Dispersed Camping near Needles, CA | Simple Fun in the Desert

Looking for somewhere to camp with warm winter temps and fun desert scenery that’s easy to access and not too crowded? We stumbled upon some great dispersed camping near Needles that is peaceful, with good views, and plenty of exploring to do. There are several dirt roads leading into vast Bureau of Land Management (public) land that provide opportunities for dispersed camping. There’s not much going on on this stretch of highway which is exactly what it has going for it. And as we’ve come to learn from camping and exploring in the desert, you never know what you’ll find! Find out more about the area and the particulars about what to expect when dispersed camping near Needles.

Good to Know: There’s a fun skatepark and a new pump track in Needles!

Quick Info: Dispersed Camping near Needles

Cost: Free

Ownership: BLM; 14 day limit

Directions: From Needles, follow Highway south for about 20 miles and there are turn offs for dispersed camping on both sides of the highway.

Solar: Good, but keep in mind the shadow from the tall rock formation.

Miles From Town: About 20 miles from Needles

Water: None

Road Conditions: The dirt roads in the area are unmaintained but in good condition. To get to the first six designated dispersed sites the road is in great condition. But other roads in the area vary so scout ahead.

Cell Service: We had great ATT service and full bars of unusable T-Mobile service haha

Our Experience Camping Near Needles

Since we travel with the weather, we end up spending several months out of the year camping and exploring the desert. And we try not to stay in the same place twice because we enjoy the sense of unfamiliarity. Which is one of the main reasons why we’ve lived on the road for over seven years now.

Previously, we’ve camped in nearby Turtle Mountain Wilderness which is another great option for some peace, solitude and vast views. But as I mentioned, we wanted to check out somewhere new, wander some new washes and scramble some new rocks. As we were travelling south, we began to notice several dirt roads, BLM signs and a cell phone tower. When we turned off the highway onto this particular dirt road we were greeted by a BLM sign with information about dispersed camping regulations. Plus there were some really cool rock formations that looked more exciting than other more featureless areas. So we decided to check it out.

The Spots

That’s when we found that there are actually seven, designated dispersed camp spots here. Six of these designated dispersed camp spots are very nice, level, easy to get to, spacious and well spaced out. It still feels very much like dispersed camping, not a campground. The seventh spot is tucked back in a nice, secluded area surrounded by cool desert rock formations. But it does require driving up a steep, relatively rough gravel hill and down the other side. We saw just a typical van camped back there and we also saw another van attempt the hill before turning around unsuccessfully. Be sure to scout ahead if you’re thinking about that seventh spot.

While we were camping near Needles, we chose spot six, the furthest from the highway. This spot was very peaceful and private with washes and dirt roads to wander along in any direction. Another perk of this spot was that we remained in the sun longer than the other spots that were closer to the shade from the rocky formation.

Traffic

When we first arrived at this area for dispersed camping near Needles, there were two other campers here. And throughout the week that we camped here, there were typically always one or two other campers here besides us. But like I mentioned, the spots are very spread out so we hardly even noticed. Even though this area is just off the highway, it is surprisingly quiet. I will say that at night I did notice that I could hear some semis in the distance but nothing bothersome. And one day, we got a visit from these guys..

Weather

One thing that I didn’t love about camping near Needles was the wind! There were only a couple days where the wind wasn’t hovering around 20 mph. Not just gusts, but what seemed like constant chaos. A couple days we had 30 mph winds but I guess that’s to be expected in the desert.

All in all, the weather here in November was exactly what we were looking for. Sunny skies and around 60 degree each day. The weather here outside of the winter/nearly winter months would probably be unbearably hot so this is a great winter camping destination.

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Adventures While Camping Near Needles

On the day forecasted to have the most mild winds we headed out to explore the towering dramatic rock
formation that’s right by the camp spots. We ended up scrambling up the rocks and following the crest a ways. There were so many cool rocks and mineral veins in the rocks that were fascinating to look at.

Eventually we reached a really neat archway that we had seen from down below. The rocks were fun to play on and the views were not too shabby!

As I mentioned, there are washes and dirt roads to follow in numerous directions that seemed to never end. We took turns riding the bicycle and mini bike through the desert and covered some distance.

And we headed out for several runs exploring the dirt roads leading in all different directions. Even the small, simple adventures satisfy my need to experience new things and new places. I’m definitely glad we went out on a whim and stopped to camp somewhere unfamiliar.

Thanks for Reading!

We hope you enjoyed this article about camping near Needles! If you would like to see more of our articles about awesome dispersed camping spots, check out the links below:

• Dispersed Camping Near Quincy
• Camping at Laguna Mountain Recreation Area
• Dispersed Camping at Logandale
• Camping and Exploring by Camp Verde
• Sheephole Wilderness Camping

And if you haven’t yet, please check out our Youtube channel! A new subscriber would make our day!
You can find our camping, hiking and longboarding videos @lostcoastlongboarding 🙂

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