DOWN & DIRTY
Setting up camp at California's Red Rock Canyon State Park
BASICS
Camping at Red Rock Canyon State Park is restricted to 50 primitive campsites at Ricardo Campground, which is tucked up against the base of White House Cliffs. Each campsite has a wooden table with attached benches and a fire ring; potable water and pit toilets are nearby. For campfires you must bring your own wood, and there are no hook-ups or showers. A maximum of eight people is allowed per site.
Camping is first-come, first served. (It fills up on weekends in spring, so arriving on Thursday evening or Friday morning is recommended.) Camping is $12 per night per site, which includes parking for one vehicle per site; additional vehicles are $5 each. There is a 30-foot maximum on RVs, and a dump station is available for $5. The day-use parking area, open sunrise to sunset, is $5 per vehicle per day. Quiet hours are 10 p.m. to 6 a.m.; generators must be shut off from 8 p.m. to 10 a.m.
DRIVE TIME
The park is 125 miles northeast of Los Angeles. Go north on Interstate 5 to California 14. Proceed toward Palmdale and Lancaster, passing through Mojave. From there, it's 25 miles to the park; the turnoff is visible from the highway.
TO LEARN MORE
California State Parks, (661) 942-0662, www.parks.ca.gov.
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