Southern California Desert RV Camping in Winter: Joshua Tree, Anza-Borrego, Palm Springs and the Salton Sea

The Southern California desert is one of the best winter RV regions in the country, because it gives you four very different trips in a small area. Joshua Tree is high desert with rock formations and no hookups. Anza-Borrego is a huge state park where you can camp in the open backcountry or plug into a full-hookup site. The Palm Springs area is resort country with private RV parks and every service. The Salton Sea is quieter, flatter and cheaper. You can link all four in a week or base yourself at one for a month.

Rules and closures change, sometimes week to week. Everything below comes from official National Park Service and California State Parks pages as checked in late October 2026. Re-check each park's page before you go.

Winter weather: warm days, real nights

NOAA's 1991–2020 climate normals show a big day-night swing across this region in January:

Plan for shirt-sleeve afternoons and furnace nights. If you'll be dry camping, budget battery and propane for cold mornings. Our RV battery guide for boondocking covers the math.

Joshua Tree National Park

Joshua Tree is the most dramatic of the four and the least RV-friendly in terms of services. There are no hookups anywhere in the park. Only Black Rock and Cottonwood have potable water and dump stations, and dumping costs $5.

Campgrounds and fees

Reservations are on Recreation.gov or at 1-877-444-6777, from the same day up to six months ahead. The park recommends booking before you arrive, since cell service is very limited inside. The private vehicle entrance fee is $30 for seven days, and a Joshua Tree annual pass is $55.

RV rules to know

• Length limits: Hidden Valley and White Tank allow a combined length of 25 feet. Belle allows up to 35 feet, but the park says most sites fit only 25- to 30-foot RVs. For reservable campgrounds, check the specific site's listing on Recreation.gov.
• Generators: limited to 7–9 a.m., 12–2 p.m. and 5–7 p.m. Quiet hours are 10 p.m. to 6 a.m.
• Stay limits: 30 nights per year, and only 14 nights total from October through May.
• Per site: up to 6 people, 3 tents and 2 vehicles.
• No overflow: all overnight vehicles must be in a designated campsite.

Anza-Borrego Desert State Park

Anza-Borrego is California's largest state park, and it's unusually flexible for RVers. You can take a full-hookup site at Borrego Palm Canyon, a primitive campground, or camp in the open backcountry. The park defines its entire backcountry as a camping facility.

Campgrounds and fees

• Borrego Palm Canyon: full-hookup RV sites $45 per night; tent sites $35. Dump station $10, closed June 1 through September 30.
• Tamarisk Grove: tent sites $35, cabins $70, RVs up to 21 feet with no hookups. Open October 1 through May 31.
• Bow Willow and Mountain Palm Springs: tent and RV sites $20.
• Sheep Canyon (Coyote Canyon): $20, open October 1 through May 31.
• Fish Creek Primitive: tent sites $20.

Reservations are made on ReserveCalifornia, open six months ahead, and are available for October 1 through April 30. Vehicle day use is $10. Senior (62+) and disabled discounts apply at many sites.

Current restrictions

When we checked, the park's page listed Coyote Canyon closed to public use from Lower Willows to the northern park boundary. It also listed Tamarisk Grove Campground and several Borrego Palm Canyon tent and group site ranges under current restrictions without explaining them. Call the park or check its page before you count on any of those.

Rules to know

• Generators: 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Quiet hours 10 p.m. to 6 a.m.
• Per site: up to 8 people and 2 vehicles, and trailers count as vehicles.
• Fires: ground fires are prohibited. Fires must be in a stove or a metal container with a bottom and sides. During extreme fire danger, open fires are banned in the backcountry and at Blair Valley and Culp Valley.
• Stay limit: 30 days total per calendar year in park campgrounds.
• Dogs: on a leash under 6 feet, and not left outside unattended at night.
• Check-in: 2:00 p.m.

New to camping without hookups? Start with our boondocking for beginners guide.

The Palm Springs area and Coachella Valley

Palm Springs is the warmest of the four bases by NOAA's January normals and by far the most developed. This is where you come for full hookups, pools, restaurants, golf and an easy drive to both Joshua Tree's south entrance and the Salton Sea. Most RV camping here is at private parks and resorts, many of which fill with seasonal guests for the winter.

A few things to know:

• Monthly rates matter. Many valley parks are built around long-term winter guests. Ask about monthly pricing and what's metered. Our guide to monthly RV park stays lists the questions to ask.
• Check what's extra. Electric, resort fees and amenity fees vary by park. Our post on what seasonal site pricing includes walks through it.
• A county option: Riverside County runs Lake Cahuilla Veterans Regional Park in La Quinta. Its official page lists hookup, water-only and dry camping sites and a 14-days-in-28 stay limit, but parts of that page date to 2018, so call the county for current details.

Salton Sea State Recreation Area

The Salton Sea is the quiet, low-key option: a big, flat lakeshore, birdwatching, and lower fees than the resort parks to the north. California State Parks names October through May as the best time to visit and warns that June through September is extremely hot.

What's open

When we checked in October 2026, the park was open with some restrictions. Mecca Beach Campground was closed for maintenance with no reopening date, and Bombay Beach Campground was closed. The main campground remained open. Varner Harbor was closed to vessel access.

Fees and limits

• Full or partial hookup site: $30 per night
• Developed tent site: $20 per night
• Primitive site: $10 per night
• RV dump: $7
• Extra vehicle: $7 per night
• Seniors 62+: $2 off per night
• Maximum RV or trailer length: 35 feet

Reservations are available October through May on ReserveCalifornia. Dogs are allowed on a 6-foot leash in developed areas such as roads and campgrounds, but not on beaches or trails.

BLM land nearby

If you want to stay longer than park limits allow, the Bureau of Land Management runs Long-Term Visitor Areas east of the region, including Hot Springs and Pilot Knob off Interstate 8 and Midland near Blythe. BLM listed a $180 season permit and a $40 permit for 14 days for the September 15 to April 15 season when we checked. Facilities are basic, and Midland requires fully self-contained RVs.

Putting a trip together

1. Match the rig to the park. A camper van or short Class C fits almost everywhere. A 30-foot-plus rig points you to Black Rock or Cottonwood in Joshua Tree, Borrego Palm Canyon hookups, the Salton Sea's main campground, or private parks. Our RV site size guide helps.
2. Book the reservable sites first. Joshua Tree and Anza-Borrego both open six months ahead, and winter weekends go fast.
3. Plan water and dumping. Joshua Tree has only two fill and dump points. Arrive with full fresh water.
4. Respect generator windows. They differ: Joshua Tree's are three two-hour blocks, Anza-Borrego's run 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
5. Pack for cold nights and wind. Desert lows in the 40s are typical, and the high desert runs colder.
6. Check closures the week you leave. Several campgrounds in this region were closed or restricted when we checked.

For more warm-weather options, see our Arizona winter RV camping guide just across the Colorado River, or the California coast guide if you'd trade heat for ocean views.