roadtripper3816162

There’s a whole cow carcass, and a big pile of household construction debris to play in. And it’s all just here, free!

Worked out for an overnight. Showed up at 2:30p and settled right in no problem. They even loaned me a 30 amp adapter since they only have 50. Need to leave by 8am in the hookup spots. Lots of road noise all night but it is what it is. Appreciate the convenience.

Based on reviews I was expecting a band of naked hippies dancing and chanting around a bonfire. What I found was a quiet and peaceful retreat with stellar star-gazing. Stayed three nights. First there was only one other soul in sight. Over the weekend, a few trickled in and out. All was silent every evening. I only give it 4 stars because there’s not much to do in the area and your trip here will be very deliberate. 30 miles on gravel from the north, but easily navigable in any vehicle. It’s not on the way to anything. 30 minutes to nearest gas, food and conveniences at field station. Great Verizon service with data.

This is a wide open, dry lake bed that goes for miles, so ample room to space out if you have neighbors, but I did not. In three days, I saw only two vehicles pass by on the road, but it may be because the road to Death Valley was closed.

Solid Verizon data service in the northeast corner, but spotty everywhere else.

For OHVs, this is a great place to tear up, but not much to do otherwise. Some fun geocaching nearby that will lead you to some quirky places.

If you like being alone, this is your spot, at least in November when I visited.

Goat heads everywhere to plague your dog. Someone was so upset that the restrooms are closed that they unloaded in front of the door. But it’s free and near Twin so I won’t turn my nose at it. Six spots. One can fit a rig about 35’. The rest are parking pads

This is normally the kind of camp I wouldn’t review for fear of drawing too much attention, but from my experience, the secret’s out.

There are 12 sites, some big some small. Barely a drive to various hiking trails in Madera, or plenty of paths to explore from camp. A short walk behind the right camps leads you to a large stream (the same one you’ll drive through to enter) which was great for the dogs on hot days.

I drive a van pulling a trailer. No 4wd. I was fine. Don’t let the entry scare ya. Verizon 2 bars 4g. Sometimes a little fickle at my site but I was nestled against the hills. Overall the area had good coverage.

Free range cattle and deer everywhere. Spotted a pack of javelina once way off the beaten path. No other wildlife to speak of. One of my favorite things was an unusual lack of bugs. Door wide open, no problem.

You’ll drive a half hour for any conveniences, but that’s typical. It’s a popular place. Other than a few weekdays, most sites were occupied. My biggest beef is that during my 14 day stay, four different groups of campers took the liberty to share my site and only one had the decency to ask if it was cool. As a full-timer, I spend entire days sometimes hunting for a good secluded spot. It’s pretty offensive when someone squats and strips that away out of laziness.

Anyway, you don’t care about that. Loved this place. If you’re browsing sites, give it a shot.

Not sure why other reviews called this place spacious. Drove four hours here based on having wifi and such positive feedback. It's packed tight with residents, and even driving the loop around can be tricky. You could probably jump from trailer to trailer. I only counted two open sites but left and ended up camping a little further down the road at Choke Canyon SP.

Sorry fam. No overnight camping posted. Pretty spot for a day trip though.

Wide open track for off-roading with plenty of space to roam. Fire rings strewn about. Soft, red sand but well packed. Had no trouble pulling a 25’ tt with a van. How deep you go depends on your vehicle. I chose the first spot left through the gate to stay out of the way if any dirt bikes or atvs came to use it, but none did. Only camper for a night. Would have stayed longer but a coming storm ushered me along.

There is highway noise and an occasional train. No big deal for a former city kid. 30 min from white sands.

GPS took me into some private crossing to u-turn for some reason. When you get close just follow the red dot.

Note: Site 2 is not free. It is the only site with water and electric hookups (water is on wrong side and 30/50 is at the rear, so you may need some clever positioning). There’s no posted fee indication, and as I was the only camper, I naturally chose it for the water, but didn’t plug in power since I run solar. A police officer informed me the next morning it’s $25 a night for that spot and I’d need to register and pay in town. He kindly asked that I move to a different site, which I did.

Pros: on a large duck pond so the dogs enjoyed getting to wade in the water after a day in the sun. Clean restroom facilities. A few water taps around the site. Trash cans at every site. 3 bars Verizon 4G.

Cons: lots of road noise. Lots of foot traffic since the pond has a paved trail around it that seems popular with the locals. Otherwise, not much activity at night. There was one car full of teens that parked next to me around 8-9 and it was hard to make out but it sounded like they were yelling for me to come out. Equipped my arms but decided against responding to taunts, writing it off as dumb kids, and they left after 15-20 min. No other surprise visits.

I wouldn’t avoid this camp, but wouldn’t target it either unless I needed to refill water. Better than the other options I scouted within an hour drive. I prefer more solitude than what I got, even as the sole tenant.