Driving cross country from California, we were looking to pull off in the middle of nowhere Nevada. Every place we came across was packed to the gills. No vacancies in sight. Actually, there wasn’t much in sight really. We were smack dab in the middle of nowhere, slightly desert/ plain like surroundings on America’s loneliest highway - Nevada’s Highway 50. We stumbled upon the petroglyphs. We pulled into the unmanned site , placed a bit off the main drag. It somehow managed to be in the middle of nowhere but tucked away all at the same time. Its bare bones , people. No fees, not much in the way of other people & no amenities that we knew of., except a picnic table & a fire pit/ring. That was fine by us. We had our minivan & our dogs & that’s all we needed.
This was a totally fly by night camping adventure but that’s what made it so great!
There are designated spots that actually had quite a bit of privacy from our fellow camper- not that we needed it but it’s what we look for most. It was sheer luck.
We weren’t fully prepared for our detour so we had no wood. No problemo! We took to the plain , scouting the landscape for sagebrush & pinecones. It added to the charm.
We burned that all night & it smelled like heaven. The night was warm, peaceful & void of any biting insects.
We slept crammed in the minivan van with all our windows open , sweet fresh night air flowing thru. It was dark & desolate but somehow felt perfectly safe & we slept like logs.
We woke just in time for the most spectacular sunrise & jack rabbits abound. It was glorious.
The petroglyphs themselves were kind of an afterthought. We didn’t really see many & were slightly underwhelmed. But the cliffs & Rocks were pretty beautiful & colorful. The dogs enjoyed climbing & exploring. It was seemingly completely empty in the morning too. Not a soul around. It was kind of neat to feel like you had an entire campsite to yourself!
Btw- bathrooms are disgusting. I imagine no one gets out there too often for maintenance. But it was no bother. Just suck it up & pull up a nice piece of brush to squat in . You’ll live.
We’d definitely find ourselves back here again. The peace & sense of adventure was immeasurable. It’s a different kind of camping . Perfect for keeping things interesting!
