National Park Service · Joshua Tree National Park · CA

Indian Cove Campground

6Heads up4 park alerts · 2 fires, nearest 33 mi
Wildfire
2026 Training fire · 33 mi away · 0 acres · updated Oct 14, 2026
Wildfire
Powerline fire · 46 mi away · 0 acres · updated Oct 14, 2026
Caution
Inaccurate Third-Party Apps Some third-party hiking apps are providing inaccurate trail and safety information to users. Please use the official NPS app for accurate information.
Park Closure
Geology Tour Road Temporarily Closed The park received a significant amount of rain. Due to flooding, Geology Tour Road is temporarily closed. Please use caution while traveling on all other roads in the park.
Caution
Oasis of Mara Trail Partial Closure Due to a heavy flooding event, the Oasis of Mara Trail is closed past the Oasis.
Caution
Partial Trail Closure of West Side Loop There is a partial trail closure of West Side Loop trail in the Black Rock area to allow for trail crew and volunteers to conduct trail repairs. Sections of West Side will be closed to all forms of traffic, Equestrians and hikers will have…
Alerts: National Park Service alerts API · Oct 17, 2026
Reservable, and full this SaturdayEvery one of the 94 sites on offer is taken this Saturday, and the record lists no site held back for a walk-up. read 15:57 UTC

We don’t think it should be. Every campground should hold some sites for whoever drives up.Tell your representative →

Right now
Taking bookingsSites offered on 30 of the next 30 nights read 15:57 UTC
A night
$35From, per site
Sites
11497 on recreation.gov
35 ftLongest rig
2,740 ftElevation
3.9 miWater · an unnamed pond
0 miSW of Twentynine Palms, CA
0%Tree cover

The place

the agency’s own description · what’s there · 13 notices

In the agency’s own words

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. Keep reading

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.

What the agency tells you

Rule

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

Rule

Please call 760-362-4367 for Indian Cove information.

Rule

Reservations are required year round and can be made the same day or up to 6 months in advance.

Everything else this campground posts · 10
Rule

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.

Rule

The park allows six people, two vehicles and three vehicles per site, however, some sites are small and may not accommodate the maximum number of people and vehicles. See Site Details for specifics. There is no overflow parking. Trailers count as a vehicle.

Rule

There is no access into the main portion of the park from the campground except by hiking trails; $30 per vehicle entrance fee is in addition to the camping fee.

Rule

There are no electric, water or sewer hook-ups available at individual campsites; nor is a dump station located nearby. Potable water is available at the Ranger Station, about 2 miles from the campground.

Rule

Generator use is permitted only from 7–9 am, noon–2 pm, and 5–7 pm.

Rule

Pets are not allowed on trails but are welcome in the campground, on any dirt road or within 100 feet of any road. Pets must be on a leash no more than 6 feet long at all times. Pets may not be left unattended or tied to an object; leaving pets in unattended vehicles is strongly discouraged – especially on warm days.

Rule

Don’t Move Firewood: Prevent the spread of tree-killing pests by obtaining firewood near the park and burning it on-site, and do not use park vegetation, living or dead, for fuel.

Rule

All organized events require a special use permit and must be held in designated areas; contact the Special Park Use Coordinator, jotr_permit_office@nps.gov.

Rule

STOP THE SPREAD OF INVASIVE SPECIES. Remove plants, seeds, animals, and mud from boots, gear, pets, and vehicles. Clean your gear before entering and leaving the recreation site. Stay on designated roads and trails, and follow local guidelines for firewood. For more information visit the National Invasive Species Information Center.

Rule

FIRE BAN fire restriction are currently in effect that prohibit charcoal fires, wood-burning fires, and charcoal grills. NO Fires! Only gas or propane stoves are permitted. Starting June 1st, ending October 1st of every year.

Read them on the agency’s own page →

Tents and rigs

Sites
114 · 45 tent-only
Hookups
None
Longest rig
35 ft
Paved pads
1 of 114
Accessible sites
1
Pets
Allowed
Campfires
Allowed, barring fire bans
Source: Recreation.gov campsite records · Aug 23, 2026

Facilities

Toilets
Vault Toilets - year round
Drinking water
None, bring your own
Stay limit
30 nights
recreation.gov facility rule maxStay
Source: National Park Service and agency records

Around the campground

Backpacking
Evening Programs
Hiking
Picnicking
Ranger Station
Climbing
Night sky · 1020th darkest of 1,201 in CA
Bortle 4
Source: Recreation.gov activity records · Aug 23, 2026

Full this Saturdayread 15:57 UTC

How full the weekend is nationally.

OpenBooked

Every one of the 94 sites on offer is taken this Saturday. 56 are free on Tue, Oct 20. read 15:57 UTC Why the weekend fills and the week doesn’t

Booking window6 months outBookable now through April 16, 2027. Today at 10 AM ET, availability opens through April 17, 2027.recreation.gov
Max stay30 nightsthe facility record
A night$35plus $8 to reserve, once per bookingthe agency’s rate schedule
A weekend$78DerivedFriday and Saturday, everything includedours, from the lines above
If plans change$10 to cancel$10 to change a reservation; this campground publishes its own terms toorecreation.gov’s schedule
Runs itNational Park ServiceBooked through recreation.govthe agency’s record
Watch for a cancellation

Watch this campground

One email when a night opens, plus More Than Just Parks dispatches. Unsubscribe any time.

We read recreation.gov once an hour, at 40 minutes past, and write the first time a site in your window is free for the nights you asked for.

Scanners that check every few minutes exist, and most of them charge. This one is free, it reads the same calendar, and it won’t always be first.

Free forever, no booking kickbacks.
Book on recreation.gov ↗

We make nothing when you book. The link goes straight to the government.

Every line of the receipt · 14

What you actually pay

The sign priceNational Park Service
A night$35
Standard Nonelectric$35
Tent Only Nonelectric$35
Group areas, a night$55
Rates for the season the campground is in now, Jan 1, 2026 to Dec 31, 2026.
The booking feerecreation.gov
Reservation fee, booked online$8
One fee per reservation, however many nights you book, and it’s non-refundable. $9 if you book by phone, $3 in person.
Pass discounts only apply to the recreation (or use) fee for the facility. Other charges such as electricity or water hookups, reservation or other fees are not eligible for a discount.
What a stay costs
One nightDerived$43
A weekend, Friday and SaturdayDerived$78

Derived by CAMPANAC: the agency’s published rate for this season, $35 a night, plus one $8 recreation.gov reservation fee for the booking. A weekend here means Friday and Saturday night, booked once. Optional charges (an extra vehicle, a second tent, a dump-station fee) are listed separately and aren’t in this total.

If your plans changerecreation.gov
Change fee, moving to dates outside your booking$10
Cancellation fee$10
Cancelling the day before, or the day of$10 + your first night
No-show$20 + your first night

“A $10 service fee will be withheld from any refund for a 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.” · this campground’s own no-show terms

Who keeps the booking fee

The agency’s own policy text says the reservation fee and the cancellation processing fee are “retained by the reservation service contractor”, and that a campground concessionaire will decline to refund them because “they did not receive these fees”. Recreation.gov is run under contract by Booz Allen Hamilton. What share of your booking fee the contractor keeps isn’t published in any federal dataset we can read, so we print no number for it. Our reporting on the contract →

How we know this receipt · 6

recreation.gov availability, read 15:57 UTC · rules read Sep 9, 2026 · rates Sep 10, 2026 · How we know all this

Seen something wrong here? Tell us.

The sites

114 sites · which ones have room · the site map

The sites, ranked

from 91 mapped sites
45 ftbetween you and the next site, typically
Least room098 11 ft099 11 ft100 13 ft

All 114 sites

104 of 114 sites located
Standard47Tent only44Type not stated13
SleepsTakes aUp to

The price is derived by CAMPANAC, not published per site: the per-night rate this campground publishes for each site’s own site type. 97 of the 114 sites listed carry one, and a site whose type has no published rate sits out of the price rather than being called free.

Group AreaG01type not stated25 ft4.7 mi
Group AreaG02type not stated25 ft4.7 mi
Group AreaG03type not stated25 ft4.8 mi
Group AreaG04type not stated25 ft4.8 mi
Group AreaG05type not stated25 ft4.9 mi
Group AreaG06type not stated25 ft4.9 mi
Group AreaG07type not stated25 ft4.9 mi
Group AreaG08type not stated25 ft5.0 mi
Group AreaG09type not stated25 ft5.0 mi
Group AreaG10type not stated25 ft5.0 mi
Group AreaG11type not stated25 ft5.1 mi
Group AreaG12type not stated25 ft5.1 mi
Group AreaG13type not stated25 ft5.1 mi
Indian Cove Campground001standard nonelectric18 ftyes$35
Indian Cove Campground002standard nonelectric65 ft4.8 mi$35
Indian Cove Campground003standard nonelectric20 ft65 ft4.8 mi$35
Indian Cove Campground004standard nonelectric44 ft4.8 mi$35
Indian Cove Campground005standard nonelectric44 ft4.8 mi$35
Indian Cove Campground006standard nonelectric18 ft73 ft4.8 mi$35
Indian Cove Campground007standard nonelectric25 ft73 ft4.7 mi$35
Indian Cove Campground008type not stated
Indian Cove Campground009standard nonelectric52 ft4.7 mi$35
Indian Cove Campground010standard nonelectric52 ft4.7 mi$35
Indian Cove Campground011standard nonelectric58 ft4.7 mi$35
Indian Cove Campground012standard nonelectric58 ft4.7 mi$35
Indian Cove Campground013standard nonelectric22 ft69 ft4.7 mi$35
Indian Cove Campground014standard nonelectric18 ft69 ft4.7 mi$35
Indian Cove Campground015tent only nonelectric52 ft4.7 mi$35
Indian Cove Campground016tent only nonelectric50 ft4.7 mi$35
Indian Cove Campground017standard nonelectric21 ft4.7 mi$35
Indian Cove Campground018standard nonelectric21 ft4.7 mi$35
Indian Cove Campground019standard nonelectric59 ft4.8 mi$35
Indian Cove Campground020standard nonelectric18 ft59 ft4.8 mi$35
Indian Cove Campground021standard nonelectric32 ft31 ft4.8 mi$35
Indian Cove Campground022standard nonelectric35 ft31 ft4.8 mi$35
Indian Cove Campground023standard nonelectric$35
Indian Cove Campground024standard nonelectric18 ft107 ft4.8 mi$35
Indian Cove Campground025standard nonelectric23 ft48 ft4.8 mi$35
Indian Cove Campground026standard nonelectric18 ft48 ft4.8 mi$35
Indian Cove Campground027standard nonelectric24 ft57 ft4.8 mi$35
Indian Cove Campground028standard nonelectric$35
Indian Cove Campground029tent only nonelectric60 ft4.8 mi$35
Indian Cove Campground030tent only nonelectric32 ft4.9 mi$35
Indian Cove Campground031tent only nonelectric32 ft4.9 mi$35
Indian Cove Campground032standard nonelectric147 ft4.9 mi$35
Indian Cove Campground033tent only nonelectric126 ft4.9 mi$35
Indian Cove Campground034tent only nonelectric88 ft4.9 mi$35
Indian Cove Campground035standard nonelectric27 ft80 ft4.9 mi$35
Indian Cove Campground036tent only nonelectric80 ft4.9 mi$35
Indian Cove Campground037standard nonelectric21 ft78 ft4.9 mi$35
Indian Cove Campground038tent only nonelectric78 ft4.9 mi$35
Indian Cove Campground039tent only nonelectric110 ft4.9 mi$35
Indian Cove Campground040type not stated
Indian Cove Campground041tent only nonelectric51 ft4.8 mi$35
Indian Cove Campground042tent only nonelectric48 ft4.9 mi$35
Indian Cove Campground043standard nonelectric21 ft23 ft4.9 mi$35
Indian Cove Campground044tent only nonelectric23 ft4.9 mi$35
Indian Cove Campground045standard nonelectric34 ft4.9 mi$35
Indian Cove Campground046tent only nonelectric32 ft4.9 mi$35
Indian Cove Campground047tent only nonelectric31 ft4.9 mi$35
Indian Cove Campground048standard nonelectric24 ft31 ft4.9 mi$35
Indian Cove Campground049standard nonelectric18 ft41 ft4.9 mi$35
Indian Cove Campground050standard nonelectric25 ft4.9 mi$35
Indian Cove Campground051tent only nonelectric25 ft4.9 mi$35
Indian Cove Campground052standard nonelectric17 ft84 ft4.9 mi$35
Indian Cove Campground053standard nonelectric25 ft90 ft5.0 mi$35
Indian Cove Campground054tent only nonelectric60 ft5.0 mi$35
Indian Cove Campground055tent only nonelectric44 ft5.0 mi$35
Indian Cove Campground056tent only nonelectric44 ft5.0 mi$35
Indian Cove Campground057tent only nonelectric39 ft5.0 mi$35
Indian Cove Campground058tent only nonelectric39 ft5.0 mi$35
Indian Cove Campground059standard nonelectric20 ft54 ft5.0 mi$35
Indian Cove Campground060tent only nonelectric70 ft5.0 mi$35
Indian Cove Campground061standard nonelectric28 ft70 ft5.0 mi$35
Indian Cove Campground062type not stated25 ft
Indian Cove Campground063tent only nonelectric22 ft5.0 mi$35
Indian Cove Campground064tent only nonelectric20 ft5.0 mi$35
Indian Cove Campground065tent only nonelectric20 ft5.0 mi$35
Indian Cove Campground066tent only nonelectric45 ft5.0 mi$35
Indian Cove Campground067tent only nonelectric45 ft5.1 mi$35
Indian Cove Campground068tent only nonelectric45 ft5.1 mi$35
Indian Cove Campground069tent only nonelectric49 ft5.1 mi$35
Indian Cove Campground070tent only nonelectric35 ft5.1 mi$35
Indian Cove Campground071tent only nonelectric35 ft5.1 mi$35
Indian Cove Campground072tent only nonelectric41 ft5.1 mi$35
Indian Cove Campground073tent only nonelectric51 ft5.1 mi$35
Indian Cove Campground074tent only nonelectric37 ft5.1 mi$35
Indian Cove Campground075standard nonelectric18 ft37 ft5.1 mi$35
Indian Cove Campground076type not stated25 ft
Indian Cove Campground077standard nonelectric18 ft54 ft5.1 mi$35
Indian Cove Campground078standard nonelectric33 ft5.1 mi$35
Indian Cove Campground079standard nonelectric33 ft5.1 mi$35
Indian Cove Campground080standard nonelectric43 ft5.1 mi$35
Indian Cove Campground081standard nonelectric18 ft103 ft5.2 mi$35
Indian Cove Campground082standard nonelectric36 ft5.2 mi$35
Indian Cove Campground083standard nonelectric36 ft5.2 mi$35
Indian Cove Campground084standard nonelectric$35
Indian Cove Campground085standard nonelectric39 ft5.2 mi$35
Indian Cove Campground086standard nonelectric39 ft5.2 mi$35
Indian Cove Campground087standard nonelectric47 ft5.2 mi$35
Indian Cove Campground088standard nonelectric21 ft47 ft5.2 mi$35
Indian Cove Campground089tent only nonelectric55 ft5.2 mi$35
Indian Cove Campground090tent only nonelectric64 ft5.2 mi$35
Indian Cove Campground091tent only nonelectric20 ft5.2 mi$35
Indian Cove Campground092tent only nonelectric20 ft5.2 mi$35
Indian Cove Campground093tent only nonelectric$35
Indian Cove Campground094standard nonelectric18 ft$35
Indian Cove Campground095standard nonelectric18 ft128 ft5.2 mi$35
Indian Cove Campground096tent only nonelectric20 ft5.2 mi$35
Indian Cove Campground097tent only nonelectric15 ft5.2 mi$35
Indian Cove Campground098tent only nonelectric12 ft5.2 mi$35
Indian Cove Campground099tent only nonelectric12 ft5.2 mi$35
Indian Cove Campground100tent only nonelectric13 ft5.2 mi$35
Indian Cove Campground101tent only nonelectric14 ft5.2 mi$35

25 of 114 listed

Getting there

the map and the coordinate · the agency’s directions · the phone number
Coordinate34.12000, -116.15583
The phone760-367-5554
The agency’s pageOfficial page ↗

Where it is

Getting there

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.

The weather

the next four days · the thirty-year normal

Next four days, and the thirty-year normal

Forecast

Tonight62°Partly Cloudy1% rain
Saturday71°Mostly Sunny7% rain
Saturday Night60°Mostly Cloudy7% rain
Sunday72°Mostly Sunny1% rain

NWS forecast for Twentynine Palms, CA

Typical weather

Typical October night 58°F, day 85°F.

Coldest month of the year: typical December night 40°F. Bring the bag rated for it.

110°30°

Daily high and lowDays with 0.10 in or more

A normal is the 1991-2020 average for the month, not a forecast: about half of all Julys are colder than the July line. The seven-day forecast above answers the other question.

Measured at: TWENTYNINE PALMS, CA (USC00049099), 7 miles away and 765 ft lower

The land, and who answers for it

what threatens it · who answers for it · a letter you can send

What threatens this place

Watch
Joshua Tree National Parkdevelopment, climate
Watch
Sand to Snow National Monumentdevelopment · 23 mi

You’re camping on ground somebody wants. We track the threats and the comment deadlines.

Source: MTJP Threatened Lands map · Oct 9, 2026

Who answers for this land

Jay Obernolte, official portrait

Indian Cove Campground is in California’s 23rd congressional district. Its representative, Jay Obernolte (R), votes on the laws that decide what happens to this land. Public-lands grade so far: F. See every public-lands vote →

Seen something wrong here? Tell us.

Who can change it · 4
Write to somebody who can change it

Two offices, two different asks. The draft to the agency asks it to set aside a published share of the sites here for whoever drives up. The draft to Congress asks why that share is zero and presses for a published minimum at the campgrounds it funds.

Read the draft, or change the wording

For the camper who turned up, or tried to book, and couldn’t get in. Every draft is written from this campground’s own record (its agency, its unit, its site count and its own weekend) and the buttons above copy whichever wording is selected here.

To Joshua Tree National Park

Asks the National Park Service to set aside a published share of the sites here for whoever drives up, and to post what that share is.

Subject Hold back a share of sites at Indian Cove Campground for campers who drive up

To the National Park Service, Joshua Tree National Park:

I tried to camp at Indian Cove Campground in California and couldn’t.

recreation.gov lists 97 of the 114 campsites the agency files at Indian Cove Campground, and every one of them is booked ahead, and the agency's own record lists none held back for somebody who drives up. On Saturday, October 17, all 94 sites recreation.gov was offering there were already booked.

1,623 of the 7,647 federal campgrounds in this country still keep at least some sites for whoever arrives first. Indian Cove Campground keeps none, and that’s a choice somebody made rather than a rule.

I’m asking for one specific thing: set aside a published share of the sites at Indian Cove Campground as first-come, first-served, and post what that share is so it can be checked.

Somebody who drives up has no way in, and no way to find out whether they might have had one.

Sent about Indian Cove Campground (Joshua Tree National Park, California) via campanac.com
To Jay Obernolte

Asks them to put the question to the agency in writing, and to press for a published minimum share of walk-up sites across the campgrounds they fund.

Subject Walk-up camping at Indian Cove Campground, Joshua Tree National Park, California

Dear Jay Obernolte,

I’m a constituent in California’s 23rd district. I tried to camp at Indian Cove Campground, Joshua Tree National Park, California, and couldn’t.

recreation.gov lists 97 of the 114 campsites the agency files at Indian Cove Campground, and every one of them is booked ahead, and the agency's own record lists none held back for somebody who drives up. On Saturday, October 17, all 94 sites recreation.gov was offering there were already booked.

1,623 of the 7,647 federal campgrounds in this country still keep at least some sites for whoever arrives first. Indian Cove Campground keeps none, and that’s a choice somebody made rather than a rule.

I’m not asking you to run Indian Cove Campground. I’m asking you to put it to the National Park Service in writing: why is the share of first-come sites there zero, and what would a published minimum share cost? Please press for that minimum at the federal campgrounds you fund.

The people who open these campgrounds, collect the fees and keep the water running are seasonal positions. At GS-5, base pay plus the government's own 36.25% benefit factor, one costs about $47,414 a year. One percent of the $13.3 billion the USS Gerald R. Ford cost to procure would pay for about 2,800 of them for a year. Both figures are the government's own (a Congressional Research Service report and an OPM pay table), and I’m glad to send them.

Sent about Indian Cove Campground (Joshua Tree National Park, California) via campanac.com
To Adam B. Schiff

Asks them to put the question to the agency in writing, and to press for a published minimum share of walk-up sites across the campgrounds they fund.

Subject Walk-up camping at Indian Cove Campground, Joshua Tree National Park, California

Dear Adam B. Schiff,

I’m a constituent in California. I tried to camp at Indian Cove Campground, Joshua Tree National Park, California, and couldn’t.

recreation.gov lists 97 of the 114 campsites the agency files at Indian Cove Campground, and every one of them is booked ahead, and the agency's own record lists none held back for somebody who drives up. On Saturday, October 17, all 94 sites recreation.gov was offering there were already booked.

1,623 of the 7,647 federal campgrounds in this country still keep at least some sites for whoever arrives first. Indian Cove Campground keeps none, and that’s a choice somebody made rather than a rule.

I’m not asking you to run Indian Cove Campground. I’m asking you to put it to the National Park Service in writing: why is the share of first-come sites there zero, and what would a published minimum share cost? Please press for that minimum at the federal campgrounds you fund.

The people who open these campgrounds, collect the fees and keep the water running are seasonal positions. At GS-5, base pay plus the government's own 36.25% benefit factor, one costs about $47,414 a year. One percent of the $13.3 billion the USS Gerald R. Ford cost to procure would pay for about 2,800 of them for a year. Both figures are the government's own (a Congressional Research Service report and an OPM pay table), and I’m glad to send them.

Sent about Indian Cove Campground (Joshua Tree National Park, California) via campanac.com
To Alex Padilla

Asks them to put the question to the agency in writing, and to press for a published minimum share of walk-up sites across the campgrounds they fund.

Subject Walk-up camping at Indian Cove Campground, Joshua Tree National Park, California

Dear Alex Padilla,

I’m a constituent in California. I tried to camp at Indian Cove Campground, Joshua Tree National Park, California, and couldn’t.

recreation.gov lists 97 of the 114 campsites the agency files at Indian Cove Campground, and every one of them is booked ahead, and the agency's own record lists none held back for somebody who drives up. On Saturday, October 17, all 94 sites recreation.gov was offering there were already booked.

1,623 of the 7,647 federal campgrounds in this country still keep at least some sites for whoever arrives first. Indian Cove Campground keeps none, and that’s a choice somebody made rather than a rule.

I’m not asking you to run Indian Cove Campground. I’m asking you to put it to the National Park Service in writing: why is the share of first-come sites there zero, and what would a published minimum share cost? Please press for that minimum at the federal campgrounds you fund.

The people who open these campgrounds, collect the fees and keep the water running are seasonal positions. At GS-5, base pay plus the government's own 36.25% benefit factor, one costs about $47,414 a year. One percent of the $13.3 billion the USS Gerald R. Ford cost to procure would pay for about 2,800 of them for a year. Both figures are the government's own (a Congressional Research Service report and an OPM pay table), and I’m glad to send them.

Sent about Indian Cove Campground (Joshua Tree National Park, California) via campanac.com
How we know this · 4
The figures in these drafts: Navy Ford (CVN-78) Class Aircraft Carrier Program: Background and Issues for Congress (CRS Report RS20643) · Updated December 4, 2025 · “The ship’s final procurement cost was $13,316.5 million (i.e., about $13.3 billion) in then-year dollars.”
The figures in these drafts: Salary Table 2026-GS, Incorporating the 1% General Schedule Increase, Effective January 2026 (U.S. Office of Personnel Management) · Effective January 2026 · “Grade 5, Step 1: $34,799 (annual rate, before locality pay).”
The figures in these drafts: Update to Civilian Position Full Fringe Benefit Cost Factor, Federal Pay Raise Assumptions, and Inflation Factors used in OMB Circular No. A-76 (OMB Memorandum M-08-13) · March 11, 2008 · “the civilian position full fringe benefit cost factor needs to be adjusted downward, from 36.45 percent to 36.25 percent”

How we know

every fact on this page, and where it came from
Right now: recreation.gov is offering sites on 30 of the next 30 nights, which isn’t something a closed campground does.
Cell signal: the Park Service’s own campground description, read as text by CAMPANAC. None of this is a measurement. It’s what the land manager published about the place, and phones, carriers and weather all disagree with each other; treat it as a warning, not a promise.