Painted Canyon

We drove in late Sunday on President's Day weekend, not sure what to expect in the way of camping options. The road had recently been graded and had high berms on both sides, not a problem for our Jeep. The canyon had about 10 groups of campers in some of the prime spots, but we were able to find a spot tucked away from the road. The weather was near perfect in the evening, around midnight the winds picked up.

There are no services, no toilet, no water. Trash dumped near the turn off from the road up Box Canyon may turn some camper off. Some graffiti on the rocks. Verizon flickered between one bar 1x and 3g, AT&T on the iPad was two to three bars LTE, but we were tucked back in the canyon aways. Verizon LTE picked up on the hike once on higher ground on the ridge.

Of course the draw for us was hiking the Painted Canyon/Ladders hike. We were out this way Oct 2016 and hiked some of it in the heat. This time we hiked the complete loop. This is a fun hike, taking you through slot canyons, up and down ladders, along ridges, and plenty of sand. My Gamin pegged it just under 6 miles for the route we took.

The drive over the washboard road was well worth the effort to where we camped. It has a lot going for it: (1) unlimited hiking opportunities, (2) peace and quiet, (3) brilliant skies at night. This is the kind of campsite we would pay big bucks to stay. WiFi was off and on but we didn't even mind that. Don't miss the great ladder hike at the end of the road.

Please, please tent campers, bury your waste and bag up your toilet paper to take out when you leave.

We came here in the night so we didn’t really see where we were going but even bigger surprise that was in the morning. This site is really nice, about 4 miles from the main road but we didn’t have any problem, there is dusty road. 4x4 car is recommended. We stayed there alone for a whole night, there are no amenities so come prepared. No service as well

I visited 11/10/2018 and as of 9/30/2018 box canyon road has been closed due to road damage. Painted canyon campsite is unreachable.

All roads currently seem to be open getting here. Lots of potential for Off Roading but ‘camping’ maybe not so much. Many Arroyos with loose dirt and mud potential and no ‘areas’ that I found with past campsite experience. Just doing a ‘drive by’ but would not be My choice for camping areas with a 30’ 5th wheel.

This area is very quiet, utilized by hikers.
Road in was washboard and slow going.
Lots of jet noises, during the day, sonic booms could be heard, at night extremely quiet.

The road in is one of the worst washboard roads I have ever been on. It is because there are about 75 to 100 vehicles a day on the weekends hiking the ladders trail.
There are numerous camping spots off to the side of this road, some are accessible to 2WD cars but most of them will require four-wheel-drive and a capable driver. The campsites are great and it allows you to hit the trails before everyone else comes in. Most of the spots were available even on a busy weekend. Highly recommended.
New bathrooms are there but they were not open as of yet.

The road leading to the end of road trailhead (TH) has firm driving areas on either side for majority of the way.

There is a TH around 3-4 miles down the road on the left that has a vault toilet.

Very few designated camping spots and majority are camping within a mile of the end of the road TH (Painted/Ladders/Ropes Canyon Trails).

Very pretty drive in but just way to much sand. I helped 3 people get unstuck. I also got stuck once.

Cell service is spotty. I would get 4G/LTE in the canyons to 5G on the ridges but move a few feet from that location and I had no reception. I have ATT service.

This is my favorite BLM so far! I wouldn't bring a trailer or Class A back into the canyon, but 4-wheel drive or walk in. It's quiet and not too far from the freeway. Service wasn't great in the canyon, but it's good outside. The road in is not great, but I think it's worth it.

2 hrs from So Cal and you feel so remote. Did an overnight and slept in the car. Temps were pleasant. My gratitude to BLM for diligently maintaining the two toilets, they were super clean and didn’t smell. Watch out for areas with deep sand. Plenty of pre-used/established fire rings