Black Rock Campground

Camp sites are more or less fine but roads in campground are an absolute mess - ie huge potholes and erosion.

Great campground, close to town. Excellent cell service

Great campground, close to town. Excellent cell service

The Joshua Tree is as lovely as ever, but this campground facility is an embarrassment to the National Park System. I know the maintenance backlog at the NP's is a national problem, but I've never seen it demonstrated quite so explicitly. The campground infrastructure is crumbling. Literally. What were once presumably chip-sealed campground roads are now more pothole than surface in many (most) places- drive it in a low-clearance vehicle at your car's peril. Where the roads are either entirely free of old pavement or where they have magically retained it, they are easy enough to negotiate, but they are almost all literally one big rain event away from becoming impassable. There are also enormous erosion scars running through many non-road portions of the campground, both hazardous to people of limited mobility and an ecological disaster in the making if they're ignored for much longer. The bathrooms appeared to be functional, but I didn't investigate them closely so this is all I will say: the maintenance backlog at this campground definitely extends to the bathrooms. I was not grossed out by them, but just for context, I am a sleep-on-the-ground kind of camper and it takes a great deal to gross me out.

Mostly I'm just disappointed in this country's lack of support for what should be one of its most cherished accomplishments. We should all be embarrassed to host anyone- especially visitors from other nations- at a facility in this state of disrepair.

Conveniently located near a city for last minute supplies and good hiking trails

The Joshua Tree is as lovely as ever, but this campground facility is an embarrassment to the National Park System. I know the maintenance backlog at the NP's is a national problem, but I've never seen it demonstrated quite so explicitly. The campground infrastructure is crumbling. Literally. What were once presumably chip-sealed campground roads are now more pothole than surface in many (most) places- drive it in a low-clearance vehicle at your car's peril. Where the roads are either entirely free of old pavement or where they have magically retained it, they are easy enough to negotiate, but they are almost all literally one big rain event away from becoming impassable. There are also enormous erosion scars running through many non-road portions of the campground, both hazardous to people of limited mobility and an ecological disaster in the making if they're ignored for much longer. The bathrooms appeared to be functional, but I didn't investigate them closely so this is all I will say: the maintenance backlog at this campground definitely extends to the bathrooms. I was not grossed out by them, but just for context, I am a sleep-on-the-ground kind of camper and it takes a great deal to gross me out.

Mostly I'm just disappointed in this country's lack of support for what should be one of its most cherished accomplishments. We should all be embarrassed to host anyone- especially visitors from other nations- at a facility in this state of disrepair.

Conveniently located near a city for last minute supplies and good hiking trails

A very nice campground, of course when you are there you have to drive into the park, the Joshua Trees and rock formations are so beautiful, we loved Skull Rock and hiking up to it. We also hiked to Arch Rock, which was a good hike. A great place for dinner is the Joshua Tree Saloon, we recommend the hamburgers and fish tacos.

A very nice campground, of course when you are there you have to drive into the park, the Joshua Trees and rock formations are so beautiful, we loved Skull Rock and hiking up to it. We also hiked to Arch Rock, which was a good hike. A great place for dinner is the Joshua Tree Saloon, we recommend the hamburgers and fish tacos.

Lovely view.