Best Dog-Friendly Camping near Denio, NV

The whole Alvord desert is a dry lake bed.... well most often it is dry, but if it isn’t do not even try to drive out there. The clay silt will stop an cat in its tracks. Tow company won’t even get you until it is dry...

That being said, it is completely open for dispersed camping. You could get to the middle of it and feel like you are stranded.

Total. Solitude.

We came in the summer and the bed was dry. So naturally we drove 70 mph to a spot we seems “fine”.. it’s all just dry dirt, so pick a place that is far from anyone else.

Walking around you could almost loose sight of your car, with the heat illusion ok the horizon. Super trippy, but honestly at night we nearly walked right past our car.

No light pollution, so stars are on full display, but it does get windy at night.

Be safe here, lots of people driving wicked fast.

You are in the dessert so don’t expect much.  If you are camping here it’s because you plan to mine for opals. The bathrooms are good. Showers are nice and high psi!  They have ice, ice cream and sodas for purchase as well as a small gift shop.  The 30 amp pull through sites are really close the back-Ins are a bit more spread out. I can imagine this place is pretty tight if all sites are filled during their busy season but mid September it was comfortable.  For RV drivers or trailer pullers beware the road is basically a washboard for the entire drive (appx 10 mi) so go slow.  Gets windy in the eve as typical for high desert.  Nearest gas and groceries is Denio Lakeview is about 100 mi away.  Great owner and super friendly staff help at the mine.  Super kid friendly  my daughter and I had a blast.

As I saw mentioned earlier, this is not for everyone.  The journey to get to Alvord was long.  We traveled Hwy 20 from Bend to Burns, 205 to Fields, Fields-Denio Rd to Alvord.  It was a long, very remote drive.  The road from Fields is gravel, so be aware.  Alvord is right off the playa.  You do get an access code with your stay to be able to drive out there.  We were warned to stay away if it rains.  It turns to mud quickly and you will get stuck.  The hotspring is pumped direct from the source.  It's murky, unfiltered, unregulated bliss.  There are two pools, so you have to get cozy with all the other soakers.  The wind was cold and fierce when we stayed.  I thought the trailer was going to tip over during the night.  We met a many nice people and had fun conversations.  Expensive for what it is, but certainly a memorable experience.

Virgina Valley Campground is off the beaten path, but free to camp. It’s perfect for a remote, peaceful experience. The campground has a stocked pond and allows fishing for kids, disabled persons and people over 65 years old. There is a little free library on site and each site comes with a picnic table and small fire pit. Bathrooms (pit toilets) are available, but there are no showers. We loved using the nearby trails to walk our dog, bike along or watch the wildlife. A really neat experience overall and at no cost!

I drive a lifted 4wd and have years of experience driving in all sorts of conditions. I started out on this road to Onion Valley after a moderate rain storm and wished I hadn’t. Less then half way in, there is a shelf road that winds around a mountain next to a valley. The mud was so slick and heavy that the back end of my truck was literally sliding to the valley side of the road. Scary as hell. Moving in the lowest drive gear, creeping along, I steered into the slide and worked my way out. Use caution on this route. Do Not Drive When Wet!!

Very primitive. Far from the main road. You definitely need a 4-wheel, high clearance vehicle for this. And we saw a rattlesnake in the middle of the road.

We stumbled upon this campground after venturing across the Black Roack and through the Sheldon. It was the perfect place to relax for the night. While entirely exposed to the sun and elements this campground has a lot to offer. A swimming hole was made from a natural spring which also feeds showers! An oasis in a rather hot and dry desert. Each campsite has a firepit and picnic table as well. The campground has a couple basic toilets on each end. If you are into gem stones and came out to look for opal, this would be a great place to make home for the weekend. We went to the Rainbow Ridge opal mine and it was an amazing experience. The owner, Glenn, was kind and shared a lot of his knowledge with us. There is also a canyon to explore just north of the campground. A trail leads the way and make sure to bring water. The Virgin Valley is an incredible place and everyone should make plans to experience it at least once.

Stayed here one night while travelling through. Nice hot springs pool, and shower facility. Most sites are primitive only, no fee, firepit and picnic table.

The drive-in was stunning with the small ponds, swimming ducks, and hopping rabbits in the forefront of a fading autumn sun.

The cost per night is FREE! Along with a “hot” spring! The water was probably in the mid 90’s but it was freezing outside in October. The shower was fed from the spring so had a nice temp but obviously very low water pressure.

No grey water dump but the water fill was very good, one of the best tasting waters out there!

Camped here in October.  The hot spring was warm enough to still use although you needed to keep moving.  There is a change room and shower provided.  

The campground is basic desert dirt camping.  Picnic tables and fire pits are provided.  There are several other little ponds around with birds and wildlife, coyotes yipped at night.

When we got up the thermometer on our bikes read 22 degrees.

Truly had the best time at virgin valley, only stayed one night sometime this past week and I’m so glad we did. ~2mi down a dirt road off of 140, you do not need ORV/4x4 just go slow and even a sedan will be fine. A lot of the sites are wide open but there are a few with tree cover &/or grass. We tented it and the weather was great, cold at night. The hot spring was warm (not hot) as others have said but it was still LOVELY. It’s great to find the warmer vent spots and just relax for a while. There are two running spring fed showers and drinking water by the spring. Also some pit/vault toilets scattered around the camping area- the one by our site was the CLEANEST pit toilet I’ve ever used in my life- dare I say it smelt good ! The only qualms I could see for some is there is zero service for AT&T (a pro for us but a con for some) and if it was seriously hot there isn’t much space/shade to escape the heat.

Will also end this with the only downside to our visit which was that we were woken up at 6am to a family of ~6 with 3 little kids SCREAMING in the hot spring. They had absolutely zero social awareness that there were clearly 8+ groups asleep and were yelling their conversations before sunrise. Unsure if it’s common for others passing by to visit just for a dip (and be as loud as these guys were) or if this was an anomaly but it certainly made for an early morning & a quick move-on.

This is a favorite spot of our’s because of being free, and that it has showers. The warm pool is nice also. It’s not hot like a lot of hot springs but more just warm. I wouldn’t go out of your way to stop here but I definitely recommend it if you’re traveling on 140.

An absolutely gorgeous place to camp, and an even more beautiful drive in. The road is easy on any car in the summer months, and is well maintained. There are scenic ponds throughout the drive to this particular campground and many other campgrounds past this site too. While we didn’t partake in the hot springs on this trip, many visitors did and it looked clean and inviting. The bathrooms were also very well maintained. The pond at this site has a handicapped accessible ramp to the small dock, and there looks to be fishing available there (though, with restrictions). There were some small trails to walk around and explore, and beautiful sunsets to experience.

The only downside was the lack of privacy, that I think is expected in this environment but worth noting. There are a good number of spots but no trees/space in between them. Wasn’t a deal breaker for us as we are van campers anyways, but something to keep in mind!

What a stunning campground. We were passing through the area needed a nights rest. We want to come back n stay 2 nights to explore the wildlife area AND enjoy the warm spring. High desert setting was amazing.