Ground tents
Check the booked site’s tent capacity. First-come sites allow up to six people and three tents if they fit; not every reserved site holds that maximum.
Choose your camping setup
Start with how you sleep, then choose a campground and the right site category.
Cars, vans and RVs
Sleeping in a vehicle is allowed at a lawfully occupied designated campsite. It is prohibited at trailheads, parking lots and roadsides. Check the individual parking length.
Groups and horses
Cottonwood and Sheep Pass group sites are tents only. Indian Cove groups may use small RVs or trailers up to 25 feet combined. Black Rock and Ryan have horse camps.
Find your campground
See Joshua Tree campgrounds beside the park’s roads. Numbers match the comparison below; confirm your approach before traveling.
- Campground · numbers match the comparison
- Selected paved park roads
- Park boundary
Compare All 9 Joshua Tree Campgrounds
Compare locations, site types, dated operating seasons, facilities and published fees. Check the linked booking page for your site and travel year.
| Location | Campground | 2026 season | Tents & vehicles | Published campsite fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
1. Black RockDirections to Black Rock CampgroundBlack Rock Campground Campground location, not an assigned campsite. Check access and booking rules before travel. | Year-round | Check individual site typeRV max: Varies by site; site 61 fits 30 ft | $35 | |
2. CottonwoodDirections to Cottonwood CampgroundCottonwood Campground Campground location, not an assigned campsite. Check access and booking rules before travel. | Year-round | Check individual site typeRV max: Varies by site, if space permitsTrailer max: 35 ft | $35 | |
3. Indian CoveDirections to Indian Cove CampgroundIndian Cove Campground Campground location, not an assigned campsite. Check access and booking rules before travel. | Year-round | Check individual site typeRV max: Varies by site; group sites 25 ftTrailer max: 35 ft | $35 | |
4. Jumbo RocksDirections to Jumbo Rocks CampgroundJumbo Rocks Campground Campground location, not an assigned campsite. Check access and booking rules before travel. | Year-round | Check individual site typeRV max: Varies; longest site about 40 ftTrailer max: 20 ft | $30 | |
5. RyanDirections to Ryan CampgroundRyan Campground Campground location, not an assigned campsite. Check access and booking rules before travel. | Year-round | Check individual site typeRV max: Varies by siteTrailer max: 35 ft | $30 | |
6. Sheep PassDirections to Sheep Pass Group CampgroundSheep Pass Group Campground Campground location, not an assigned campsite. Check access and booking rules before travel. | Year-round | Tents onlyRV max: No RV sites | From $55 | |
7. BelleDirections to Belle CampgroundBelle Campground Campground location, not an assigned campsite. Check access and booking rules before travel. | Aug 29 – May 31 | Check individual site typeRV max: 35 ft combined; most sites 25 to 30Trailer max: 35 ft | $25 | |
8. Hidden ValleyDirections to Hidden Valley CampgroundHidden Valley Campground Campground location, not an assigned campsite. Check access and booking rules before travel. | Year-round | Check individual site typeRV max: 25 ft combinedTrailer max: 24 ft | $25 | |
9. White TankDirections to White Tank CampgroundWhite Tank Campground Campground location, not an assigned campsite. Check access and booking rules before travel. | Aug 29 – May 31 | Check individual site typeRV max: 25 ft combinedTrailer max: 24 ft | $25 |
- Joshua Tree boundary
- Reviewed park roads
- This campground
What does camping cost?
Compare the price and charging unit for your setup. The booking total depends on the selected site, travel year and applicable fees.
Standard campsites
$25 per campsite per night at Belle, Hidden Valley and White Tank; $30 at Jumbo Rocks and Ryan; $35 at Black Rock, Cottonwood and Indian Cove.
Groups
Sheep Pass group sites start at $55 per group campsite per night. Group size and campground determine the reservation total.
Backpacking
$6 per permit for one to twelve people, for a trip up to fourteen nights. It is not a nightly per-person fee.
Cyclists and horse campers
Ryan has three bicycle sites without support-vehicle parking, plus four reservable horse sites. Black Rock also has horse camping. Check the exact booking category and rate.
Which Campgrounds Are Open by Month
Read across each row for the 2026 season. Operating dates do not show campsite availability.
Scheduled all monthScheduled part of monthNo scheduled season
| Monthly context | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WeatherAvg high / low · °FTwentynine Palms, CA · station preview · 1991-2020 | 63°42° low | 67°44° low | 74°49° low | 81°55° low | 90°63° low | 99°71° low | 104°77° low | 103°76° low | 97°69° low | 85°58° low | 72°47° low | 62°40° low |
| Park crowdsAvg park visits · 2021–2025 | 264.5kHigh | 295.0kHigh | 410.9kPeak | 363.7kPeak | 253.7kHigh | 176.0kModerate | 136.5kModerate | 140.1kModerate | 161.9kModerate | 209.0kModerate | 312.6kHigh | 339.8kHigh |
| Campgrounds · 2026 | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
| Black RockYear-round | All month | All month | All month | All month | All month | All month | All month | All month | All month | All month | All month | All month |
| CottonwoodYear-round | All month | All month | All month | All month | All month | All month | All month | All month | All month | All month | All month | All month |
| Indian CoveYear-round | All month | All month | All month | All month | All month | All month | All month | All month | All month | All month | All month | All month |
| Jumbo RocksYear-round | All month | All month | All month | All month | All month | All month | All month | All month | All month | All month | All month | All month |
| RyanYear-round | All month | All month | All month | All month | All month | All month | All month | All month | All month | All month | All month | All month |
| Sheep PassYear-round | All month | All month | All month | All month | All month | All month | All month | All month | All month | All month | All month | All month |
| BelleAug 29 – May 31 | No season | No season | No season | No season | No season | No season | No season | No season | No season | No season | No season | No season |
| Hidden ValleyYear-round | All month | All month | All month | All month | All month | All month | All month | All month | All month | All month | All month | All month |
| White TankAug 29 – May 31 | No season | No season | No season | No season | No season | No season | No season | No season | No season | No season | No season | No season |
How to book Joshua Tree camping
Choose the campground, site type and travel dates before opening the booking page.
Reserve before driving in
Most sites can be reserved the same day or up to six months ahead on Recreation.gov. Cell service inside the park is limited.
First-come sites
Belle, Hidden Valley and White Tank use first-come camping. Occupy an empty site, then register and pay at an entrance station within one hour.
Backpacking
A separate $6 permit covers one to twelve people for up to fourteen nights. Carry your own water and use the correct backcountry zone.
Check your vehicle’s fit
Use published maximum lengths to make a shortlist, then check the individual campsite and route.
Enter your RV, van or trailer length
- Campground maximums are a shortlist. Check your individual site’s dimensions and equipment rules.
- Only published equipment lengths are listed. Check other sites in the comparison above.
- Use the operating calendar for dates and check the approach road before booking.
- BelleNo full hookups35 ftRV
- Hidden ValleyNo full hookups25 ftRV
- White TankNo full hookups25 ftRV
No campgrounds match these filters. Try a shorter setup or compare camping outside the park.
Know the camp rules
Plan for the park’s normal camping rules. Official conditions carry restrictions for your travel dates.
Water comes first
Black Rock and Cottonwood provide water. Most other campsites do not. No park campground has showers or hookups.
Secure food and trash
Use a secure container or vehicle so rodents and ravens cannot get in.
No hammocks at campgrounds
Do not attach lines to vegetation. Hammocks and slacklines are not permitted in campgrounds.
Camping outside the park
Compare the park’s gateway areas first, then confirm nearby campground seasons, fees and equipment rules with the operator.
Joshua Tree
Use the West Entrance from Park Boulevard for the main Joshua-tree and boulder corridor.
Twentynine Palms
Use the North Entrance from Utah Trail. Check the exact campground address against the entrance route.
Yucca Valley
Useful for Black Rock, which has its own approach. To reach the main park roads, drive outside the park to the West Entrance. Check the route for the activities you want.
Indio
Approach Cottonwood and the lower desert from Interstate 10. This is a different base from the northern gateway towns; compare the drive to your chosen park sights before booking.
Questions about Joshua Tree camping
Quick answers to the practical questions below.
Can you sleep in a car in Joshua Tree?
Yes, at a designated campsite you lawfully occupy. Sleeping in a vehicle at trailheads, parking lots or roadsides is not allowed.
Which Joshua Tree campgrounds have water?
Black Rock and Cottonwood have water. Most other campground sites do not. No campground has showers or hookups.
How do first-come campsites work?
At Belle, Hidden Valley or White Tank, occupy an empty site, then register and pay the $25 nightly site fee at an entrance station within one hour. Seasonal operations vary.
Is backpacking free in Joshua Tree?
No. Overnight backcountry stays need a $6 permit covering one to twelve people for up to fourteen nights.
How we built this page.
An independent guide using official data. Not affiliated with or endorsed by the National Park Service.
- Official guidance
- NPS and the relevant operators. The linked official pages support the access, facilities and rules described here. Confirm details before traveling.
- Crowd context
- 2021–2025 monthly averages. NPS recreation visits describe normal seasonal demand, not trail congestion, parking availability or unique visitors.
- Schedules and conditions
- Planning patterns, not live status. Seasonal information describes the normal pattern or explicitly dated source schedule. Current conditions are handled separately. The official source is the place to confirm today’s access.
Topic sources and data details
Campground locations, site counts, published fees and dated 2026 operating seasons come from the committed NPS/operator campground dataset. Normal setup and booking rules were checked against the official sources linked in each section.
The operating calendar aligns NOAA station climate normals with 2021–2025 NPS park visits. Weather varies with elevation and location; park visits do not measure campsite occupancy. Maps reuse reviewed park boundaries and road geometry. The vehicle shortlist does not guarantee an individual site or route will fit your equipment.
Operational source check: September 11, 2026. Design and emphasized source review: 2026-10-21. A design review does not refresh every underlying record.