Rockhouse Trail (Anza-Borrego Desert State Park) – Campsite Review

Location: Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, Borrego Springs, California
Type: State Park Dispersed
Access: Highway S22
Coordinates: 33.298655, -116.286096
Elevation: 675 Feet
Road Conditions: Gravel Road
Phone Coverage: VZW 3/5 Voice Only
Fee: Free
Amenities: None. This is a primitive camping area.
Website: http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=63

Details

Rockhouse Campground is a free, dispersed camping area located on Rockhouse Trail. The site is easily accessed from Highway S22. This is a popular and well-known camping area.

Rockhouse Campground is accessible by any vehicle, though the road does deteriorate as it goes. We saw everything from tent campers to Class A motorhomes and buses during our visit. The first 1/4 mile or so of the road is paved before turning to gravel. The gravel road remains in good condition for another 1/4 to 1/2 mile at which point it becomes very sandy.

There are numerous spots to camp along both sides of Rockhouse Trail, and many sites have fire rings. Since this is a popular camping area, it is likely that campers will be in close proximity to one another – particularly during peak season. We visited during the March 2019 superbloom and the area was crowded, but it was quieter than we expected.

Overall, this is not a camping area that we would likely return to again as it was too crowded for our taste. However, it did meet our needs as it provided a base to explore and see the wildflowers for several days.

Verizon cell coverage is usable for phone calls (3 bars), but we had almost no data capacity at all during the days we were there. Most times we were unable to load a webpage or app. Cell data speeds in Borrego Springs and Salton City were acceptable, but both locations are too far from Rockhouse Trail to be convenient.

Directions