★ Field-verified · Dave's ownPublic land · dispersedFree
San Bernardino County
Drive-up · public land · San Bernardino County, CA · 34.88817, -115.71662
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Ask about this camp →Dave's been here. A spot from Dave's own travels on public land — free to camp. Conditions still change, so confirm access, stay limits and fire rules before you go.
A primitive camping area in the Mojave Preserve near the trailhead for the Kelso Dunes. Desert setting off of a washboard road. View of dunes, but otherwise unremarkable. Some other RVs and van-dwellers will likely be here. Sites aren't well defined, so basically camp anywhere. A few fire rings scattered about. Enough room for a few vehicles. No cell service. Recommended if Kelso Dunes is your destination.
USGS topo — contours & terrain
Aerial — USGS / NAIP
Weather outlook
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 2,521 ft.
Fire & smokeNIFC · AirNow
Checking active fires & air quality…
Active wildfires from NIFC (within ~50 mi); air quality from AirNow. Always confirm current fire restrictions with the managing office before you go.
Everything you need — measured from camp
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- WWater12 mi
- DDump21 mi
- FFuel23 mi
- GGrocery23 mi
- @Mail23 mi
- MMechanic31 mi
- PPropane33 mi
- LLaundry47 mi
- ShShower47 mi
- HHardware50 mi
- +Urgent care55 mi
- RxPharmacy56 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water's a short hop out, fuel & food sit about 23 mi out.
One dot per need — the nearest of each kind, straight-line from camp. Places from OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors). Open in Google Maps ↗
The site
Access
Drive-up
Land
public land · dispersed
Elevation
2,521 ft
County
San Bernardino County, CA
Coordinates
34.88817, -115.71662
Cost
Free
Nearby & resupply (OpenStreetMap)
- Resupply lookup unavailable — try the map links below.
From the field — what Dave saw, in person
Cell service
No signal
Getting there
Any vehicle managed it
Fire ring
Yes
Toilet on site
No
Tent friendly
Yes
Verdict
Recommended
Nearby restrooms — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- RestroomKD Kelso Dunes Vault Toilet 220 · ~1.1 mi E · NPS
- RestroomKelso Depot 201 · ~9.3 mi NE · NPS
- RestroomKD Kelso Depot Comfort Station 206 · ~9.3 mi NE · NPS
- RestroomHW Picnic Area Vault Toilet · ~21.0 mi NE · NPS
Open this spot elsewhere
Other camps nearby
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Trilobite Wilderness~18.4 mi
- Clipper Mountain Wilderness~20.9 mi
- San Bernardino County~21.1 mi
- Amboy Crater National Natural Landmark~22.9 mi
How we know this
Source
Dave's own travels
Confidence
Researched — The record is detailed and internally consistent, and the coordinates land where the managing agency says this site is.
How it was placed
FIELD VERIFIED by Dave Lalande -- he has stood on this site. Coordinates are his own GPX track point, not a geocode. County and state confirmed against the FCC Census Block API (San Bernardino County, CA). Everything under 'From the field' is a direct observation; nothing here is inferred from a land record.
Field check
Verified on the ground. Dave has stood on this one. Conditions still change — confirm before you commit.
What we don’t know
A land record can put you within a few metres of a spot. It cannot tell you any of this — so check it yourself, and treat anything below as the open question it is.
- How many rigs actually fit
- Seasonal & winter access
- Current fire restrictions
- Whether any water here is drinkable
- Shade & wind exposure
- Noise and who else shows up
Before you go
Water on public land →Dumping grey & black →Hot-weather camping →Reading your camp page →All field notes →
Been here? Tell us what changed. This page is built from public records, so the fastest way it gets better is somebody who has actually pulled in. Road washed out, site gone, gate locked, or it is exactly as described — all of it useful. Send a report →