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First come / first served primitive, forested campground with no additional fee located at 7,400' elevation. Accessible to high clearance vehicles (no longer than 25'), and 4x4 may be necessary.
Thorndike Campground directions and information are available at .
Best place to camp in Death Valley. Higher elevation so much cooler. Camping is free, no water but toilets. You can have a fire in a ring unlike the valley floor. Go mid week, gets busier on the weekend.
Great free spot! Very cold at night (went mid april). A bit more private compared to the Mahagony campsite a bit higher up but it is in a corner of the valley so the sun sets earlier and rises later (for us that meant it was colder for longer). Very clean drop toilet. 4x4 recommended but not necessary
Limited camping spots available so make sure you get there before sunset. Each spot has an established fire pit as well.
It gets COLD at night - be prepared.
The cleanest vault toilet you’ll find in the park as well.
I would give it a 5 starts for location and the cleaninliness of the vault bathroom. We lived this place in spite of the many, many bugs that forced us to wear long sleeves, oants and even protect our neck . They should still go for our face. This was made up by the loveliness of the place. However we had a terrible experience with a group who came to party. They took over the rest of the campground, including the turnaround parking as they didn't have enough space for all their vehicles. It got very loud for our entire stay. Don't go there on a long weekend or bring earplugs. We'll be back, but in the middle of the week.
