Campsite #42 at Black Rock Canyon Campground, Joshua Tree National Park, CA

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$35

Tent Site #42

13 reviews
Drive-In 6 people
2 good
42
3/9
3/13
Campsite #42 Features: Drive-In access, Back-In parking, Fire ring, Fire ring w/ Grill, Picnic Table, Tent Site, Pets Allowed

Campsite Reviews (13)

4.0 out of 5

5 star
46%
4 star
31%
3 star
8%
2 star
8%
1 star
8%

@StevenC2003509 · Camped on Apr 15, 2024 at Campsite #42
The roads were in bad shape in the campgrounds and the site was not level for a tent but otherwise had a great time.
Verizon
Good
@AllenD6393567 · Camped on Mar 7, 2024 at Campsite #42
Black Rock campground is in a pretty area and has good hiking trails, but it had some big drawbacks, in my opinion. The sites were pretty small and very close together, with very little privacy. Very close together. I had the bad luck to be next to a large group of cub scouts for part of the time I was there; their site was about 15-20 feet away from my picnic table. The kids were loud and sometimes ran through my site, and one of the dads kept yelling at his son frustratedly, literally every two minutes at least. His voice was just naturally really loud and I had to wear earplugs during dinner and breakfast because I could not hold a thought in my head otherwise. I noticed a couple other large groups too, each spread out over 2-3 sites. This campground is easy for that because the sites don't usually have any natural barriers between them. Another thing I disliked was how far the bathroom is from many of the sites. Also, I arrived at night, and in the dark, it was extremely hard to navigate, partly because the roads in the campground are rough and blend in with the sites at night, and partly because the numbering scheme was illogical, so sites with sequential numbers could be on totally different roads. Also, I really wish I knew that the campsite numbers were posted on the picnic tables as well as on the post by the road. In the dark, when i arrived, I didn't notice that, and it was very ambiguous which table and which tent area was supposed to be mine. I looked up my site on the reservation website to view the site photo, and I was eventually able to analyze which area was mine. Anyway, my conclusion about this campground is that it all depends on who you're next to. If you're lucky and are next to quiet people, it's okay, but if you're next to annoying/loud people, there's nothing to protect you from being driven crazy.
Verizon
Some Coverage
@GordonB3347961 · Camped on Apr 24, 2023 at Campsite #42
Drove through and right back out. Not well maintained, too close to the subdivision and the blacktop was pitted. Went to White Tanks instead.
Verizon
Good
@MarleneL16C8F4 · Camped on Mar 30, 2023 at Campsite #42
Wonderful place! Not to close of the main activities on the park, but still a good place to spend a quite day!
Verizon
Excellent
@KrystyneB263DF · Camped on Feb 10, 2023 at Campsite #42
Great place to camp. Lots of Joshua trees around. Roads are very small and crumbly with pot holes. It was difficult to find our campsite especially at night. Campsites were very small and close to each other. Bathrooms were well maintained. Fire pits were very shallow. There wasnt enough room to put enough firewood under the grill in the fire pit to cook
AT&T
Good
@JayW4423954 · Camped on Dec 13, 2022 at Campsite #42
The campsite was very convenient with plenty of room and flat ground. Some sites did have ditches due to rainfall but ours only affected parking. Bathrooms were clean and well taken care of. There were a number of fun hikes originating at the campground ranging from easy to strenuous.
@ChristophDD518 · Camped on Apr 6, 2022 at Campsite #42
Good location, but many of the campsites are jammed together.
@FranklinY777 · Camped on Jan 11, 2022 at Campsite #42
It's a great campground close to the town of Yucca Valley which has a full array of restaurants (Mexican, Thai, Lao...) and stores(Vons, Walmart, Aldi coming in 2022...). If you are tent camping, just be aware that many sites are not level. We liked site 44. Also the roads around the campground are in poor conditions with many potholes.
The Nature Center is basically a gift shop with an art gallery. It has WiFi that you can access outside of the building 24x7.
There are many trailheads by the campground. We would recommend highly the Panorama loop. In about 8 miles, we'll get a good cross-section of the Park with many Joshua Trees, yuccas... and great views from highpoints.
One suggestion: invite a different food truck every day from 4-6 PM.
T-Mobile
Some Coverage
@SheilaT464 · Camped on Mar 14, 2021 at Campsite #42
This campground is comfortable and conveniently located. Was not expecting snow in March! Rangers and camp hosts are very helpful. I was a little confused by no kiosk, but with reservations you can go right on in. Will definitely camp here again.
AT&T
Good
@JennaE809 · Camped on Nov 20, 2020 at Campsite #42
It’s a beautiful campsite with clean facilities
@JennaE9E7A6706 · Camped on Nov 20, 2020 at Campsite #42
Its a beautiful campsite with clean facilities
@Katherine58507 · Camped on Nov 19, 2020 at Campsite #42
Easy check in. Had a wonderful time!
@BryceBAC9F6BE8 · Camped on Dec 24, 2019 at Campsite #42
Very friendly crew at the office. Clean, neat restrooms. Trash and recycling was convenient and to top all that a nice setting. If you can't stay at Jumbo Rocks this isn't a bad choice at all.

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