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Tonkin Spring is located northwest of the Roberts Mountains, at the mouth or Red Canyon, in Eureka County, Nevada. This recreation site is isolated and undeveloped with no facilities, so please plan your outing accordingly.
Traveler
Pretty nice campground with the reservoir, adjacent dirt roads, and closeness(yet not too close to the 50)
Stayed their for a night while going across Nevada. Nice views, pit toilets, tables, some sites have shade structures, metal fire pits, easy dirt road in.
There are cows and in my experience RVs left their generators running quite late were the cons if you consider those as such, but I really thought it was a good site.
Traveler
This is my second stay this year. With Las Vegas temps reaching 115, This is a beautiful respite with highs in the mid 80s. Well kept camp sites are also a welcome bonus. Bring your own water. Super clean restrooms too.
Guide
I chose this campground as a stop over close to Highway 50 on our way to Utah from California.  It was a very nice little campground, very clean, and well-maintained. The host was very friendly as well. It was a nice area to walk around in. The only issue was the mosquitoes at dawn and dusk, but we took care of that by hanging out in our clamshell tent.
Guide
Considering Eureka is in the middle of nowhere this place is ideal. All gravel very beautiful surroundings.
LegendGreat for a stop over for sure. Folks here for the water (low) and ATV. A quiet night and can’t get better for free!
GuideJuniper and pine. Loop B is far enough from the road that we didn’t hear the highway. Quiet, lots of space. Nice fire pits, grills, tables. No water. Great trails for hiking and biking.
TravelerVery nice NPS campground. My 30' TT and 20' truck found ample back-in FF spaces. Mostly flat. Table, grill and prep counter in good shape. Space is composed of small rock. A separate spot for a tent or (?) which is also covered with small rock is adjacent. Pit toilets were clean. At this time, the area lacks culinary water, hence the one-star deduction. RV dumps located in Ely at gas stations. Some sites can be reserved. About an hour's drive to Great Basin N.P..
T-Mobile's signal was good.
TravelerWe were greeted at our car as we drove in. Help guide me in to a pull through site. Collected the fees and brought us the receipt. Site is clean and level. Although it is gravel it is not too deep for me to use my 4 wheel walker or cane. A wheelchair may be tough.
TravelerClean neat and friendly, pull throughs are easy, low key atmosphere. Water(well) good taste,some fruit trees (apple) at the sites. Pickable in season.
GuideGreat free campground. There's a dirt road going around the reservoir and one can go for a long walk. (Driving a subaru impreza hatchback with 5.1 inches ground clearance.)
GuideI did not have a reservation and found Ward Mountain Campground on Google maps. The road were well maintained. There were spots that accommodate group camping. No water , electric, or dumping station. There were bath rooms and a dumpster for getting rid of trash. The driveway for site parking was level. There were trees, camp fire ring, picnic table, and flat area for a tent. The view was beautiful. It was peaceful. My dog, Blueberry, and I spent one night. Neighbors were courteous.
GuideFamily fun. Horse trails, bike trails, bike trails… Nice spot for a few days and close to a small town (Ely).
Traveler
Remote, lightly used, primitive sites. Signage is limited, have a good map. Need high clearance vehicle, but not true 4WD, branches will likely scratch the car a bit. Look for the rock pile fire pits as you get nearer the trail head. Only saw one other person, a hunter at 7AM heading to the trails. There are no pit toilets.
Legend
To get to Illipah Reservoir Recreation Area and Campground, you need to drive a graded gravel road. We saw people in fifth wheels and trailers so they must have been okay with the washboards. The sites are spaced far enough apart for privacy as there are no trees for shade. There are shaded picnic tables using those half circle metal shade screens.
There were several single vault toilets which were clean. We had a site which overlooked the reservoir where we saw a small roundup of cattle. It is a beautiful place in a stark barren sort of way. The winds were strong when we stayed there in mid-October 2020. It was also cold getting to 22° in the early morning. But, it was brightly sunny.
This is a free site so there were quite a few people there including some who came in late at night. It is hard to find places to camp in the dark as they are spread out. After they settled in , it was quiet and the sky was filled with stars.
We liked staying here as we wanted to explore Hamilton ghost town 11 miles up a mostly decent gravel road.
TravelerThe Ward Mountain Campground is nicely situated less than a mile off of Route 6, just 6 miles from Ely, NV. It is surrounded by dense juniper and pine. We are in campsite 26 in loop B. It has a bit of a view and you have to focus to hear any road sounds. It’s rather quiet here and sparsely populated in mid-October. The site tables and fire pit appears to be new. Bring your own water and other support needs. Some pull through and group sites. RV, trailers and tents accommodated. Cost is $8 regular/$4 for senior pass. The wind in the trees makes good music. The 5 star rating reflects the privacy afforded by the campground’s layout. Attached is a GPS snap as there are a few different numbers out there.
GuideStayed for one night in early June. Campground is in full operations mode. Quiet and scenic sites are available. Well-placed sites (30) not too close together. Most sites are currently reservable but 10 are first come first serve when I stayed there. $8 per night; $4 with Senior Pass.
GuideFree campsites along the reservoir, windy up on the high spots. Fire pits, picnic tables (some with shade) and wind fences. Great views, better for campervan or RV camping just because of the high wind and no pads, but you could do it. No cell coverage on sprint or Verizon while here.
Scout
The White River campgrounds offer fire pit areas and some have picnic tables. I have been there a few times. It's quite the drive from Las Vegas. The site that I like is the site that you have to drive through the stream. DO NOT ATTEMPT THIS IN A CAR,OR A LOW SUV. Trucks are fine to cross over. I guess I need to go up again since it has been awhile. Need to get more pictures from this beautiful place.
ScoutWe drove the 10 miles up the dirt road to these sites. The cows were the only grounds keepers. The main site across the creek from the one latrine we saw had too much water flowing through it to be able to drive over it.
TravelerThe location was cool, remote and pretty quiet (only the sounds of other campers). I recommend getting there in daylight, we didn't and it was difficult to tell what was where as far as campsites. Facilities weren't great, but they were there.
Traveler
The trail to Hidden forest starts off at Dead Mans Canyon trail head in the Nevada Wildlife Refuge. The road to the trail head is rocky and warrants a high profile vehicle and spare tires, just in case of a flat. The trail itself is fairly rocky all the way to the cabin, but the scenery is amazing. There are 2 campsites, one about half way up to the cabin and then 2 at the cabin. There is water at the cabin but its really reserved for wildlife and the Creek bed should be used to filter your own. The cabin itself is really an amazing piece of history, built in the late 1800's by unknown. There are big horn sheep, mountain lions, lots of birds and reptiles to peek at if your quiet. (We were not as this was our first pack in/pack out trip). Plan to stay warm in the cabin if it's still cold at night, the wood stove works nicely. If you prefer the stars like us, dress warm or warm some rocks in the fire and wrap in a blanket in the tent. If you're looking for solitude this hike has it and its an amazing find right outside of Las Vegas.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular tent campsite near Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest is White River with a 3-star rating from 2 reviews.
What is the best site to find tent camping near Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest?
TheDyrt.com has all 4 tent camping locations near Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest, with real photos and reviews from campers.
