r/JoshuaTree • u/death_is_sleepy • 4d ago

Chances of finding a campsite this weekend?

I'll be driving over tonight and am wondering what my chances of finding an open spot at one of Joshua Tree Park's FCFS campsites are, given the meteor shower happening.

9 Upvotes

76% Upvoted

12 comments sorted by

11

u/twokittenminimum 4d ago

Your chances are about the same as the odds of getting struck by a meteor. It’s not going to happen on a high season Friday night.

Your best bet is to look on the website for last minute cancellations at other campgrounds such as Jumbo Rocks. Or camp on the BLM land north of town.

1

u/death_is_sleepy 4d ago

Dang! I've been looking at all the campgrounds on the website- Indian Cove, Black Rock, Cottonwood, Jumbo Rocks, Ryan Campground. Might have to go to BLM land then. So many burrs everywhere.

9

u/erebus-44 4d ago

The only meteor you will see is the moon. It’s a full moon to the ability to see meteors is greatly impaired

1

u/boa_instructor 3d ago

Yeah, gotta go on a new moon. Visibility isn't great with a full moon 

3

u/TewdogzFuking 4d ago

Hey ive got space st my property and let me say so many shooting across the sky last night was crazy

3

u/Big_Animal7655 4d ago

Zero 

But Google the BLM area camping map for JT because there’s tons of spots that don’t require reservations. Caveat is anything BLM has no facilities and perhaps you’ll need a high clearance vehicle in some more remote spots 

2

u/redjessa 4d ago

Oh man... your chances are zero in the park. Go to BLM.

2

u/Recent_Tip1191 4d ago

Do you have a 4x4 capable vehicle?

1

u/bee73086 4d ago

It's chilly and overcast. Not sure if you will see much. Feels like rain but it's hard to tell. 

1

u/questionable_coyote 4d ago

🤣🤣😂😂

There is no sky to be seen right now with all these clouds.

1

u/PermitSnag 4d ago

Pretty much nil. The park says the FCFS ones (Hidden Valley, Belle, White Tank) are typically full by Friday afternoon on weekends. Reservations on recreation.gov can be made same day, so keep refreshing for cancellations on the drive (only when you have signal, it's spotty in the park), otherwise BLM is your fallback.

1

u/Purple-Will9713 3d ago

Minimal, but not impossible. Some people only come out for a night. Some campgrounds are first-come. You have to be there early in the morning and patrol heavily for someone picking up camp. You might get lucky.