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The Mojave Desert holds a special kind of beauty, and at Heart of the Mojave West BLM site, you get that beauty in spades. Stunning rock formations paint the sunset in fiery hues, and the vast silence offers a welcome escape from city noise. However, before you picture yourself parked amidst desert serenity, there are a few crucial things to know:

Choose Wisely: As you enter the site, don't be hasty. The first set of four campsites to the right might seem tempting, but trust me, keep going. These spots are notoriously close to a wicked dune that loves to swallow unsuspecting vehicles.

Deep Deceptions: Venture too far and you'll find yourself surrounded by seemingly harmless sandy patches. Don't let the calmness fool you! This soft, deep sand is an expert at trapping rigs, and extracting yourself can be a full-day odyssey (ask me how I know!).

Scouting is Survival: This is not the place for winging it. Before committing to a spot, scout your campsite thoroughly on foot. Check for hidden dips, test the firmness of the sand, and leave yourself ample room for maneuvering. Remember, getting stuck in the desert can be a dangerous and expensive situation.

Respect the Desert: This one should go without saying, but leave no trace. Pack out all your trash, respect the fragile desert ecosystem, and be mindful of fire restrictions. This pristine landscape relies on responsible visitors to maintain its magic.

The Verdict: Is Heart of the Mojave West worth the risk? Absolutely! Just approach it with caution, proper preparation, and advanced scouting. With that, you'll be rewarded with an unforgettable desert experience under the endless Mojave sky. Remember, respect the sand, choose your spot wisely, and you'll have a story (and hopefully not a tow truck) to tell!

This is a newly converted park from a KOA so everything is fresh and new. Signage, bathrooms, laundry, and store are all very well maintained. The site was a fairly level gravel pad with concrete patio and new chairs and table. The hookups were standard but beware this rows spigots were set very low to the ground such that regulators couldn’t be used. So, we dug a hole so we could. Very poor design.

The park is located very close to the national park which makes it ideal base camp. The town is cute and has lots of good restaurants. We were there off season so many places were closed. The park offers bike rentals so you can bike tour the park. We did all the trails in a day… about 10 miles worth.

The park offered brand new golf carts to get around in the park, which was both fun and convenient. There are age restrictions of 18 but not many people observed it and park staff were not overly aggressive with enforcing it.

By Friday the park filled up! But we didn’t feels that we were crowded. There were lots of kids having fund as well as a bunch of dogs. So, if you’re looking for a quiet off grid experience, this isn’t the place. We personally enjoyed all the laughter and parents observed quiet hours. A few rookies walked through our camp site which we addressed quickly. They just didn’t know and were respectful.

Finally, the staff here are great!! Very helpful with great personalities. There wasn’t anything they were not willing to help with.

We would stay here again for sure.

Agree with most of the comments made previously. It’s essentially a gravel pad with a small grass strip. The site we were put is close together to our neighbors. Their slide out was in our site bench. Hoook-ups are essentially in your neighbors space which is not cool. The staff are a bunch of high school kids who are tremendously helpful. Seriously they are great and willing to lend a hand.

This KOA has its own gas pumps! That’s was very convenient for pulling out with topped tanks.

Always a fan of KOA, they are very consistent and predictable. Our site was spacious and had full hook ups. The fire pit was oddly located far away and near the access road. Asked the host if I could move it and there were no issues other than to put it back before we leave. Very friendly folks all around us.

Peak season and they were packed. Couldn’t get in early since they were very strict with checking in at 3:00p. Our pad was at the start of the row and close to the entrance. So every RV that came in, we heard it. Plus there was a flood light right in front that lit up the entire site.

Great staff, awesome store, tons of activities. Lots of kids and dogs running around but observed quiet times.

This is our second time here and enjoy the facilities service and staff. Tons of amenities when not in a lockdown. Off leash dog park is a bonus. Pads are huge and well maintained. Great location for activities up and down the coast.

I would avoid this place if you’re planning an over nighter. The place was very busy from the time we arrived until about 2:00am with ATVs coming and going all day long. And it seemed almost every site had at multiple ATVs. No security and no one enforcing quiet hours.

Front desk was run by teenagers, which is t a bad thing, just reach them good customer service.

Store was small and stocked with necessities.

Pads are gravel and with all the atv activity, it kicked up a ton of dust because none of them observed the 5mph speed limits.

Our neighbors were super nice folks… just up all night long.

Good KOA with friendly staff and plenty of amenities. Great for kids. They do have significant power problems so be ready to camp at 15 amps until they can get it fixed. It’s not the owners problem as they’ve trying to get permits to upgrade the electrical.

Watchman Campground: Spacious Paradise, Steps from Adventure (1979 characters)

We loved our campout at Watchman! Sites were big - like, spread a tarp and still have room to kickback big. Bonus points for 50amp hookup for our glamping dreams. Feeling the cool river wind and hearing its lullaby each night was unforgettable. And talk about convenience! Visitor center, shuttles, and epic trails - all a hop, skip, and jump away. Whether you're craving Canyon Overlook views or Narrows wades, Watchman puts you front and center for Zion magic. Just be prepared for some friendly squirrels - they're expert camp-snack sniffers! Highly recommend!

This is a stop over location for us as we return to Seattle. It's very easy access off of US95, well marked and easy to find. The sites are of good size and didn't feel like I was on top of my neighbor. Full hookups and 50A. The store is nicely stocked and the staff are very friendly. They had full cable hookup as well, but we didn't participate due to our limited time.

We'd probably stay here again if we had reason to be in the area.