95% (4.8K)
Top-rated campgrounds
95% (4.8K)
Top-rated campgrounds
Public campgrounds near Thermal
Stories from the community
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wendy
3 weeks ago
12 ft campervan
With kids
What a great little dispersed-feeling camping area. We had it to ourselves, the outhouse was a bonus and the kids loved exploring the varied plant life. Heard coyotes and saw every star possible. Super easy commute to Joshua Tree and the oasis in Palm Springs. Great to come back to after a day of bouldering.
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Liora
October 2025
Tent
This was a perfect place to camp! It was gorgeous and we could in fact see the Milky Way! It was super close to all the hikes and places we wanted to get to in town, but still felt very remote.
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Joshua
October 2025
16 ft car
With kids
Had a great time with the family. Plenty of room for the kids to run and not to mention the amazing view of the Milky way!!!
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TOBY
October 2025
16 ft car
Great spot with a nice campfire ring. Quiet and a great view of the sky.
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Philipp
July 2025
28 ft Class C
With kids
Fantastic site. Cute lake and nice hosts. They offer discounts fir local wineries.
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Jeff
July 2025
Tent
What an amazing site! I’d highly recommend this site to anyone that wants to be secluded away from most other popular camp sites and neighbors. We had a blast and Ralph was awesome! Will definitely be back!
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Jonathan
June 2025
Tent
This is my second time being at this spot and it’s still awesome. Love the pit, the openness, and the bathroom! The stars were absolutely a beauty and I did happen to see a shooting star. It was windy this time though and had to pull out the arsenal of stakes and tie downs, but we made it through! Recommend!
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Danny
May 2025
Tent
With pets
What an awesome location, well secluded with good views in every direction.
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nancy
May 2025
20 ft Class B
With pets
Milky Way Stay is a beautiful space to experience the quiet calm of the upper desert. For someone who lives about 70 minutes away in suburban Southern California, it is a convenient escape where there is no fear of hearing the roar of a gas powered lawn blower.
My stay was close to a full moon, so not many stars on display on the nights I stayed, but it is a great desert sky space with not a lot of light pollution. I will definitely. book again during a different moon phase for a desert sky break! Easy to find; well marked with signs and the porta potty is clean and well stocked.
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Katie
April 2025
Tent
This was a nice and clean campsite. I was happy that the porta potty was clean and fresh and didnt stink. We had a nice time here. It was a nice fireside set up. The stars were gorgeous to see and far enough from town that there wasnt a ton of light pollution. I appreciate the stay.
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Michelle
April 2025
Tent
Basic amenities for tent/dry camping. Awesome to be away from the park. Yet so close. It’s a great secret spot!!
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Tracie
April 2025
Tent
Group trip
loved staying at milky way, other sites were lit and nearby but didn't disturb our stay. porta potty were clean and did not smell at all (thankfully!) proximity to town was also convenient when we realized we forgot items. (only 15 mins away) and we had cell signal the whole time. would definately stay here again! (:
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Gabriella
April 2025
22 ft Class C
With pets
I booked two nights at Shadow Hill’s on a whim, just to get my bearings and figure out my next stay. I enjoyed my first night so much I decided to stay the full week. They have a variety of spots- grass, pavement, tent camping and trailers for rent. I got a sweet little spot near their pond and walking path - perfect for my dog’s early morning walk. The environment is charming - lots of chirping birds, the sounds of running water from the fountain, etc., and the grounds are nicely curated in the communal space. The stay also includes a pool, hot tub, workout and media rooms. Their bathrooms are a little dated, but clean and serve their purpose.
And lastly, the staff is very friendly and helpful. For the price of booking, this is definitely a worthwhile stop.
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Andrew
March 2025
16 ft car
Excellent place, out of the way without being miles off the road. A few neighbors close-ish but not at all intrusive. Was a little too windy for me to start a fire in good conscience but the fire pits look like they’d be great fun. Will revisit!
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Jenna
March 2025
Tent
Group trip
Great location for a group! Definitely a step up from boondocking with the nice fire pit and clean porta potty. Would definitely stay here again :)
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Erin
March 2025
Tent
We loved this site. Very beautiful, mostly secluded, dark and clean. We only stayed one night but I wish we stayed longer. Absolutely recommend.
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Emily
March 2025
20 ft campervan
Super easy, super safe, super clean.
To start off, the campsite texted us checkin instructions, gate codes, bathroom codes etc. it was wonderful because we checked in late. Our packet was waiting for us on the office billion board with a map that was very easy to follow. Hookups worked great. Our site was clean. The bathrooms were awesome and included shampoo, conditioner and soap. When we went to check out, they reminded us that since it was before 11, we could leave the trash at the site and they would collect it. 100% recommend this site.
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Amanda
March 2025
26 ft travel trailer
With kids
Beautiful well maintained spot that is easy to find. Would definitely stay here again!
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Tim
February 2025
Tent
Really great spot near Joshua Tree. Milky Way stay is a fitting name, could see numerous constellations so clearly it was pretty epic. Would come back for sure!
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Sierra
February 2025
Tent
With pets
Such a cute little spot to stay at! There’s about 3 other houses in eye sight of the site, so it made it feel more safe to me personally! Just a heads up if you have pups, there were 3 helicopters flying right over us extremely low so it was really loud and there was 5 super loud booms in the distance, I’m assuming both were coming from the base that’s somewhat near there. So just a heads up if you have scared pups, to give them some cbd or something to relax them:) mine were a little scared but the cbd helped them a lot. Aside from that they had a great time there! There’s 2 little fire pits there, 1 surrounded by wooden stumps to sit at and 1 next to the main spot we put our tent. And the porta potty was nice and clean lol
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