Kitchen Creek Road

Camping Fee Per

Night FREE dollars
Reservations? No, first come/serve
Permit/Pass Required? Yes, remote camping permit (see below)
Campground Type Dispersed/Remote/Primitive
Camping Styles Tent, Car, Backpack
Recommended Limited: RV/Trailer
Campfires allowed? No
Picnics, 5 Star Nature Dinners, Hiking,
Nature Activities to Mountain Biking, Star gazing,
Enjoy Backpacking, Sunsets, Sunrises
Website
(check for current
information) For dispersed camping rules, click here

Off the Sunrise Highway/S1, past the village/town of Mount Laguna (or
a short drive up from the 8 freeway) is Kitchen Creek Road
Look for a small, faded sign on the right of the highway down from the
town, then turn left. You can camp for FREE anywhere PAST the
“Leaving Laguna Mountain Recreation Area” sign (no camping is
allowed within it).

About .8 miles down Kitchen Creek, there’s a great spot to watch the
sunset, with a small turnout to park. There’s a camping spot right
before it but it’s just a tiny round about area. We camp down further,
then often drive up for the sunset.
The spots we’ve enjoyed most are exactly 2 miles down, before the
closed gate. Look for a little wider dirt road and turn left. Once you
enter this area, take your pick of several amazing spots. We actually
try different spots out often for a new experience!
PERMIT LINK:

https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/fseprd529131.pdf

Located on the Sunrise Highway, Descanso Ranger District, the

Laguna Mountain Visitor Center is open Fridays 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.,
Saturdays, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Sundays 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.).

Yaqui Wash Primitive Campground

An hour and a half from sunny San Diego and located in the Anza
Borrego State Park, the Yaqui Wash Primitive Campground is a remote,
primitive, and free spot to set up your tent or park your RV for the
night.

There are no facilities here, just wide open spaces and incredible
desert mountain vistas. If you time it right, you can be at this
campground for certain celestial events, and with little to no ambient
light, it feels as if you can see every star.

Distance from downtown San Diego: 81 miles. Allow 1 hour and 45

minutes of driving time. From Julian, drive east on SR-78, down Banner
Grade, across Scissors Crossing, to the junction with SR-3, the Yaqui
Pass Road. Drive 0.3 mile to the entrance of the Tamarisk Grove
Campground and park on the road. The trailhead is across the street
from the entrance to the campground, on the west side of the ranger
residence. Facilities available in the campground at Tamarisk Grove
when open and in the primitive camping area for Yaqui Well.

Mountain Palm Springs Campground

Located near the Bow Willow Campground, the Mountain Palm Springs
Campground is another primitive option in Anza-Borrego Desert State
Park. This is a particularly rugged campground, accessible only via a
graded dirt road and surrounded by cholla cacti. There are no
amenities except for a vault toilet.

Hikers will enjoy the easy access to trails leading to Pygmy Grove,
Mary’s Grove, the Palm Bowl and Southwest Grove.

Blair Valley Campground

Another remote camping destination in the Anza-Borrego Desert is
Blair Valley. Fantastic for primitive camping, this campground is
normally accessible to 2WD vehicles, but it’s wise to always check
current road conditions at the Visitor Center.

There are several open campsites available. Don’t expect any fancy
facilities, though—there are only vault toilets.

Bring your own drinking water. This is a great base for hiking in the
southwestern Anza-Borrego Desert. Nearby hiking trails include the
‘Ehmuu-Morteros Trail, the Ghost Mountain Trail, and the Pictograph
Trail.
Dispersed camping is also available and allowed pretty much
everywhere in the park. All primitive and backcountry camping in
Anza-Borrego Desert State Park is completely free. Please adhere to
the few camping regulations that are in place:

You must camp at least 100 feet from natural water sources.

You may park on the side of the road, but make sure that other people
can safely pass. Do not trample any vegetation or drive across rock
formations.

Follow the carry-in, carry-out principle and don’t leave any trash
behind.

Ground fires are not allowed. The only allowed fires must be in a metal
container. You have to take ash and other debris from fires with you
when you leave.

Gathering firewood is prohibited in order to let nutrients circle back

into the ecosystem.

When is the visitor center open?

The Visitor Center west of Borrego Springs has interesting exhibits

and a great 15-minute orientation film. From October 1 through May 31,
it is open seven days a week from 9 am to 5 pm. From June 1 through
September 30, it is open only on the weekends and holidays from 9 am
to 5 pm.
Arroyo Tapiado Mud Caves

There are no designated camping spots (or facilities of any sort) but
avoid camping directly next to one of the dirt cliffs. With high winds,
chunks of rocks and dirt can rain down on you without warning. There
are spots of soft sand too, but nothing beats the serenity of camping in
the curve of a dry river bed.

4WD is recommended. Some non-4WD vehicles have driven into the

beginning of the canyon, but to drive through the canyon you will need
4WD.

The Arroyo Tapiado Mud Caves are located in the southern part of the
Anza-Borrego Desert State Park.

Take the S2 (from the 8 head north) to mile marker 43.

Take the Palm Springs or Vallecito Wash exit (dirt road heading east).

Approximately 4.5 miles in, you will see a sign that says Arroyo
Tapiado (on the left).

Go left at the Arroyo Tapiado Wash which will be heading north.

Continue on Arroyo Tapiado Wash Road until you reach the canyon
area where the caves are located.
After getting off on the main road, you will be driving on the dirt in a
sandy wash for most of the way. I would not recommend coming in a
two-wheel drive car as it was OK in the beginning but much more
sketchy at the end.

The road passes Palm Spring at about the 1.5-mile mark. You can drive
up and see that if you would like, it is a small spring that has water
seasonally and a historical marker.
Heading onward, you will want to keep your eyes peeled for the
Hollywood and Vine sign on top of one of the hills to the left of where
you are driving. It is easy to miss, but it is fun to see, so keep watch
for it.

When you get to the sign, you can walk up the small hill to see the
Hollywood and Vine sign that looks like something out of Mad Max.
Continuing on, you will reach another wash and will need to take a
sharp left. There was a sign here when I went, but you can’t always
count on that being the case, so again make sure to have a map and
know where you are going.

Heading up this wash and into the canyon is where the 4×4 was really
needed as there were lots of dips and loose rock/sand sections.
You will pass a plaque from the parks system that tells you about the
caves and area.

The Caves

We eventually made it to the base of one of the main caves. This is the
most extensive mud cave system in the world, so there are many out
there, but no one has been able to map them all.