Camping at Red Rock Canyon State Park

01What is Ricardo Campground like?

Ricardo Campground is at the end of the paved quarter mile of Abbott Drive, west of Highway 14, beside the visitor center.¹² It is tucked against the base of the cliffs; the formation behind it is the White House Cliffs.¹⁵

There are 50 primitive sites for tents and RVs, one of them set aside for campers arriving on foot or by bicycle.² The campground has tables, fire rings, drinking water and pit toilets, but no hookups and no showers. A site holds up to eight people, and there are no group sites.¹ The nonprofit association that supports the park says some neighbouring sites can be used together by larger parties.⁶

Sites 1, 2, 6 and 45 are accessible, and sites 1 and 2 have a shade ramada over the table.⁴ The official campground map shows the numbered sites, the walk-in site, the visitor center and the start of the nature trail.³

02Can you reserve a site, and what does it cost?

There is no reservation system: every site is first come, first served. State Parks says the campground can fill at weekends in spring and autumn, particularly in good weather and on holiday weekends, and recommends arriving on Thursday evening or Friday morning.¹ Its planning documents add significant astronomical events to the times it is frequently full.²

You register and pay before setting up camp. The fee is $25 a night, which covers one vehicle; seniors aged 62 and over pay $23, and each additional vehicle is $6.¹ The association says that in spring and autumn registration is taken at the visitor center during the day, with self-registration envelopes at the campground kiosk when it is closed, and that fees can be paid only by cash or cheque.⁶ Bring cash.

03Campground rules: fires, generators, dogs and vehicles

• Vehicles, off-highway vehicles included, park inside the rock-lined area of each site.¹
• Quiet hours are 10pm to 6am, and generators must be off from 8pm to 10am. The 2014 brochure gives 8pm to 10am for both.¹⁸
• Fires only in the metal fire rings provided. Bring firewood or buy it at the visitor center.¹
• Dogs are welcome in the campground on a leash of six feet or less, and may not be left unattended; they are not allowed on the trails.¹
• No horses or livestock in the campground. Riders can use the Red Cliffs day-use area by day, but may not camp there.¹
• No camping anywhere else in the park, and no overnight parking in the day-use lot.¹²

04Is there RV water, a dump station or hookups?

The maximum length for trailers and motorhomes is 30 feet.¹ There are no hookups.¹

05How cold and windy are the nights?

Winter nights here are cold: the park’s weather station recorded average January lows of 29°F over 1971–1992, and average July highs of 102°F.² Winds above 25 mph are common, with gusts reported up to 75 mph, so stake everything down.² The same documents describe the park as one of the few dark-sky areas in southern California.²

The general plan put to the State Park and Recreation Commission in 2023 proposes more camping in future, including primitive “dry” camping areas in the northeast of the park, each subject to its own environmental review.¹⁰ For now the park’s page lists Ricardo as the only place to camp.¹

06Where else can you camp near the park?

When Ricardo is full, the nearest alternatives are on Bureau of Land Management land either side of the park, and they are a different kind of camping: primitive, free and without water.

• Dove Springs OHV Area, off Highway 14 just north of the park: open riding land where BLM’s general rule for dispersed camping applies, 14 days in any 28-day period before you move on.¹²¹⁴
• Jawbone Canyon OHV Area, off Highway 14 about 20 miles north of Mojave, where BLM allows primitive camping throughout the area for up to 14 days.¹³

Both are riding areas first, so expect engines. State Parks says there is no water and no hookups for camping there, and that campers should arrive self-contained.¹⁵ A campfire, stove or lantern on BLM land outside a developed campground needs a free California Campfire Permit, and seasonal restrictions can ban open fires altogether.¹⁶ The campground in town, and the rules for each option, are compared in camping in and near California City.