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Joshua Tree Ranch Los Angeles

86%

· Lake Hughes, Los Angeles, California

3 acres hosted by Levi P.

5 motorhome/tent pitches

Nomadic camping

Best for self-contained campers. There are no toilets, showers, or potable water at this Hipcamp.

Staff verified

Accuracy verified by Hipcamp's on-the-ground team.

Off-leash friendly

Pets can be off-leash at this Hipcamp.

This valley was inhabited by the Kitanemuk tribe for thousands of years. They would live here in the winter, and spend the summers hunting and gathering pine nuts and acorns up in the Tehachapi and San Gabriel mountains. This region is called the Antelope Valley because there used to be antelope-looking creatures called pronghorns. My first trip out here was to watch the Blood Wolf Moon lunar eclipse of 2019. It didn't disappoint! This is the spot to come look at the stars, howl at the moon, eat jerky, draw weird cactus trees in your sketch book, whatever! Learn more about this land: Joshua trees 50 miles closer to LA than the Joshua Tree National Park! This is 2.5 acres of protected Joshua Tree lands in the Antelope Valley north of LA, between the snowy Tehachapi Mountains and the San Gabriel Mountains. My first time out there I saw BOTH ENDS of a rainbow in front of the snowy Tehachapis!! Super dark skies, and a million stars at night. You'll probably see the Milky Way! It does get breezy at night, so dress appropriately. It feels like the wild west out here, and that's the main appeal--no rules, nobody watching. Think long dirt roads, tumbleweeds, bones, and maybe some old bullet shells (there's no shooting allowed on the property anymore). This is not a state-maintained, paved, manicured operation--it's the edge of the desert wilderness. Please respect the property and clean up after yourself! This is for people who are comfortable exploring beyond a concrete slab with electricity and janitor-cleaned restrooms. There are no designated sites, so pick whatever looks good to you. We often have multiple parties at once, so feel free to spread out. This land used to be the domain of the Ketanemuk tribe, which I think means People From The East. In the summer they would go up and hunt and get pine nuts in the Tehachapi Mountains, and acorns from the oak trees in the San Gabriels. The property itself is along a dirt road called Avenue C. It's about a 20 minute drive from the town of Neenach (pronounced Nee-nack), where there's a general store and a cafe. They make a great breakfast burrito. It's also a few minutes from the State Poppy Reserve, which blooms in the spring with miles of California poppies. If you have a larger group or event in mind, get in touch! We can figure out how to accommodate you.

Activities

Biking

Hiking

Horseback riding

Wildlife watching

Natural features

Desert

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86%

168 Ratings · 70 reviews

Reagan R.recommends

May 3, 2024

Site 1 - Joshua Tree Ranch Los Angeles

Beautiful and secluded. Very peaceful. Very windy but very nice

Ethan C.doesn't recommend

April 28, 2024

Site 1 - Joshua Tree Ranch Los Angeles

Beautiful site but too windy. Had to pack up and leave before the night was over due to the disturbance caused by the heavy wind.

Jesus Hernan H.

April 24, 2023

Joshua Tree Ranch Los Angeles

Scary at first but no problems

I had never done hip-camp or dispersed camping before. The place looked naturally beautiful at a first glance because it was spring season. We drove through the whole place but were able to only find two spots for possible camping areas. Only one of them was marked as joshua tree ranch. The other one looked extremely dirty and not taken care of at all. We were very hesitant to stay there at first because of how desolated and shady the whole situation looked, but we had a good communication with the host over messages and we were fortunate enough to find another couple camping about a mile away from us. That gave us a little encouragement to decide to stay the night. It kind of gave us the creeps to be honest, we had fear of a ted bundy like individual jumping our camp in the middle of the night. Luckily none of this happened and we ended up having a great time. In the website it kind of looked like there were multiple sites available but we only found those two. I would go back myself but base in my first thoughts, im not sure if i would recommend it to someone else yet.

Sue E.doesn't recommend

April 22, 2023

Joshua Tree Ranch Los Angeles

Not Worth It

The Joshua Trees are beautiful as are the views. Directions from host worked well. This is a boondock sit you have to pay for. There is trash dumped in several places (old tires, a TV, concrete, lumber, etc.). No clear place to park without driving over flowers & native vegetation. We parked on the edge of the road. Expensive for no services whatsoever ($33). Plenty of other boondock sites near the poppy reserve that are free. Don’t waste your $ unless you love Joshua Trees.

Hwee Lan T.recommends

April 21, 2023

Joshua Tree Ranch Los Angeles

Unplugged from modern world~

Quiet, lots of privacy, the morning view with the blooming fiddlenecks with Joshua trees was breathtaking. It was not dark enough for milkyway photography when I was there though.

Stefania M.recommends

April 3, 2023

Joshua Tree Ranch Los Angeles

Peaceful spot surrounded by joshua trees and close to california poppy fields in the spring.

Location

Lake Hughes, Los Angeles, California, United StatesTraditional, ancestral territory of Yuhaaviatam/Maarenga’yam (Serrano) First Nations according to To respect the Host's privacy, the precise address of this land will be provided after booking