Any route or boulder problem that starts out of or near an occupied campsite may not be done without first obtaining the campsite occupant's permission.
Jon McCartie mid-crux on Diagnostics. If the firs...
Description
You arrive in the park late night. Camping options are looking grim...you try Hidden Valley, then Ryan, then Jumbo...nothing. You're getting desperate when you decide to go for the long shot...Belle Campground. You get lucky...there's one spot left. It's uneven, the tent site sucks, but you're in!!
Belle Campground is kind of on the fringes of the action at Josh, but there are some quite enjoyable routes in the area and if you're camping there anyway, you might as well try them out. The camping is actually pretty good in most cases and you don't get the volume of constant traffic through there that you get at some of the other areas.
The best climbs (IMHO) are located on north face of the big lump (Castle Rock) in the middle of the campground. That Old Soft Shoe (5.10d) and Count Dracula (5.10d) are both great friction climbs in the classic Josh style. Also worth a gander is the route Short Cake (5.10a), a cool looking dike route which is located in the flats about 200 yards south of Castle Rock.
Getting There
Belle Campground is about 3.5 miles northeast of the Jumbo Rocks area on the Sheep Pass Loop. Driving on this road NE, just after the road swings somewhat north to head into Twentynine Palms, you will see a sign marking a "T" intersection. Make a right here and drive south on Pinto Basin Road. The entrance drive to Belle heads east (left turn headed south) off Pinto Basin Rd just over a mile south of the "T" intersection.
Belle Campground
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