Black Rock Campground

HALLELUJAH THEY HAVE RUNNING WATER. And toilets that flush. Seriously, you cannot beat camping out right among the Joshua trees and rugged rocks right in the park. And the sky at night? Stunning.

I selected "no" I wouldn't stay here again because of the road into the campground and in the campground itself. We've stayed at so many other National Park campgrounds that are lovely and well-maintained so we can't figure out why the roads in this campground are so poor! And the road into the campground from the town of Yucca is nearly impassable. I really hope they can fix these issues because this is actually a nice campground. It's secluded from the rest of the park and has some good hiking options available.

The road into the campground has been repaved, but the roads INSIDE the campground could use a little work. There's a quite a bit of sandy hiking in the area, but to get to anything else in the park, you have to drive out and go through Joshua Tree and the main entrance.

We had to use a shovel to dig down and get our site level (it was pretty bad) but overall the site was pretty large side to side and backed up to the sites on the other side.

The campground was super busy on the weekends, but we had it mostly to ourselves during the week. Generator hours were 7-9am, 12-2pm, and 6-8pm.

While I realize that this isn't in the main part of Joshua Tree National Park, the NPS should be ashamed of the quality of this campground. The internal roads were narrow and in deplorable condition. There was no signage to indicate where to go to register, we happened to drive by the Nature Center and it seemed like the place to go Although there were 2 larger Class A's here this should primarily be used if you are a tent camper and/or have a small vehicle. We had to try 4 sites before we found one that was even moderately level and in fact I used 3 stackers on each wheel and it still wasn't close to level. There were several water spigots that were inoperable, causing people to have to carry water containers farther than they should have back to their sites. The whole park had a disheveled and poorly kept appearance. It was dark and quiet which were the two best things I could say about it. We would probably look for another place to stay if coming back this way.

Scrub jays and orioles
A coyote watches from alongside the trail as junipers go berry
The occasional pinyon pine
Though a red head, the nicest ranger we've yet met
I ponder amongst myself, are they trees or no?
Joshua
Tree
What does modern science understand about gray areas?
Content, we forgo fires and stare at the sky
Cell reception, yes
Dump station, interesting
Our Airstream's backend scrapes as much as the shade of a thicket of desert plants is welcome
In the morning a woman blasts funk music
Loud
But unusual for here
The ranger asks her to leave
Though generator hours run from 7-9am
Days prior our own generator hummed it's stinky electric source
To foreigners neighboring but distant away's dismay
I preferred the lower area
Sites 70-79 or so
And the hike was pleasant
Likelihood of return?

Possible.

PS. To visit a national park with roads and to complain of their quality is to stare at the moon and wish it were nearer. Don't make simply a rock from what has been known in the past as a god.

$20 is overpriced? Yup.

Sadly, this is one of the poorest NP campgrounds I've come across. The road leading up the hill from Yucca Valley is surprisingly bumpy, and with the speed limit at 50mph, prepare to get bumped around. Then you enter the campground. The narrow roads are falling apart with many cracks and potholes.

They placed us in an "RV site" on the West side of the campground. The first 3 campsites we tried, we struggled to get even close to level. For the fourth side, we gave up after getting up on 3 Lynx blocks.

There was no restroom near us, but water was close. The trails around the park were nice, but not easy for kids.

This is a great stop if you need to use the dump station, but it gets crowded on the weekends and doesn't offer much more than the several great BLM options nearby.

I would agree with a number of past reviewers about some of the pros and cons of Black Rock Canyon campground: 1) the roads within the campground are pretty bad and crumbling in places, 2) you drive in past a residential neighborhood so you know that you're not camping in outdoor isolation as you would like 3) you're still a ways from the central part of Joshua Tree National Park and will need to drive another 1/2 hour to access that part of the park and 4) spending $20/night for dry camping is high! In addition, the $5 dump fee applies even to people who use the campground!

Some of the campground roads are narrow with tight turns, so be aware if you're pulling a 5th wheel. On our way out of the campground, we saw a family struggling to reverse their trailer when it was clear they wouldn't make it around a bend.

The nice part of the campsite for me was the ease for accessing a number of good hiking trails. There were good long and short walks to be had, even with a 12-yr old in tow. There were lots of picturesque Joshua Trees around and the star gazing was good. I also liked that the site was reservable, unlike the other campgrounds within Joshua Tree NP, which are first come, first served. I'll keep Black Rock in my back pocket for now but may likely try a different campground like Jumbo Rock, the next time I'm here.

Without repeating other reviewers on the pros and cons of this campsite, we would definitely stay here again. It's a good stop for smaller trailers/RVs on your way in or out of the park, and the only campground in the park with any kind of cell service if you need to get some work done. The hiking trail access is also amazing from here with miles and miles of options.

The previous reviews about the roads and sites being in poor condition are not kidding. I personally saw 4 RVs drive in, drive around looking for level spots, and then leave. One guy tried for about 20 minutes to level at the site next to me, gave up, and left.

The roads are rutted and missing asphalt in large sections. Just driving in the RV pull-through loop was jarring, but the roads get worse as you go up the hill away from the ranger station. I walked them and can't imagine how bumpy the ride would be in a big rig, let alone my 18-foot trailer.

The dump station is missing any hoses for rinsing out your sewer hose, the water outlet was literally way over my head with no hose to bring it down to normal level, which I didn't see till I was done pumping out and ready to rinse.

The rangers were friendly and helpful, and there are several good hiking trails surrounding the campsite, which is the only plusses for this campsite.

You'll most likely need a reservation. This is one of only two campgrounds in Joshua Tree that accepts reservation. I stayed here on President's Day and it was full. I had plenty of room for my 33' RV towing a car. Good Verizon signal.
See my video of the North Joshua Tree area at: https://youtu.be/b-7rNm27HGc