Rockhouse Campground actually shows up on Google Maps, located northwest of Borrego Springs, CA. It lies right on the border with Anza Borrego Desert State Park, and there are parts of its that actually cross over the park boundary.
However, all of the camping spots are located outside of the park.
I’m not actually sure who owns this area of land. The online BLM maps shows no governmental jurisdiction of this area. It’s not owned by the City of Borrego Springs. Perhaps it’s owned by the County of San Diego? Either way, there are no signs posted, nothing blocking your entry, and no one coming around to kick you out.
If you’re hoping to enjoy a free stay with the desert flora and fauna of Anza Borrego, you’re out of luck. Rockhouse Campground offers very little of the park’s Octotillo, cactus, wildflowers, song birds, and other wildlife. I had at least hoped for the midnight cry of a coyote, but came up empty each night. It’s mostly rocks and creosote bush here. However, this area offers great staging for excursions into the many features of Anza Borrego and also gives you proximity to the City of Borrego Springs for supplies and dining.
Sash and I felt quite safe here. On several occasions, we felt good about unhooking our trailer and driving the truck into town. We never noticed anyone snooping around our camp, nor discovered anything touched or moved out of place. Much of this campground sits out of view from the S-22 highway.
Perhaps the biggest negative about Rockhouse Campground is the lack of Verizon 4G LTE coverage. Data signal came in fairly good (-82 db) with a MIMO antenna, however offered very slow upload/download speed. It was so slow, it was barely usable. Verizon Voice was a little better, but required having to step outside the RV to prevent dropped calls.
Both Sash and I really want to camp here again, but the poor Verizon connectivity makes us balk at a return. We did test our signal at various places around Rockhouse Campground, and did find some places a little bit better, but it’s hard to say that it’s better enough to warrant a longer stay.
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