Indian Cove Campground

$35.00/night

Show on map760-367-5554cynthia_lasala@nps.gov
74485 National Park Drive
Twentynine Palms, CA 92277

Overview

Download the NPS app prior to visiting the park – trail maps and more!

Indian Cove Campground lies amid the huge, steep rock formations for which Joshua Tree National Park is known. Because of its proximity to many rock climbing routes, it is a popular camping location for climbers. Indian Cove is one of four campgrounds in the park that requires reservations year-round. To get the most out of your visit Plan Like a Park Ranger

Travelers who enjoy warm, dry winters flock to Joshua Tree from October through May, when temperatures hover between 70-90 degrees during the day and drop to a 40-60 degree range at night. Summer is the park's off-season due to the uncomfortably-high desert heat. Indian Cove is at an elevation of 3,200 feet.

Recreation

Rock climbers flock to Indian Cove Campground for the variety of routes and warmer temperatures that can be found in the interior of the park. Several hiking trails also leave from the campground. There is a short interpretive nature trail and plenty of rocks for the non-climber to explore within the facility. Clear desert skies are perfect for star-gazing and night photography.

Facilities

This large facility has 101 individual campsites, as well as 13 tent-only group sites . There are no hookups or drinking water in the campground, however water and an emergency phone are available two miles away at the ranger station. The town of Twentynine Palms is less than 10 miles away and provides basic amenities.
The park allows six people and two vehicles per site, however, some sites are small and may not accommodate the maximum number of people and vehicles. See Site Details for specifics.

Natural Features

Campsites are nestled on a flat, sandy surface between large boulders that tower in unique shapes over the campground and rise up from the otherwise uniform desert landscape. The rocks were formed by volcanic activity millions of years ago and have been exposed and shaped by wind and water over time. They brighten with soft pastel hues during the morning and evening sunlight and glow with campfire light by night.

Visitors may want to keep their eyes out for typical desert inhabitants such as lizards, rattlesnakes, scorpions, ravens, squirrels and desert tarantulas during the cooler months of the year. Bobcats and mountain lions do live in the park, however they are rarely seen near humans.

Charges & Cancellations

Cancelling a Reservation:

Customers may cancel their reservation prior to arrival both on-line and through the call center. A $10 service fee will be withheld from any refund for a cancellation. Depending on when you cancel in relation to your arrival day, it may be considered a late cancellation. 

Changing an Existing Reservation:

When changes are made prior to the cut-off window:

If a customer wants to switch dates that are entirely outside of the original reservation dates, there is a $10 change fee.

There is no change fee if a customer extends or shortens a reservation, as long as the change includes dates from the original reservation. If they choose to depart early, they may forfeit the recreation fee for the day of departure.

There is no change fee if the customer wants to switch sites that are the same price with the same reservation dates in the same facility.

If a reservation is made that includes dates beyond the maximum booking window, that reservation cannot be changed until 18 days have passed from the original booking date. 

Late Cancellations or Cancellations within the Cut-off Window

Individual Campsites: A customer who cancels a reservation the day before or on the day of arrival will pay a $10.00 service fee AND forfeit the first night's use fee (not to exceed the total paid for the original reservation). Cancellations for a one-night reservation will forfeit the entire amount paid and will not be subject to an additional service fee.

Group Campsites: Customers who cancel a group overnight facility reservation less than 14 days before the arrival date will pay a $10.00 service fee AND forfeit the first night's use fee.

No-Shows

Overnight Facilities: A no-show customer is one who does not arrive at a campground and does not cancel the reservation by check-out (noon) time on the day after the scheduled arrival date. Staff will hold a campsite until check-out time (noon) on the day following the arrival date. 

No-shows are assessed $20.00 service fee and forfeit the first night’s recreation fee for a campsite. 

*Note: the entire reservation will be cancelled for no-shows.

Camp site features

Across 97 camp sites:

  • Fire pit: 95 of 97 sites
  • Pets allowed: all 97 sites
  • ADA accessible: 1 of 97 sites
  • Longest RV: 35 ft
  • Largest party: 6 people
  • Equipment: CARAVAN/CAMPER VAN, LARGE TENT OVER 9X12`, PICKUP CAMPER, RV, SMALL TENT, Tent, Trailer

Services within 25 miles · OpenStreetMap

Nearest dump station: 13.8 mi

Directions

Take Interstate 10 to State Highway 62. Go past the West Entrance at Park Boulevard and continue east another 9.3 miles. Turn south on Indian Cove Road. Follow the road into the campground. If coming from the east, follow Highway 62 approximately seven miles west of the city of Twentynine Palms and turn south onto Indian Cove Road.

Stay Limit

Check in from 12 PM, check out by 12 PM.

Reviews

2,131 reviews
5 stars
1,508
4 stars
397
3 stars
109
2 stars
65
1 stars
52
James O
Loop:Indian Cove Campground
Site:
Reviewed 8 days ago
This was our second time staying at this campground. It's very nice. Bathrooms are very clean. Beautiful rocks surround the campground. Nice little hikes to do straight from campground. We will definitely stay here again.
Alina Z
Loop:Indian Cove Campground
Site:
Reviewed 10 days ago
Very peaceful location, the campsites are much larger than the ones inside the park. I have to give a shoutout to whoever maintains the restrooms, they were extremely clean. For whatever reason, some airplanes were very noisy at night, maybe due to the location of our campsite the noise was amplified, but overall it wasn't a nuisance. A lot of climbers.
Michael C
Loop:Indian Cove Campground
Site:
Reviewed 11 days ago
Site 18 was great. Like other reviewers mentioned, it feels like a private space, tucked behind a large rock formation. Kids can climb up the other side from site 17 and peek in, though. A few “spied” on us while we made dinner and giggled to themselves. The location is breathtaking, and it’s nice to look out and not see other campers or tents. You aren’t parked right beside your site, but hauling food and scented items back to the vehicle at night wasn’t a pain, especially with 4 of us. We set up two 4-person tents and had plenty of room.
Jeff H
Loop:Indian Cove Campground
Site:
Reviewed 14 days ago
The site (Site 3) was very spacious, had excellent views and was well maintained. It was the first time we stayed here and were very pleased with how amazing the cove was and that every camp site looked like an amazing choice. The vault toilets were clean and well maintained. We have a short wheel base sprinter and were able to park well in our space. I advise if you're looking for quiet, to avoid camping near group sites as it's popular for kids groups and can get a little loud. They sounded like they were having an amazing time. If you like bouldering and rock climbing, this is the place for you.
courtney a
Loop:Indian Cove Campground
Site:
Reviewed 15 days ago
The campsite was absolutely beautiful. I ended up having to switch campsites to Indian Cove because Joshua Tree canceled my jumbo rocks reservation. But during my stay at Indian Cove, I drove by the reservation in jumbo rocks that they had canceled and saw someone else camping there. So not sure what happened there. Also, while I was at my campsite, a ranger came up and asked the campers in the spot next to us if they knew whose car was parked in the spot next to theirs, and they pointed to us to let the Ranger know that that car belonged to the campers in the site next to them, and the Ranger proceeded to place a ticket on my car without speaking to me, even though we were sitting right there. So some strange things going on I’m not really sure why. Most of my trips to Joshua Tree have been great, but this one was just a little strange.
David M
Loop:Indian Cove Campground
Site:
Reviewed 16 days ago
Wonderful beginning-of-season camping! So sorry about the floods but the campground I've visited for 20 years was great! Thank you for your hard work.
Availability

See the Camp Sites section below to find detailed booking availability.

Reserve
Popularity: Quiet

Busiest in November, when about 40% of guest capacity is reserved. Based on 4 years of reservations.

Season dates

Peak season

Jan 1, 2026 – Dec 31, 2026

Reservable online

Peak season

Jan 1, 2027 – Dec 31, 2027

Reservable online

Peak season

Jan 1, 2028 – Dec 31, 2028

Reservable online

Camp Sites

Availability not checked yet

No availability

We don't have availability data yet for camp sites at .

Interested in seeing what camp sites you can reserve here? Check it now, or watch this campground so we keep checking it for you.

Nearby Campgrounds