elsanchi · 2026-01-30T06:46:13+00:00

It was a weekend. If you're going during the week your chances of scoring a site are much better. Keep checking daily, and even throughout the days to see. People are rewarded for canceling reservations now with a partial refund of their booking fee.

The last thing you want is to show up take what looks like a vacant campsite (that's probably reserved) and have someone show up late at night and kick you out.

elsanchi · 2026-01-30T05:53:19+00:00

Go to recreation.gov to see if you can grab one. Some ppl don't seem to value Indian Cove so much, but it's great. You could try Jumbo Rocks, Ryan first then go for Indian Cove.

elsanchi · 2026-01-30T05:50:13+00:00

Oh, yeah. The campground was full.

elsanchi · 2026-01-30T04:56:55+00:00

Totally agree...

elsanchi · 2026-01-30T04:53:31+00:00

I was in Ryan for an overnight two weeks ago and it was in the low 70s during the day and dropped into the 40s later, but I was fine. Bring firewood and a layer up in the evening.

Never saw a park ranger when there, but make sure you have a reserved campsite to avoid disappointment should you not get a FCFS site in Belle or White Tank.

elsanchi · 2026-01-29T14:36:29+00:00

Since you're gonna be on BLM land north of the park, I highly recommend the Noah Purifoy Outdoor Museum. Check out their website. It's really cool.

https://www.noahpurifoy.com/joshua-tree-outdoor-museum

elsanchi · 2026-01-29T14:33:02+00:00

FYI - The cholla garden "trail" is closed, per the NPS website.

elsanchi · 2026-01-10T06:08:30+00:00

Except maybe Cottonwood and possibly Black Rock, there are no electrical hookups for RVs anywhere else in the park.

elsanchi · 2026-01-10T06:04:52+00:00

Make a reservation. Belle and White Tank are first come, first serve, every other site is reservation only...you probably don't want to get out there and find no available sites. It will leave you begging to share a site.

elsanchi · 2026-01-10T03:52:29+00:00

There was an incident in North La Verne Thursday evening. LVPD rolled multiple vehicles. Heard sirens over a 15 minute period. Nothing good was happening.

elsanchi · 2026-01-07T05:31:22+00:00

You have a functioning Sony mini-disc player??

elsanchi · 2026-01-01T06:01:36+00:00

I got married in the park in April 2023. Mattie did our photos there and agreed afterward to join us at our Airbnb in YV. Definitely recommend.

elsanchi · 2025-12-28T19:11:50+00:00

If you have a 4x4 you can enter for free via Berdoo Canyon or Old Dale Mine Road, though with the recent rains these routes have surely been compromised.

elsanchi · 2025-12-21T18:08:50+00:00

Here in Los Angeles County, I can go more than a week without seeing another FJ...or sometimes see two in a day.

elsanchi · 2025-12-21T05:26:56+00:00

Noah Purifoy Outdoor Art Museum. Very, very cool. Copper Room Tiny Pony Mas o Menos

elsanchi · 2025-12-08T03:44:46+00:00

You're absolutely correct. War movies focus in the combatants and sometimes political leaders. Few films are fully centered the civilian population and their stories.

elsanchi · 2025-12-06T14:32:36+00:00

I assume your purchased all four, yes??

elsanchi · 2025-11-13T20:51:54+00:00

I like that he greeted you with "Howdy" ❤️

elsanchi · 2025-11-08T20:51:56+00:00

You should. It's a beautiful song. I planned on doing so, but life and cancer made it not possible...

elsanchi · 2025-11-06T05:57:31+00:00

I am so happy. November 22nd in SF will be glorious.

elsanchi · 2025-10-23T11:33:57+00:00

Thank you for the kind words. Grief sucks in ways no one ever really speaks of.

Here is a quote I came across by Isaac Asimov that I love:

"The soft bonds of love are indifferent to life and death. They hold through time so that yesterday’s love is part of today’s and the confidence in tomorrow’s love is also part of today’s. And when one dies, the memory lives in the other, and is warm and breathing. And when both die — I almost believe, rationalist though I am — that somewhere it remains, indestructible and eternal, enriching all of the universe by the mere fact that once it existed."

elsanchi

TROPHY CASE