Featured Desert Campgrounds: California, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas

Attention campers looking to hit Desert campgrounds next year: October 1, 2011 is the date you can make your reservations for April 2012.

If you’re already starting to get your trips planned, great. If not, we’ve gathered some popular desert campgrounds from California, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas for you to consider when making your 2012 plans:

Featured California Desert Campgrounds

1. Borrego Springs (Tamarisk Grove, Borrego Palm Canyon)

   Tamarisk Grove Campground

   

   Located in Borrego Springs California, Anza-Borrego Desert State Park is a spectacular desert wilderness with countless treasures of natural beauty, intriguing history and amazing diversity of plants and animals. The Park’s two main (reservation) campgrounds are Borrego Palm Canyon (hookups available) and Tamarisk Grove.

2. Joshua Tree (Indian Cove, Black Rock Canyon, Hidden Valley, Ryan, Sheep Pass, Jumbo Rocks, Belle, White Tank, Cottonwood)

   Indian Cove Campground

   

   Joshua Tree National Park is vast and desolate, covering about 800,000 acres. Two ecosystems come together – one at 3,000 feet dominated by the creosote brush and cholla cactus – the other, slightly higher place is the home of the Joshua Tree. The park features 9 campgrounds with reservations required at Indian Cove, Black Rock Canyon, Cottonwood Group and Sheep’s Pass Group. The others are first come first serve.

3. Death Valley (Furnace Creek, Stove Pipe Wells, Texas Springs, Sunset)

   Furnace Creek Campground

   

   Encompassing more than three million acres of California’s Mojave desert, Death Valley National Park offers spectacular desert scenery, wildflowers, and the lowest spot in the western hemisphere at Badwater. Must-sees include Scotty’s castle, now a museum, but once the residence of a local colorful character; Badwater, at 292 feet below sea level; Artist’s Palette, a rainbow of colored stone; the sand dunes at Stove Pipe Wells, and Furnace Creek hotel – a historical landmark built in the early 1900s.

Featured Nevada Desert Campground

1. Valley of Fire (Atlatl Rock, Arch Rock)

   Atlatl Rock Campground

   

   Valley of Fire State Park is located only six miles from Lake Mead and 55 miles northeast of Las Vegas via Interstate 15 and on exit 75. Valley of Fire is Nevada’s oldest and largest state park, dedicated 1935. The valley derives its name from the red sandstone formations and the stark beauty of the Mojave Desert.

Featured Arizona Desert Campgrounds

1. Manzanita Campground

   Manzanita Campground

   

   Manzanita Camping is on banks of Oak Creek in the Canyon just north of Sedona. Since its creek-side, campers will enjoy fishing, swimming and the sounds of the tumbling Oak Creek.

2. Cave Springs Campground

   Cave Springs Campground

   

   Cave Spring in scenic Oak Creek Canyon is one of the forest’s most popular campgrounds. The scenery is unmatched, the stream is stocked with trout, and if the fishing isn’t any good you can always go swimming, hiking or birdwatching.

Featured New Mexico Desert Campgrounds

1. Santa Rosa State Park

   Santa Rosa State Park

   

   Santa Rosa Lake is the largest of several area lakes, and was created to tame the wild Pecos River. Though the Pecos floods no more, it once gave cowboys a tough day trying to “git their little dogies” across it.

2. Elephant Butte Lake

   Elephant Butte Lake

   

   The largest and most popular lake in New Mexico, Elephant Butte Lake State Park provides a setting for every imaginable water sport.

Featured Texas Desert Campgrounds

1. Hueco Tanks

   Hueco Tanks

   

   Hueco Tanks State Park is a famous rock climbing destination (primarily bouldering), a sacred place for Indian tribes, a historical site, and a place of political controversy. Hueco Tanks State Park & Historic Site, is located 32 miles northeast of El Paso in El Paso County.

2. Chisos Basin

   Chisos Basin

   

   One of the most sought-after campgrounds in Big Bend National Park is the Chisos Basin Campground, situated high in the rugged Chisos Mountains.

As always, we encourage all campers to get ahead of your trips as a little bit of planning can go a long way – not to mention make the experience more enjoyable.

Have a favorite desert campground that you’d like to share with us? Drop us a comment below or on our Facebook or Twitter.

View other desert campgrounds in California, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas in our Public Campgrounds directory.

Regards, Park Ranger