Hi Desert Round-Up's base camp is located in a bowl-shaped valley, surrounded on three sides by hills, about 7 miles west of the tiny desert community of Stoddard Wells.  It's the perfect place for a large gathering of vehicles, motorhomes, tents and people, as the terrain is absolutely flat, and is free of large rocks, and Stoddard Wells Road provides relatively easy access.

 

Left:  We've just crested the hill and are now looking south toward Hi Desert Round-Up base camp.  Right:  The big top tent and to the right, regsistration and the Ruff Rock Run Cafe, at Hi Desert Round-Up, 2005 base camp.

Getting to High Desert base camp can be a bit tricky if you've never been there before.  From Barstow, you take CA 247, in town known as Barstow Road, south.  South of town, you climb a small summit, pass the city dump, and drop down into a beautiful desert valley.  Look ahead and you can see the tiny community of Stoddard Wells. Keep your eyes peeled for the HDR signs, put out by the Hi Desert Round-Up committee that will point you to base camp.  The first major dirt road past the summit to the right is Stoddard Wells Road, and will be marked by a HDR sign, and a BLM sign that explains the rules to the uninformed.  Turn right on Stoddard Wells Road and it's a dusty 5-mile drive to base camp.  The road is suitable for motorhomes, but due to washboarding and many rough spots, you can plan on a 20 - 30 minute drive.

 

Left:  After completing a run, it's a good idea to check under the hood to see it all of it is still in place.  Right:  A happy camper looks wistfully south, toward Stoddard Wells Road.

You climb a summit and when you reach the crest, you are immediately rewarded with a view of Stoddard Valley proper and you'll see Hi Desert base camp about 1/2-mile in the distant.  Look a little further in the distance, about 1 o'clock, and you'll see Stoddard Mountain, at around 5000 feet in elevation, the dominant peak in the area.  Whenever I approach High Desert base camp, I always stop at this spot to admire the view.

CA4WDC events are always very well organized, and Hi Desert, and base camp are no exception.  Base camp is laid out parallel to Stoddard Wells road, and there are several other desert roads that run parallel and perpendicular to Stoddard Wells road that form a grid, similar to a city block.  The main parallel dirt road runs about 100 yards west of Stoddard Wells road, and it goes north of camp to the area where the vehicle games are played on Sunday.  The other major road runs perpendicular from Stoddard Wells road, and heads due west.  It's a wide, dirt road, and camp is centered in this area.  I jokingly like to refer to it as "Main Street," because that's a good way to describe it.

 

Left:  Airing down and getting ready for the trail at base camp.  Right:  A group of buddies discuss the trail run at Hi Desert Round-Up base camp, 2005.

On the south side of "Main Street," there is a line of motorhomes, booths, and tents arranged in a square, open in the middle.  In this area, similar to a town square, you'll find registration, run sign-up boards, the t-shirt booth, raffle headquarters, a souvenir vendor, a trailer raffle, Chef Andy's Ruff Rock Run Cafe, the big-top tent, and the 2005 sweepstake Jeep. In case you weren't aware of where you are, the "town square" is marked by a wooden corral that reads "Hi Desert Round-Up," a nice touch.  Other amenities include a 30-yard dumpster so you don't have to pack out your trash, and strategically-lined porta potties that are actually clean.  Vehicle safety check is also located in this area, on "Main Street."

There is never a dull moment at base camp.  Hi Desert is a big event that draws hundreds of people from all over the west, so there is always action.  You'll see Jeeps coming and going, ATV's, people working on vehicles, setting up camp, walking around, kids playing, folks visiting; almost anything that you'd see in a small town of several hundred people.  What you won't see is crime, theft, graffiti, gangs, road rage and all of the nasty undercurrents of our contemporary society.  CA4WDC events and four-wheeling in general is a safe, family-oriented hobby, and when you're at one of these events, everybody is family and treated accordingly.  This is one place where you can leave the keys in your ignition, leave your stuff out on the table, and the only reason you may want to zip up your tent is to keep some of the desert critters out.  

 

Left:  Four wheelers are adept at improvising and this tent on a flatbed trailer is an outstanding example of how to make a good thing even better.  Right:  Sunset, May 27, 2005, at Hi Desert base camp.

At night, many folks like to build a campfire and sit around and relax.  Sure, there is drinking and partying, but in the 13 years that I've been a member of CA4WD, I've never seen it get out of hand or annoying.  Most runs start rather early in the morning, so staying up all night hitting the bottle would not be conducive to a productive day on the trail.  

High Desert Round-Up base camp is a model of organization by the California Association of Four Wheel Drive Clubs.