SoCal TikToker's Tiny Patch Of Joshua Tree Inspires Would-Be Campers

JOSHUA TREE, CA — A GenZ Californian stuck in the city where he may never be able to own a home has found a small plot of desert paradise that he can call his own.

PJ Yancey is a 21-year-old Los Angeles transplant from the Pacific Northwest. After living in LA for about a year and feeling trapped in one space, he decided leasing a rustic camping spot lifestyle of the Joshua Tree desert was up his alley. Finding a website that leases recreational plots in remote areas, he spent $200, plus a small annual fee for his Minute Land plot in Joshua Tree. It's a small segment of an acre—about .o3 acres, or 1,000 square feet —and just big enough for a bachelor on the go.

Sharing his permanent camp site on TikTok this fall has already earned him over 2.5 million views.

He's added a permanent hammock stand, a lean-to-shade structure, and now a free-standing game for entertainment. He comes and goes as he pleases.

The land lease idea is nothing new, but according to Yancey, this is unlike finding land to place a tiny home or permanent structure. Minute Land as a way to lease a small "off-grid" recreational property for little investment and a slight annual fee.

This was the second time he'd invested in a small plot of land, the first in one being 2 acres in the Nevada desert. He spent $3,000 and some sweat equity there to build a plywood shack on two leased acres.

Now that he is in Los Angeles getting to Joshua Tree is a breeze.

"I can surf in the morning, snowboard in the afternoon, and spend the night star gazing from my own campsite in Joshua Tree," he shared on TikTok.

"With the plots in Joshua Tree made so cheap and freely available, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to carve out my own personal space there and go for a repeat of Nevada," he told Patch. "The thing about Minute Land is that it's only oriented towards buyers with ideals and wants that reflect mine: purely recreational land. No permanent structures, no utilities, no tiny homes. Instead, it's your own playground to build these lighter structures that don't require permitting or utilities."

When he signed his lease, he received unlimited access to their property, which he uses and improves regularly.

On a November trip out, Yancey went to Home Depot to buy wood and concrete and spent an afternoon making a string and hook game.

He says this personal campsite is his dream, one he can share with others in person or on TikTok and promote his carefree lifestyle. Where else can you camp out for $10 a year after the initial expense?

"For recreational buyers, it's the perfect balance between ownership and a lack of financial commitment—no property taxes to pay every year, no paperwork to file with the county, and no need to pay tens of thousands for your own deeded big property," PJ said. As is his property in Nevada, he has all the space he needs to enjoy within the boundaries of the tiny plot of land.

"We who make up Gen Z generally don't have our own property," he said. "We aren't homeowners. We don't own a ranch or a vacation home, and if we're living on our own, it's in someone else's home or apartment." Having a place to call his own in Joshua Tree has given him a sense of ownership and inner peace.

"It's truly an indescribable feeling to be standing on a little chunk of the world carved out exclusively for you," he said. "The ground feels more solid. Nobody can tell you what to do in your own space. Escaping the city to occasionally camp in my own hammock and structure on my own plot allows my mind to truly unwind."

But what about ...Facilities?

This is the most common question he gets on his TikTok posts. The bathroom situation is what it is. The plot has no plumbing and no running water. If you bring something in, you have to bring it back out with you, too. Still, there are some conveniences.

See the full tour on tiktok.com

"The property in Joshua Tree is situated just 20 minutes up the highway from everything you could ever need. There's a Starbucks, Walmart, Home Depot, even a Taco Bell."

Time-wise, he admits it wouldn't work as a full-time residence in many ways, even if he wanted it to.

"Of course, it doesn't qualify as a legal residence, and if it were discovered you were using it as such, you'd likely be removed from the space," he said. "A property must be deemed in livable condition, and with no utilities or permanent structures able to be built here, it's not an option. But being just a couple hours away from the city, a beautiful cruise, it's a vacation spot that doesn't require any planning to make use of. It can be a Friday afternoon, and I'll make some plans to head out there with friends with a cooler and a hammock and stargaze the night away."

Yancey doesn't see doing much else with his tiny plot.

"I think the space is prime to leave it as it is. It's already been the ultimate 'roughing it' destination. But I'd love to repeat the process on other tiny plot properties in California or elsewhere," he said. "There's quite a few people with plots around me, but you'd never know it. I'd say the majority haven't touched their spaces. The property is almost entirely vacant, except for other plots marked with solar lights, fence poles, and some chairs. "

When asked what the best part about investing in a tiny plot in Joshua Tree was? Sharing the Joshua Tree experience with friends.

"The best part of my decision is being able to tell people I have my own little camping spot," he said. "And then, of course, making plans to check it out with them."

He's just about done improving the campsite, he said. "It's not going anywhere, and I know in the back of my head that there's always my little spot out there. Nothing to maintain or worry about material-wise. It's just some wood in the desert. It being an option to go to any time I want makes it all worthwhile."

As for his Nevada acreage, he'll visit again sometime. Two acres was way more land than he needed, he said.

"My little shack and driveway clearing in the desert only occupied the tiniest fraction of a couple of acres. Building it was the experience of a lifetime," he said. "The sky in northern Nevada is probably the most vivid in the lower 48, as the population density and light pollution hovers around zero." His biggest hope? That his plywood shack is still standing when he returns.

Would you lease a tiny camping space like this one? Here's how, if you're adventurous.

Be sure and follow PJ on TikTok and tell him Patch sent you.