Best Tent Camping near Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest, CA

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.

My rooftop tent couldn't withstand the wind so I had to relocate but if you have a set up that can handle very very intense wind, i highly reccomend this spot. I took the other entrance (one that has signs leading to the crater) and there was 2 sites directly on the edge of the crater.

The 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.

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.

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.

The 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.

We 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.

Clean neat and friendly, pull throughs are easy, low key atmosphere. Water(well) good taste,some fruit trees (apple) at the sites. Pickable in season.

Clean but dusty by the hwy, although convenient location

Considering Eureka is in the middle of nowhere this place is ideal. All gravel very beautiful surroundings.

Stayed 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.

Juniper 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.