Jawbone Canyon, Mojave Desert - Mojave, California
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(1 votes, average: 4.00 out of 5)
Loading ...| Price: Free | ` | |
| Address: Unknown | Coordinates: 35.363155, -118.111869 | |
| Site Type: Bureau of Land Managment | Status: Official | |
| Open Dates: All year | Max Stay Length: 14 Days | |
| Road Type: Dirt | Miles to Paved Road: 1 | |
| Number of Sites: 30 or more | Max RV Length : Unknown | |
| Contact Email: | Contact Phone: (760) 384-5400 | |
| Website: www.blm.gov/ca/st/en/fo/ridgecrest/jawbone_open_area.html | ||
This week's weather forecast for this location.
Wed  High 80° F Low 59° F |
Thu High 81° F Low 54° F |
Fri  High 63° F Low 46° F |
Sat High 72° F Low 50° F |
Jawbone Canyon/Dove Creek is a great place for all sorts of campers. OHV people tend to fill it up on the weekends, so if you don’t like the buzzy sound of motorbikes and ATVs, avoid it then. If you come here during the week like we did, it’s absolutely silent and peaceful. We hiked all over, and some trails are pretty sweet if you have fat tires on your bicycle.
There is NO water here, so fill up either at the Flying J off Exit 34 in Bakersfield, or pay $10 to fill/dump at Red Rocks State Park.
To get there, take Highway 14 north from Mojave, CA. Just south of Red Rocks State Park, look for the BLM field office on the left side. Take a left on Jawbone Canyon Road and you’re on BLM land. For maximum privacy, go past the first few campsite areas and head to almost the end of the road, where the gate is. You’ll find lots of little coves on the left side where you can pull in. On the right, you can take your rig farther back for more privacy, but it’s sunnier and dustier there. There are a lot of sandy spots in the road, so I’d recommend having 4×4 capabilities.
Scenery level: 
| Amenities: - Restrooms |
Activities: - Hiking Trails - Wildlife Viewing - ATV Trails |
More free camping in California.
Posted by Anonymous
on Jan 22, 2009
2 Comments about “Jawbone Canyon, Mojave Desert”
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If you can tolerate the occasional OHV din, it’s a wonderful spot. And no restrooms; it’s essentially dispersed camping (although there’s some stuff at the visitor center). Butterbredt Sprgs is a well known birding spot, and the visitor center near the entrance has a ton of information about every spot in the Mojave and nearby. The Jawbone Ass’n is very active and produces a map that’s worth getting that covers the whole area. Nearby is also Red Rock Canyon State Park, which has a nice visitor center and great hiking. It’s where tons of westerns you’ve seen have been shot, and is an overlooked gem. Unfortunately with state cutbacks the campground, which is nice, is horribly overpriced, making Jawbone an even better alternative.
And on a crowded weekend the Jawbone store is staight out of Mad Max.
I’m separately reviewing Dove Springs; it’s a BLM OHV area a few miles north of Jawbone Canyon.
It has no visitor center, and is true dispersed camping. Again, lots of OHV users, which is fine if you’re OK with that. Thanksgiving and the holidays can be VERY crowded and noisy, but you can often find a spot for at least an overnight. No fees, no water, no established sites, no restrooms.
Dove Springs is more open and dusty than Jawbone; in Jawbone you can find a secluded alcove amidst rocks or ridges to camp in. Both have nice offroading and you can go between them along washes and roads, and into the backcountry of Red Rock Canyon as well (they stopped allowing dispersed camping). You can even continue on up to the Lake Isabella area all on dirt.
I’m not sure how camping areas are separated here, but the nearby OHV area by Randsburg (a great little town to visit) are also free. Watch out for open mine shafts; they claim lives every few years.
These areas are great places to see desert tortoises. And green Mojave rattlesnakes. The area around Jawbone/Red Rock/Dove Sprgs is rather unique because it is a boundary between climate and desert areas. Red Rocks sees everything from bears to road runners to sidewinders. And tons of birding as well.