Check-Ins

still only diesel and no toilets here ......

We pulled in during the dark, so visibility was limited. Windy enough to want to put my stabilizers down but not for a one night stay. Not a lot of room in my book for pickiness when staying for free, If anything pops out at me in the morning I'll add it into this review.

Cottonwood Rd is a dirt road down a long hill, access by two wheel drive or a van during dry conditions but there are signs for 4x4 use. The view of Lake Mohave close to the bottom is great. Pit toilet on site with garbage cans. Plenty of room for multiple vehicles. Bonus…sandy beach along the lake. Cell phone service is good. 14 day camping limit.

Stayed one night here, arrived almost at dark, meet the family in the house in the left. We didn't going totally down, there was space and trees. Just one car in the night but unless really quiet, just sound of birds and river. The river was Brown so we didn't try it.

Decent camp spot but the beach isn't worth the 100 MXN pp entry, especially if you're coming to surf the point break is packed all day.

This is closed up due to new construction. Don’t waste your time, unless you want to camp just under the freeway.

great little gravel parking lot by a rocky beach and an 8km hiking trail. Lots of locals coming and going until dusk and early in the morning. it's a little uneven but I was able to find a level spot to park. there are signs indicating no camping is allowed on the beach but I had no trouble staying one night. the sunrise was beautiful.

Great safe place to stay right in the middle of jungle. Surprises to find several RVs and Cars

We had a coffee break 1,6 km from the main road at the edge of the second river bed (1st river completely dry, 2nd almost dry). We wondered how many cars passed by during day time. We have a camper van, but seems to be a good place for tents.

Something we didn't know before entering Colombia: If you plan to stay longer than 1 month, you need to register your phone (not SIM card) with it's IMEI number with a Colombian provider, otherwise it will be banned and completely useless within Colombia (apparently, there is no way to unlock it once it is locked either).

You will get warning messages like this if you don't do it:

Tu equipo no esta registrado, hazlo ahora y evita sea bloqueado en 20 dias. Llama al *300 opcion 2 y sigue los pasos o ingresa a b.tigo.com/registrar

It's supposed to help against theft, but sounds BS to me. Anyway, the easiest way to avoid it is buying a Tigo SIM and activating it through their app or website. You can log in with your phone number and then go to Servicios -> Consulta tu dispositivos to activate it (the SIM card must be in the phone).

Select cédula extranjera and enter any 6 or 7 digit number, they don't check it. Once the process is complete, you get the following text:

EL IMEI FUE REGISTRADO EXITOSAMENTE.

You can do it for multiple devices by swapping the SIM card around and repeating the process.

You can use the phone with any provider afterward.

As described by others. Info office is closed but washrooms are open in the building and they are clean. Pit toilets next to truck parking area are filthy. Parking at front is for cars so we parked with out trailer in one of the many truck spots. I did not find any place to fill water.

I was able to stay the night, but i got a knock in the morning from a tow truck guy! Don’t recommend.

So after the zoo said we could stay the police came by later and told us its jot allowed… very confusing

potable water at center pumps. currently working while other water sources nearby are still closed for winter. thank goodness!

Got in at 4 pm and spent the night here. Aside from the truck running it engine all night long next to me. It was uneventful and free! I did go talk to security before I parked they said it was ok.

This was easy to find. Pulled right in with my van. There’s room for like 4 other rigs if people happen to show up. It’s peaceful and will be a good place for the night.

Warning: there is a trail near here that says there are alligators in the swamp. So I wouldn’t revoke the swimming or letting go of the site of your animals or children.

Large campsite and restaurant on a bend of san Francisco river. All sizes of rig.
Super nice staff.
Heavenly food.
The right spot to enjoy the sunset on a river.
R$ 20,00 p.p. a night (april 2022)

Stayed one night here. No complaints. Nice view.

Showers outside bathrooms & inside. Cold water but 10/10 when you need a wash.

Super windy so be careful cooking or making fires. The first spot is definitely large enough for multiple vehicles or a large RV. The second spot is smaller and a little further down the road from this marker. No service with Verizon but you can't beat the proximity to the falls!

Forest service public lands. 1LTE verizon walk up the hill. Trees break the wind. Fire pit. Silent. Peaceful. Could totally tent. Easy U turnaround.

Access road was soggy from snow, so we didn't attempt it in our van. Plenty of pull offs on the main road though! The main road has TONS of deep potholes, watch your tires!

This spot is so peaceful and beautiful! The sand has a lot of fish scales so I’d probably not walk around this beach barefoot. But such a beautiful spot!! Stayed here one night but I would have stayed more!

Road mostly paved by now. No problems for 4x2, no high clearance needed. Very nice road from Huancabamba to Pozuzo. We did it twice.

crossing the road, there's a path you can reach the river for water.

Nice quiet spot as described. One other van there. No issues parking overnight. We arrived late at night around 1am and left at 10am. One bar of LTe with T-Mobile

I think the owner don't really want any overlanders here, we come a Sunday and try to contact him by WhatsApp without issue. After trying the bell, his neighbor comes and he phone him with an other number, the owner say this we cannot come due to a children birthday but the next will be OK. So we contact him the next day, and he says all is employed are on a day free, we ask if we can come and never have an answer!!

Wonderful rest area. Stayed 10pm-7am on a Monday night and it was very quiet; only 2 other folks spending the night. A decent ATT service. Can confirm the northbound rest area is superior the southbound. Northbound is more secluded in the trees and slightly elevated above 101. Southbound is very open right on the highway.

I can’t believe how this is free and they had showers amazing! Donate if you can Saratoga you’re the shit.

Preferred this beach over Playa Cerritos if you’re not surfing and don’t want to be with the crowds. Plus you can actually see the ocean from camp. The views are great! We also have a dog and this beach was perfect for running around. The waves were huge so we didn’t swim.

Before 2pm or so, we were the only ones there. The closer it got to sunset, more locals came and went but no issues and everyone left after sunset. If you have 4x4 and high clearance you can drive down to the beach. It’s super soft and deep sand but we saw a truck drive around with no issue.