Campground · Joshua Tree National Park
A tent-only group base among boulders and Joshua trees.
Overview
Map
Plan your stop
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Joshua Tree Tour Guide
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Joshua Tree National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
See the Joshua Tree audio tourRecorded for this area
A Pavement One Stone Thick“Some stretches of desert ground look as if someone fitted the small stones together by hand. That's desert pavement, a tightly packed surface that can be just one stone thick.”
Plays on the road 0.1 mi from Sheep Pass Group Campground in the Parkwolf Joshua Tree Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Guide
Sheep Pass is one of Joshua Tree National Park’s three group campgrounds, with six tent-only sites among granite boulders and Joshua trees in the park’s central area. Each site accommodates 10 to 60 people, depending on the site, and the campground is close to hiking trails and rock-climbing routes. If you aren’t camping with a group, it probably isn’t worth a dedicated detour.
Reservations are required year-round and can be made up to six months ahead. The campground is off Park Boulevard, 16 miles from Twentynine Palms and 18 miles from Joshua Tree town. Check the capacity of the site you book, since group sizes vary.
There’s no water, camp store, or shower on site, so bring everything your group needs. Vault toilets are available year-round. Fires belong only in designated rings or grills, and you’ll need to bring your own firewood.
Wildlife
129 sightingsBighorn SheepMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
15 sightingsGolden EagleMost seen around 10 AMSighting map
413 sightingsDesert TortoiseMost seen around 8 AMSighting map
275 sightingsCoyoteMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
47 sightingsBobcatMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
32 sightingsMule DeerMost seen around 6 AMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Joshua Tree. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
Keep exploring
ChallengingRyan Mountain Trail3 mi · 2 hr · 0.9 mi awayA steady ridge climb to a 360-degree desert panorama
ModerateBig Trees Trail6 mi · 3.5 hr · 2 mi awayA long out-and-back among some of the park's larger Joshua trees.
EasyRyan Ranch Trail1 mi · 1 hr · 2.1 mi awayAn easy mile to the old adobe ranch and fallen windmill.
ModerateWall Street Mill Trail2.2 mi · 1 hr · 2.1 mi awayShort, sandy path to a historic gold mill and rusted cars.
EasyBarker Dam Nature Trail1.3 mi · 1 hr · 2.1 mi awayA short boulder loop to a ranching-era dam
EasyLucky Boy Loop3.3 mi · 2.3 hr · 2.5 mi awayDesert views, old mine remains, and a final road stretch.
EasyLucky Boy Vista Trail2.5 mi · 1.5 hr · 2.5 mi awayAn easy desert walk to mine remains and a wide valley overlook.
EasyMinerva Hoyt Trail3 mi · 1.5 hr · 2.5 mi awayJoshua trees and granite on a three-mile Hidden Valley out-and-back.
Sight · 0.9 mi awayRyan Mountain Stargazing AreaA no-hike night-sky stop with parking, restroom and trail access.
Sight · 1.3 mi awayRyan MountainClimb through ancient banded rock for a 360-degree summit view.
Sight · 1.4 mi awayHall of HorrorsTwo tight slots tucked into a maze of climbable boulders.
Sight · 1.8 mi awayOyster BarA roadside rock formation with desert views and climbing access.Sight · 2 mi awayRyan RanchA short desert walk to the remains of an 1896 adobe homestead.
Campground · 2.3 mi awayRyan CampgroundCamp among boulders, with a short walk to 1896 ranch ruins.
Sight · 2.3 mi awayWonderland Ranch RuinsPink homestead ruins on the Wall Street Mill side path.
Sight · 2.6 mi awayCap RockA short boulder loop with a cap-shaped rock beside Joshua trees.Parkwolf’s Joshua Tree ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
