How to Camp Off-Site for Coachella

If you want to camp at the 2007 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, I'd suggest paying $45/person to camp right there adjacent to the festival grounds. (Read my weHow article about on-site camping for reasons why.)

But what if...

You waited too long and camping tickets are all sold out?

OR

You're really, really broke, and can't afford four nights of camping?

Well, there are other camping alternatives in the area. Joshua Tree National Park is just north of Indio, on the other side of Interstate 10, and there are about a dozen different campgrounds in or near JTNP. Some of them are even FREE to camp at!

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Camping gear (tent, sleeping bag, pad, pillow, lawn chairs, cooler, etc)
• Water (always have plenty of water handy when you're in the desert)

1. 
    

   FIND A CAMPGROUND. Once again, the internet has made this once difficult task easy, and the festival organizers have helped you even further by compiling a list of nearby campgrounds at http://www.coachella.com/visitors/offsite-camping . If you click the photo to the left, you'll see a map (from Trails.com) with numbered campsites. Those campsites are:
   
   
   1. Indian Cove
   2. Black Rock Canyon
   3. Sheep Pass
   4. Ryan
   5. Hidden Valley
   6. Jumbo Rocks
   7. Belle
   8. White Tank
   9. Cottonwood
   10. Knott Sky Park
   11. Corn Springs
   12. Lake Cahuilla County Park (which appeared in the Coachella Movie)
   
   If you want more info about the above campsites and the amenities they offer, visit the following two websites:
   http://www.riversidecountyparks.org/
   http://www.nps.gov/archive/jotr/activities/camping/camping.html

2. 
    

   PACK WELL AND BE PREPARED. These campsites can vary from being well-equipped (showers, electrical hookups, etc) to having basically nothing, so know what you're getting yourself into. If you don't have much experience camping, I highly suggest you do some reading at http://www.rei.com/expertadvice OR ask questions at http://trails.answerbag.com/

3. 
    

   ENJOY. Staying at an off-site campsite might be more primitive than a hotel room, and you may feel removed from your fellow festival-goers... but those aren't necessarily bad things. Enjoy the solitude, see more stars than you ever have before, be one with nature.... Ohhhmmmmm........

Tips & Warnings

• For those of you thinking, "I'll just sleep in my car in the parking lot!" Forget about it... They clear all the parking lots each night, except for the on-site campers' lot. And they don't let people sleep in their cars there, either.
• Temperature extremes can vary a lot in this region of the desert. It can be 105 degrees F during the day, and 45 degrees F at night. Be prepared and dressed for both possibilities