Boondocking Site Review – Whitewater Draw Wildlife Area, McNeal, AZ

Sandhill Cranes coming to roost at sunset

A birders paradise and great few-day stopover in SE Arizona

Location: On the south end of Coffman road just outside of McNeal, AZ
Coordinates: Approx. 31.560774, -109.718968. Link to map location HERE
Cost: FREE (3-day stay limit)
How We Found It: I had heard about this spot from birding friends and found further details on freecampsites.net and on Whitewater Draw website.
Nearest Dump/Water: ??

1. Access – 4.5/5
   Very easy access here for any-sized rig. Coming from the south you’ll enter the Wildlife Refuge on just over 1 mile wide, firm flat dirt road from Central Highway. This is washboardy and dusty, but otherwise fine. Whitewater Draw is clearly marked by a sign and high entrance gate on Coffman Road. Turn left into the refuge and drive a few hundred feet to main parking area. There is a small sign saying “overnight parking permitted” and picnic tables arranged in fenced areas around a central pit toilet and garbage. The area is super-flat, firm dirt with space for around 5-6 big rigs or a larger number of smaller rigs. As long as it’s not full you can fit any-sized rig here. Park and enjoy!
   NOTE/ If the main camping area is full there is a second overnight camping spot ~1/2 mile further north on Coffman Road at the “sportsman’s entrance”. Turn left and you’ll see the “overnight camping permitted” sign and flat parking area. No picnic tables or pit toilet here. Space for ~3 big rigs.
2. Nature – 5/5
   Nature is what this spot is ALL about. The overnight camping area is only a few hundred feet from the hiking & viewing trail at Whitewater Draw. Open views of grassland and hills directly from camp plus lots and lots of birds including up to 30,000 Sandhill Cranes during the main season (Oct-Feb). Watch sunset over the water and fall asleep to the sweet sounds of life in the draw!
3. Isolation – 3/5
   Moderate isolation here. This is a fairly popular (for the area) birdwatching spot and the day-use parking is just next to the overnight camping area, so you will get people driving through to see the draw. Most birders come early morning or late afternoon so the rest of the time the spot is very relaxed and at night it will be completely dark and quiet.
4. Pet Friendliness – 5/5
   This is a great location for the paws. Easy grassland all around and a nice hiking trail around the draw. Lots of other dirt roads leading deeper into the wildlife area which can be accessed with pooch for longer walks.

Overall Rating = 4.4
BONUS ALERT = Fall asleep to the sound of Sandhill Cranes!

Summary: Whitewater Draw is a wonderful little oasis in the high desert of SE Arizona. It’s a small 1,500 acre preserve that is well-known for hosting tons of birds including up to 30,000 Sandhill Cranes in the main season (Oct-Feb). Free overnight camping is permitted for up to 3 days (within a 7-day period) and it is well worth the stop. Access to the draw is super-easy along a very wide, firm, dirt road and camping is in a flat dirt circular area around a central pit toilet and garbage. Lovely 360-degree grassland views from camp as well as cute picnic tables all around. We came here with some buddies in the “off” season (Mid-March) so at the time we were the only rigs in the area and traffic to the draw was very light. With no-one in camp access was super-easy and we had plenty of space and isolation to ourselves. During the main Crane season I gather the traffic is higher and camping spots may be more limited especially if you come in a larger rig. If the main camp area is full there is a second “overnight camping” area ~1/2 mile north on Coffman Road at the “sportsmans entrance” with space for another 3 or so big rigs. We spent our days birdwatching, sunset viewing and relaxing at our lovely site. Overall a magical little place and we’d definitely come again.

Extra Info: No water or dump, but there is on-site pit-toilet and garbage disposal (nice bonus!). Moderate 3G Verizon signal (2 bars or so), but stable enough for use with our external antenna.

Driving down Coffman Road towards the draw. Very large, flat dirt road.

Main entrance to the draw

View of main overnight camping area. It’s a large circular parking spot.

View from other side of camping area looking back towards entrance

Side-view of our parking spot

Side-view of Beluga

View of picnic table at the overnight camping area

View of pit toilets in middle of camping area. There is a also a garbage disposal.

View of secondary overnight camping area from “sportsmans entrance” further up Coffman Road.

General map of Whitewater Draw

Boondocking Site Review – Rockhouse Canyon Road, Clark Dry Lake, Borrego Springs, CA

Early morning hike in the hills by Rockhouse Canyon Road boondocking area

A lovely, large boondocking area just ~7 miles from Borrego Springs and right next to Anza Borrego State Park in SW California.

Location: Rockhouse Canyon Road, left-turn off S22 ~7 miles NE of Borrego Springs, CA
Coordinates: Approx. 33.2954N,-116.2893W (= SW corner of boondocking area). Link to map location HERE
Cost: FREE (no official stay limit at the moment, although this may change with State Park acquisition – see “summary” below)
How We Found It: This is a fairly well-known boondocking spot in the area. We first discovered it when we met a guy who was staying there our very first year in the area. The RV forums also talk about it, as do other bloggers. Much of this area is still private land so there is no “official” info on the place, but it’s a well-known/well-used location.
Nearest Dump/Water: Nearest dump at Borrego Palm Canyon campground  inside Anza Borrego State Park ($8 fee). If you’re headed east there is also a free dump at the ARCO station at the corner of S22 and Hwy 86 by the Salton Sea.

1. Access – 4.5/5 Very easy access for any sized-rig here although as usual a little extra effort is needed to access the best spots.
   Directions -> From Christmas Circle in Borrego Springs take Palm Canyon Drive (S22) east towards Salton Sea. Drive ~7 miles until you see Rockhouse Canyon Road on your left.
   Boondocking Spots-> Take Rockhouse Canyon road, up a short hill and past the “no trespassing” sign. Initial 100-ft of hill is paved, but road becomes reasonably firm dirt/sand after this spot. Boondocking spots are all over the desert after the sign, many off dirt spurs that depart from either side of the road. You’ll see plenty of cleared-out spaces with home-made fire-rings used by previous folks. Most people stay closer to the entrance (best Verizon signal here), but there are lots of really nice (and very private) spots further in. Some of the dirt spurs can be rather sandy/rough so check out the road before bringing in a big-rig.
2. Nature – 5/5  Fabulous nature spot. You are in the middle of the desert valley surrounded by scrub with outstanding views of the mountains all around. Good and easy-access hiking on nearby Coyote Mountain too.
3. Isolation – 4.5/5 Good to great isolation here depending on where you park. Only slight ding is this is a fairly well-known boondocking area and the Verizon signal is strongest near the entrance (closest to S22), so if you want a spot with good internet, you’ll likely get some rigs in your view.
4. Pet Friendliness – 5/5 Another great pet spot. You have days-worth of hiking and exploring in the surrounding hills, plus lots of space to hang out in camp. Also this is mostly “scrub” desert so not alot of cholla around which is a big positive for paws on the ground.

Overall Rating = 4.75

Summary: This is probably one of our absolute favorite boondocking spots.  It has easy access, lots of space, gorgeous desert nature and simply fabulous mountain views all around. Although it’s fairly well-known amongst boondockers, Borrego Springs is a lightly-visited town so there are lots of opportunities to find space to yourself. In boondocking circles you’ll sometimes hear this called “Clark Dry Lake” although the boondocking area is actually up the hill before the dry lake bed.  The spot is only ~7 miles NE from town, right off S22 on Rockhouse Canyon Road which is an easy dirt road that takes you back into the boondocking area. Front area (nearest S22) is super-easy to access and has the best Verizon signal, but is also the most popular. Further back on Rockhouse Canyon (nearer to the dry lake bed) the spots get much more isolated, but Verizon signal fades fast. We chose a spot a few miles down the dirt road which had very poor Verizon signal (just barely usable w/ our external antenna/amp), but really great privacy. The area is on private land inside Borrego Springs so there are no “official” rules about camping (this also means no restrictive dog rules), but that may change! According to our info a large part of this area was just recently acquired by the State Park, so it’s probable that boondocking will still be allowed in the future, but possibly with a stay limit and most likely some dog rules too. Lots to do & explore in the surrounding area including the cute town of Borrego Springs plus no end of historic trails and natural beauty in Anza Borrego State Park. Overall a fabulous spot and one we’d come to again and again.

Extra Info: No water or facilities (nearest dump/water inside Anza Borrego State Park). Good Verizon 3G signal near the entrance (closest to S22), but poor to zero signal further back.

Extra, Extra Info – OTHER BOONDOCKING? There is actually a ton of other boondocking around Boorego Springs

1. PEG LEG - This is actually right next to Rockhouse Canyon Road and is a great “beginner” boondocking area. It’s a large, flat and super, super easy-access “dirt parking” area right off Peg Leg road next to the Peg Leg monument. Cute little area and always rigs around. There’s a free book-swap in the mailbox. This is the same area where the annual Peg Leg Liar’s Contest is held. More info HERE. Free and no official stay limit.
2. GALETTA MEADOWS - This private land inside Borrego Springs allows free camping (3-day limit). Great for sculpture viewing! Contact Galetta Meadows for more info.
3. ANZA BORREGO STATE PARK - One of the unique things about Anza Borrego State Park is that they actually allow free, no-permit back-country camping anywhere within the state park as long as you stay within 1-vehicle length of the road, don’t trample vegetation and stay 100-feet away from any water source.  There are lots of dirt roads leading to interesting spots around the park, but for those looking for a specific spot there is “official” free back-country camping at Blair Valley (could fit big-rig at the entrance), Yaqui Pass (easy, large area), Yaqui Well, Culp Valley, Sheep Canyon, Arroyo Salado, Mt. Palm Springs and Fish Creek. Download the State Park magazine for more info HERE.
   NOTE/ If you have a dog be aware that Anza Borrego State Park does *not* allow dogs on any trails or in any wilderness areas. So if you go back-country camping w/ pooch you can only walk him/her on-leash on the park road.
4. OCOTILLO WELLS SVRA - This large off-road vehicle area east of Anza Borrego SP off Hwy 78  allows free 30-day camping anywhere within the area. It is also surrounded by BLM land. More info HERE.

"Aerial" view of our very private boondocking spot from Coyote Mountain. You can see S22 snaking off into the distance in the far background.

Another "ariel" view towards some nicely-spaced rigs near the back-end of the boondocking aera.

View of our boondocking spot from dirt spur off Rockhouse Canyon Road

Typical boondocking site. You'll see clear-out spaces and fire-rings like this all around.

Another site view, with another rig parked in the background

View of short, paved section near entrance of Rockhouse Canyon Road. Boondocking are starts right after the "no tresspassing" sign

Dirt-road section of Rockhouse Canyon Road. This is near the entrance with some rigs parked right off the road.

Biking around the dirt roads w Polly in the boondocking area

Very approximate map of Clark Dry Lake boondocking area. Borrego Springs in on the left. S22 constinues to Salton Sea on the right.