Red Rock Canyon State Park

We stopped here for a night on the way to Las Vegas. It wasn't 2 minutes after we found our site that I had the camera out snapping pics of our amazing surroundings. And I wasn't distracted by my smartphone for once.....barely 1x data and 1 bar for Verizon. We used our cell booster with minimal effect.
The park was mostly empty on a monday night. Although we didn't stay long (really did need that signal for work) there seems to be plenty to do- trails from the grounds, photo ops galore, rock climbing.....

Easy access off state route 14, new or newly renovated facilities with about 50 sites, some pull-through and some handicap accessible; no hook-ups but water is available and pit toilets; beautiful hikes around desert bluffs make a couple days here fun. Hwy noise noticeable but distant enough not to bother us.

This is another spot I have driven by many times, but never stayed. We arrived after dark so we had no idea of the treat we were in for in the morning. Many of the campsites are nestled in the rocks.

Upon first light all became clear. Other than the difficulty of finding a campsite that was even relatively level this is an awesome area. Before we left we did the Nature Trail by the Window and Camel Rock. Bucky the dog loved the walk and the sniffs.

Taking advantage of the unseasonably warm weather to drive up 395. Arrived after dark so we didn’t know what a treat we were in for in the morning. Most of the campsites are tucked into the rocks. Other than trying to find a relatively level pad for our RV this is an awesome spot. The best we could find was about 3 degrees.

Hiked the nature loop in the morning past Camel Rock and the Window.

We loved Ricardo Campground! It's like a less crowded Joshua Tree. There are water spigots located throughout the campground, as well as a water fill station in the visitor center parking lot. There's also a dump station in the parking lot. All sites have a picnic table and a fire ring. Not all sites are big enough for an RV or travel trailer. There are a few pull through sites for bigger rigs, and some back ins that would fit a smaller travel trailer.

Great spot! Not many really level spots but okay for our 23 foot rv.Fantastic to be nestled in the cliffs. Water was a little metallic tasting. Rv dump not open.

Easy to get to spot-just off the 14 -so some road noise-basic campsites with water close by,fire grill and picnic table, nestled up to a wall of red cliffs behind us and lots of fun hiking those cliffs right by the camp site.We arrived on a Saturday night and the place was almost full.The next night there were maybe 5 or 6 other campers and everyone else had gone home.We would have stayed longer but rain was coming the next day and this campground is in a flood zone.

Very pretty area with some beautiful cliffs as a backdrop. Many of the sites are nestled at the bottom of the cliffs. The size limitation says 30', but our 40' rig fit in site 52 very easily, and there were 10 sites that could easily accommodate our rig. The Rangers said nothing about the size of pur rig. Fills up on the weekend, but clears out on Sunday - in March anyway. Many sites are not level, but we used leveling pads and were fine. Lots of vehicles on the highway and the lights can be a bit distracting, but the traffic dies down by about 8:00pm.

A beautiful backdrop to a sandy campsite. Pit toilets and very minimal water. Rv dump costs$20 and no water to fill your tanks. Staff is less than friendly. Hike up on the south ridge to get cell service.

We stayed 2 days at Red Rock Canyon en route from Los Angeles to Death Valley, and chose it because it offers easy access and some interesting scenery. The park is located on both sides of California Highway 14, and the campground is less than a mile from 14. The road to the visitor center and campground entrance is paved, though the campground loop is not. Despite the proximity to the road, there was virtually no road noise – our biggest noise issue was flyovers by military aircraft from Edwards Air Force Base.

The visitor center is only open on weekends, and it appears the campground always operates on a self-pay system. The campground is nestled up against interesting badlands rock formations, with virtually every site have great views of the rocks. Most sites also have Joshua trees, which was an expected surprise. The park map does not indicate many hiking trails, but we found it easy to scramble up and around the rocks to explore. There is also a good network of trails running from the south end of the campground, from the nature trail loop, which are generally not shown on the map.

Many of the sites backing up to the rocks are very unlevel front to back, and many are pretty short as well. The flattest sites for bigger rigs are #10 and #17, which are both pull-throughs running parallel to the campground loop. We particularly liked #10 because it offered relatively more open sky for solar power generation, and we were here in winter and enjoyed extra sun on the rig.

Water was available in the loop and the dump station was functional during our visit. We had no cell service in the campground, but picked up service when we walked up to the tops of the ridges. There is also a free park wifi that’s available at the visitor center. Prices are a bit high for dry camping with virtually no services, but that's California for you.