We’ve spent a chunk of this winter in Southern California and have been loving the sunshine and bucket list sights! So today I’m sharing a few of our favorite boondocking in California spots from this winter. If you’re looking for boondocking locations in other states, I’ve got those, too!
As a fulltime RV family, we often disperse camp off-grid to save money, park in amazing places, and give our kids room to play freely. If you’re interested in learning more about the pros and cons of boondocking versus RV parks, I’ve written more about that here. And I’ve got a list of some of our favorite boondocking supplies if you’re needing some more gear to be comfortable without hookups.
If you’re new to boondocking and wanting to learn how, check out our instant download e-book with everything we’ve learned to be able to camp off-grid indefinitely for just $7! It’ll pay for itself if you skip just one night at an overpriced campground. Plus I promise you’ll see the most AMAZING sights once you get started!
Boondocking 101 Guide
This 10-page guide will assist RVers in learning the basics of boondocking, or camping off-grid! We share everything we’ve learned as a family living off-grid and boondocking in our RV.
Boondocking in California Locations
Alabama Hills Dispersed
Camping in the Alabama Hills Scenic Recreational Area is a bucket list move for any RVer. There simply is no more gorgeous place to park in my humble opinion. The downsides are that, much like Sedona boondocking, dispersed camping in Alabama Hills has recently become much more restricted. This means that there are only a handful of sites where big rigs can fit and you’re allowed to camp. So you might struggle to find a place on a weekend (consider Tuttle Creek Campground as a backup!). The place we parked was the easiest to access for our giant truck and trailer and is called Movie Flat Designated Dispersed on Campendium. There are a bunch more spots for vans and truck campers.
There’s a parking lot at the corner of Movie Road and Whitney Portal road where you can unhitch and scout if you’re nervous about finding a spot. Be sure to take Lubken Canyon Road to access the area with anything larger than a truck. Whitney Portal Road is washed out and closed as of Spring 2024. Tuttle Creek Road was windy even with just our truck alone.
Be aware that, unlike many dispersed camping areas, Alabama Hills has a 7 day stay limit and 14 day a year maximum. We saw several rangers during our stay and they are enforcing the rules. You might also want to pay attention to the wind forecast and face your rig accordingly. It was very windy every single day the entire week we were there.
That said, this spot is absolutely breathtaking and worth the trouble. Take a sunrise hike from your front door. Thank me later.
Joshua Tree South Dispersed
This is a fabulous spot if you’re visiting Joshua Tree National Park or Palm Springs (looking for Palm Springs ideas?). It’s pretty with nice sunsets, although not the most beautiful spot we’ve ever seen. Its best perks are the national park you can walk into, the large amount of space so everyone can spread out, and the super easy access from a major highway without being noisy. The downside is that it’s on the southern end of the national park so the major highlights are a bit of a drive. But the boondocking on the other side of the park is a bit sketch, so families especially seem to prefer this side.
Plus there’s a nearby dump and fill in the national park campground. This is a great boondocking in California spot for those who are newer to dispersed camping and looking to get their feet wet. Our friends came to camp with us here and shortly afterwards added more solar to their roof so they can boondock more often!
Trona Pinnacles
Trona Pinnacles is another bucket list boondocking in California spot. There’s tons of space for rigs of any size, and the views are absolutely incredible. Especially of nighttime stars and springtime flowers (blooming the first week of April in 2024!). There’s a main parking lot with a maintained pit toilet where we parked because we didn’t want to risk driving further back. But you can simply park here and scout further back; we did see a few larger spots back there for the brave.
Be aware that the road in is very bad. Like one of the worst we’ve done, including mud, sharp rocks, ditches, deep sand, and a big hill. Don’t come for several days after rain and leave if rain is forecasted. We saw a lot of wham I’m deeming “cautionary tale” mud tracks on the way in from vehicles who came when it was too wet and got stuck.
Reviews note that it’s busy on weekends with ATVs, but we had a really peaceful and beautiful mid-week stay. The sunsets are incredible, and there’s no shortage of Mars-like views in every direction.
Other Boondocking in California Spots
These are some other boondocking in California spots you might consider. I researched them for us, but didn’t end up using them (except O’Neill):
- Corvina Beach Campground on the Salton Sea (be aware that the Salton is toxic)
- Hot Springs near Mammoth Lake (there are a bunch of spots out there on iOverlander)
- Casinos near Palm Springs like Spotlight 29 & Morongo
- O’Neill Regional Park (dry camping near LA, the road in is very curvy!)
If none of these options work for you, these are our favorite boondocking apps for looking up more places to stay!
I hope this list has given you some amazing boondocking in California ideas! If you have any amazing spots in Northern California where we haven’t boondocked yet, please email them to kateophalen@gmail.com so I can share. And if you’re looking for boondocking gear recs, I’ve got a list of some of our favorite stuff.
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