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.

Monster Art In The Desert -> The Metal Wonders Of Galleta Meadows

She's so darn lifelike!! A raptor braces her teeth for the kill

Sometime in 2007, Dennis Avery had a vision. In fact it was more than a vision, it was a towering image that rose right before his eyes and gripped him in a way he wasn’t expecting. The life-changing visual was a 20-foot Tyrannosaurus Rex sculpted out of metal by an unemployed construction worker in Perris, CA. Dennis saw the beauty from the freeway and suddenly his mind expanded. He imagined a whole creation of these creatures roaming his land in Borrego Springs, bringing back the prehistoric to the present…and free for all to see. It was a genius vision!

Our car is dwarfed by the mammoths

The wild horse installations. These are some of my personal favs

It may not have happened exactly like that, but the story is pretty darn close to true. Dennis actually saw that T-Rex and contracted Ricardo Breceda to create his dream in the desert. The result was a partnership that continues to create and inspire to this day. Welcome to the metal wonders of Galleta Meadows!

Paul and I first saw these beauties ~2 years ago. In fact anyone entering Borrego Springs can’t help but see them. The massive welded metal sculptures erupt on both sides of Borrego Springs Road just south of town and sprinkle the landscape for miles going north, offering giant-size visuals of prehistoric animals, wild horses, birds, camels, pigs and a slew of other creations, most of which are based on actual animals that roamed the land in Borrego Springs. There are huge mammoths, giant dinosaurs, a 30-foot eagle and…the latest masterpiece…a 350-foot serpent.

The spendid serpent...oh she speaks to me, oh yes she does! (see our car in the back?)

This latest baby is quite the special girl. She was just installed in July, 2011 and snakes her way under the road with one segment and a massive tail showing on the other side of the road from her monstrous front. She took 4 months and $40,000 to create and is the biggest, most impressive sculpture to date. She creates an overwhelming impression and it’s easy to lose the exceptional detail of the work unless you look closely.

Half of the serpent stretches past the road

Paul and I spent a couple of hours driving around in the desert (most of it on dirt roads) exploring the installation map. Apparently there are ~130 sculptures out here, all of it on Dennis’s private land and all of it completely free to the public. You can even boondock (3-day limit) out here and completely immerse yourself in the art. The harsh desert sun ages many of the sculptures to beautiful shades of brown, and there’s a special piece that speaks to everyone. Few would have had the inspiration to see a vision like this, but Dennis and Ricardo have sculpted a creation that is truely a wonder for everyone to see. I thank you deeply, maestri!

The majestic mammoth

A dinosaur reaches for the sky

Paul attempts escape! Will he make it?

Lounging on the tail of the serpent

Another dinosaur beauty!

The camels