If you're looking for a place to pitch your tent near Ely, look no further. With The Dyrt, it's easy to find Ely campgrounds for you and your tent. Each tent site offers quick access to one or more of Ely, Nevada's most popular destinations.
This Casino no longer has hookups available to campers, but does allow overnight parking along the adjacent roadway.
For visitors to Great Basin National Park, Grey Cliffs Campground is an ideal place to setup and start exploring. Experience the solitude of the desert, the smell of sagebrush after a thunderstorm, the darkest of night skies, and the beauty of Lehman Caves.
The park offers a variety of trails with views of mountain peaks and alpine lake surrounded by beautiful cliffs at trail's end. Reserve a guided tour of Lehman Caves, take the scenic drive to the face of 13,063 foot Wheeler Peak or see 5,000 year old Bristlecone pine trees grow on rocky glacial moraines.
The campground is tucked beside limestone cliffs and set amongst pinion pines.
Hike along the Baker Lake Trail, reserve a guided tour ofLehman Caves , take the scenic drive to the face of 13,063 foot Wheeler Peak or see 5,000 year old Bristlecone pine trees grow on rocky glacial moraines.
$20 - $30 / night
Formerly known as Snake Creek Road Primitive Campground.
Campers must be in designated sites along these roads and backcountry camping regulations apply. Tents must be placed within 30 feet of the site's picnic table(s) and/or fire ring(s). Generators may only be used between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. Checkout time is noon. The maximum continuous stay limit at any campsite is 14 days.
Groups size is limited to 15 persons and/or 6 pack animals, and/or 6 vehicles per site. Larger groups must split into smaller groups within these limits, and must camp at separate sites. Larger groups may request an exception to these limits from the Superintendent under the terms of a Special Use Permit.
Snake Creek may be closed due to snow in winter months, check our current conditions page for uptodate infomation. High clearance vehicles are recommended for these rough, dirt roads. RVs and trailers are not recommended at any time.
Snake Creek may be closed due to snow in winter months, check our current conditions page for up-to-date information: https://www.nps.gov/grba/planyourvisit/conditions.htm. High clearance vehicles are recommended for these rough, dirt roads. RVs and trailers are not recommended at any time.
Snake Creek may be closed due to snow in winter months, check our current conditions page for up-to-date information. https://www.nps.gov/grba/planyourvisit/conditions.htm High clearance vehicles are recommended for these rough, dirt roads. RVs and trailers are not recommended at any time.
Snake Creek may be closed due to snow in winter months, check our current conditions page for up-to-date information: https://www.nps.gov/grba/planyourvisit/conditions.htm. High clearance vehicles are recommended for these rough, dirt roads. RVs and trailers are not recommended at any time.
Campers must be in designated sites along these roads and backcountry camping regulations apply. Tents must be placed within 30 feet of the site's picnic table(s) and/or fire ring(s). Generators may only be used between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. Checkout time is noon. The maximum continuous stay limit at any campsite is 14 days.
Groups size is limited to 15 persons and/or 6 pack animals, and/or 6 vehicles per site. Larger groups must split into smaller groups within these limits, and must camp at separate sites. Larger groups may request an exception to these limits from the Superintendent under the terms of a Special Use Permit.
Traveler
I stayed here for a couple of nights July 2020. Water was available, pit toilets, no showers. Private sites with incredible views. Two other campsites taken when I arrived, no one else there when I left. 10 mile washboard dirt road off 6 near Ely, 7 mile smooth dirt road further south on 6 from Ely
Legend
This is a popular stop near the town of Ely (a couple miles north off the highway; the closest town is actually McGill). Because of its proximity to a major thoroughfare, and I guess what northern Nevada would consider a major town, it seems like it fills up quickly. There isn’t a lot of privacy from neighbors because the foliage is limited and the landscaping is minimal, but it’s clean, relatively quiet, well run, and a good pit stop if you’re making a run across this area of the country.
Recommend that, if you know you’re coming in advance, you go ahead and make reservations at recreation.gov.
There are two pit toilets in a pretty good state of cleanliness. Potable water, picnic tables, and fire rings. Out of the eleven sites total, five are considered group sites and six are considered RV sites (you can car/tent camp here no problem, however).
Scout
A lot of sites, but not many had great spots for tent camping.
Some cool trails to explore.
Showers and toilets available. Showers have hot water 🤤
Scout
This is a very small campground with only about 10 sites. The sites are perfect for tent camping or for trailers and RVs. There are pit toilets, but no water available. At the present time no fires are allowed in the fire pits. Only propane cooking is allowed.
Traveler
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.
Legend
Upper Lehman Creek campground nice sized campground in Great Basin National Park. Campground has 24 sites sitting in trees. Campground is available by reservation only. This is the second campground along the paved Wheeler Peak Drive. Campground road and parking pads are all paved. Each site has a picnic table and metal fire ring. Trash, recycling is available. Campground has vault toilets. The campground has two ADA campsites(Site#2 and#18) . While water spigots are located through out the campground water is currently not available at the campground and a fire restriction was in effect. Water can be obtained at the Visitor Center. Campsites are nicely spread apart and being in the park made for a silent night with the only sounds coming from the nearby creek. Some of these campsites are listed as no tents, so be careful when registering for a site if you are tent camping.
Scout
Although it is not immediately evident at the entrance, there are two camping areas here. One circle of 8 or 9(?) sites which surround a little pond nearer to the highway, and then second set of 5 or 6 campsites perhaps a half-mile away past an open gate. I was travelling solo, just had a tent. I approached Great Basin Park too close to sunset to arrange for tent camping, so this area popped up along my route. I am so glad i stopped to check it out. I found a spot before sunset, up in the "equestrian' area. Other spots were occupied by some RV'ers but they were very nice. The vault toilets are maintained. The sites are not large but are well laid out and spaced apart, consisting of a fire ring, a grill, and a crushed-rock level area. After dark I had excellent view of the starry skies. Quiet neighbor campers. Seemed safe.
GuideAs the connotation infers these sites are large and clean. Paved parking, dedicated tent sites, picnic tables, fire rings and bbq. Clean, well maintained pit toilets. Set in a well treed area with a creek on either side of the loop. A few pull through spots and a few tent only spots makes a well rounded campground. The stars are amazing!Lehman Cave as well as Wheeler Peak are just minutes away. Hikers rejoice. We volunteered for a project on Public Lands Day and also squeezed in some pine nut harvesting. At $23 a pound who wouldn’t? The weather was iffy for our first time here. Rain, wind and snow with a few sunny breaks. We would definitely come back, but maybe a little earlier in the year next time. FYI, this park seems to always be needing camp hosts. Hint, hint.
LegendI was apprehensive after reading reviews for this campground about how unlevel the sites were. We travel and sleep in our 17 foot van without leveling blocks so we need a level site. Yes, some were not level (but many of those were tent sites) but we found many that were just fine! Site 1 was very level (and could accommodate a large RV). Probably the cleanest pit toilets I have ever seen! Many sites had lots of privacy between them. We were there at the end of April so many roads and hiking trails were not yet open so we toured Lehman Caves which I highly recommend (reserve ahead of time at Recreation.gov). All tours were booked for a Monday in April (when we booked day before, there were still plenty of openings). Limited or no cell service.
Traveler
TL:DR: $5 tent sites available, 24/7 gas station store w. Bathroom, fairly clean. Serves hot food until 9:30ish, close to Great Basin NP. 88 miles to next services to the east.
We were on our way to Great Basin after leaving Yellowstone early this morning. We filled up gas in Nephi, Utah and then cut west on a dark desert highway. We went (according to the sign) 88 miles feeling the cool wind in our hair between "services" before seeing the shimmering light up ahead in the distance. Our heads grew heavy and our sight grew dim, so we had to stop for the night. We pulled in at about 9pm local time and saw, much to our surprise, that the gas station store was advertising being open 24/7! Our tired and hungry selves walked inside where several very nice locals were manning the store. We thought to ourselves "this could be heaven or this could be hell." Turned out to be heaven, as they had hot food and plenty of room for us to pitch a tent. $5 fee for a guaranteed spot "behind the trees next to the spools." Most of the land nearby is BLM, so $5 for access to a store and bathroom is not too bad, though you can technically sleep across the street for free. No apparent need to stab any beasts with steely knives, and come morning we were able to check out and leave.
TravelerTent camping worked out great. The views were amazing, history was interesting, a couple of geocaches in the area and close enough to town to stock up if needed.
Wheelchair accessibility 👨🦽: Two sites are on concrete slabs that are flat and relatively level. One is double wide. Both have concrete paths to the pit toilets. Plenty of area to maneuver inside sturdy toilet situated in the corner with grab bars is well stocked. Picnic tables are made of concrete and situated under a large awning. One of the benches is shorter allowing a wheelchair user to pull up to the table. Site has a fire pit and grill. The grill is counterbalanced to allow it to be used with less force (in July fire restrictions kept us from trying them out). Traveling anywhere off the concrete was a problem. The campground off of the concrete was covered in loose large stones even with a firefly and smart drive assistance was needed. The trails to the charcoal ovens were not rated correctly and needed to be driven to by vehicle.
When we went there was no water due to maintenance. There were plenty of water faucets around the camp. Dumpsters are located between the checkin sign and site 1. Camp has trees that provide shade and privacy. When we went it was pretty empty. Most people who stopped only did so for the night and we were the only tent campers.
We went in mid July. It got pretty warm in the afternoon but the clouds and winds kept it bearable. Winds tended to come up from the valley (wish we set the tent up better to catch them). Gravely dirt roads could be a concern but our jetta sportwagon made it (drove too fast coming in and got a rock stuck between a rear wheel rotar and rotar gaurd)
Guide
This first-come-first-serve campground consists of two main loops plus additional areas designated for tent camping only. We arrived late on a Thursday afternoon in late September and got one of (if not the) last available sites. To get to the campground you drive about 2.5 miles down a dirt road which should be just fine no matter what kind of vehicle you drive, but as with any dirt road, you should expect your vehicle to get dusty. The campground is very quiet at night with just the chirping sounds of the crickets and the babbling of nearby Baker Creek. And there are so many stars at night you'd think you were on the red carpet at the Oscars!
We stayed in Site #6, which was not only the perfect size for our 16' Airstream Basecamp and our Jeep Grand Cherokee, but also had a large picnic table, fire pit with grill, and an extra area of smoothed dirt surrounded by a small rock border and tall trees (we called this area our "living room"). Unfortunately, there is a fire ban in effect so we were unable to use our firepit.
We work while on the road and had one bar of T-Mobile service, which improved to almost full bars with our WeBoost. There was no Verizon service on our hotspot, even with the WeBoost. Still, the T-Mobile service with the booster was perfect for working and was fast enough for Zoom and Teams video calls.
The site is mostly level side-to-side, but not at all level front-to-back, which meant that our trailer tongue needed to be mere inches off the ground. Not an issue for our short trailer, but camper emptor! The freshwater spigot was adjacent to our site, which was convenient, and the bathrooms and trash receptacles were just a short 30-second walk away.
Legend
This place is great it has a pool, playground, so many family activities, a big grass area for the tent campers which is super cool, cabins available, propane refill station, amazing staff nice parking areas, nice RV spots with full hook ups, laundry room, tables at each spot, just so your aware the entire lots to drive through are all dirt and gravel so if you’re planning to bicycle it may be a little hard but other than that really great place up in Ely
Traveler
Very 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.
GuideMy dad was visiting me here in Bullhead City and said "we're going camping July 4th weekend, would you like to come?" Well our ideas of camping are quite different: Me tent, dry camp, dirt, trees. Him hookups, satellite TV, AC... He said a guy he knows told him about Cave Lake north of Vegas. I looked it up saw it had both styles and said sure we'll go. The park is near Ely NV. There are two campgrounds in the Lake view and Elk flat. Elk flat is some distance from the lake in juniper trees they have flush toilets and showers. There is water and each site has a picnic table, fire ring and a graded area for a tent or RV. Lake view has the same amenities but within walking distance to the lake. There is a Ranger Station at each campground. The fishing is supposed to be very good there but we didn't fish much. I enjoyed camping there and would go back.
TravelerIf you gotta go KOA, the Ely NV is as good as they go. Clean rest rooms and helpful owners.
Legend
This is an over all a good rv park off of the Main Street in ely. Full hook ups
Gravel roads throughout They do have pads that are not cement but gravel but they do have tables in them. Big trees for some shade which is always good. Close to the town and the rly airport. About 5 minute drive to the ely train station which is super neat and have plenty of things going on including polar express. About 5 minute drive to a gas station. Nice grass area through and a fog walking area.
GuideFamily fun. Horse trails, bike trails, bike trails… Nice spot for a few days and close to a small town (Ely).
ScoutEli koa has been great to us each we've been here, the managers went above and beyond for us. Thank you TJ see you all in October
Guide
About 10mi north of Ely. Map will take you to BLM off the highway. However, there are 4 forest service designated campgrounds on the road across the highway.
Legend
well, it's not the best but it's affordable if you need a quick spot and nowhere else to go.
They do have showers
pull-through sites
full hook ups
Not much else to be said about this place... except your on the main street of ely so it could be loud.
GuideNice quiet park just outside Ely. As usual with KOA, it was bit on the pricey side. They could have used some dust control on the gravel roads as well.
Overall, the place was clean and quiet, sites were level, and the front desk lady was so friendly! I only stopped here for one night, but would stop again if I was in the area.
If they get the dust under control, I would have left 5 stars.
Ranger
Lovely state park near Ely. Two campgrounds, but lake is emptied for maintenance so we didn't even check the other one out. Nice, mostly flat sites with quite a bit of juniper and some scrub pine in between so pretty private. Water taps and dump station. Flush toilets and free showers were nice. Very very quiet. Some trails fairly near by but we walked up a closed road for a bit.
Food aside: Had freeze-dried (Readywise) creamy pasta chicken with some added chicken and it was good. Very low FQ (fart quotient). Veggie chorizo scramble for breakfast- bit of a bite but hard to identify the chorizo in there; potatoes were good for heartiness.
Scouti camped here towards the end of october and upon arriving, there were only two other spots taken. by the time i was leaving i had the grounds to myself. there’s a simple self pay station. make sure you have cash to pay. i believe it was $15 a night. there were also clean toilets, sinks, and showers. the spots each had a picnic table and fire pit (for when there aren’t fire restrictions). it was so quiet and the view of the valley was so calming. i needed an escape from city life and these grounds offered that. there is a lake and a few hikes nearby. make sure to get gas in ely before you hit the road home. you may not pass another gas station for a while, especially if you drive out toward st. george.
TravelerLocated outside of Ely, but close enough if you need to run into town.
Staff was great, informed us about facilities and also map listed restaurants that deliver.
Hometown Pizza delivers to your site, good pizza.
They do inform you that by state law they have to have water pressure regulators on the water hookups so no need to add yours. (in Las Vegas at the KOA they had no idea what I was talking about but since we were within the city limits may not be needed).
Great view of the night sky after dark, dog parks are decent size, but by the time we got their our dog had found a spot on the roads.
Site pretty level, site and roads are gravel. Appears to be quite a few long term campers.
We were only there one night, but with everything if offers appears to be a place to stay for a week if so inclined.
Gets chilly at night, high altitude (close to 7,000 ft in elevation).
Scout
Free BLM numbered designated sites. We read other online reviews about people making a camp site wherever they want and this happened during our stay. We witnessed this (see the picture) happen to our neighbor. Thursday evening a single male with CA tags comes flying thru the campground and whipped into our neighbor's campsite and pulls right in front of their picnic table with his truck and 5th wheel trailer. Our neighbor came outside (as did several other neighbors wondering what this guy was doing) and confronts the guy. He asks him "you're not going to park there are you?!?". The guy tells him "yes, I need to watch TV" and proceeded to pull out his satellite dish and plop it down. Our neighbor says "this is my site and you're blocking my view." The guy told him he didn't care and set up anyways. Meanwhile there were 2 other RVs camping at the entrance waiting for a campsite to open up. In 7 years of RVing the entire country I have never witnessed such rude and entitled behavior before! The town of Ely for supplies had some of the rudest characters we've come across as well which was very surprising for a small town. This campground might have been a hidden gem at one time but with too much Internet publicity it's very busy now. Constant cars coming and going at all hours especially racing to the upper level of the campground. It probably would've been more peaceful sleeping at one of the highway pullouts.
RangerI camped here as the first night of a two week western states road trip after a long drive across the Loneliest Road in America (Hwy 50 across NV). After hundreds of miles of desert this beautiful forested spot was a true oasis! When I arrived the camp host was there to greet me and help me pick a prime spot for my tent close to Lehman creek. This campground is first come first serve which was a bit frightening as I drove 10 hrs across Nevada with no other backup plans. The site was forested, clean and had a picnic table and fire ring. The campground had bathrooms but no showers. The campsite was fairly private with not too many other campers. There were a few trails leading from the campsite, but I did not use them. The next morning I drove up towards Wheeler Peak. The views were incredible and it reinforced how amazing this little park truly is. I hiked a part of the Bristlecone trail but had to turn around when a lightning storm got a bit too close for comfort. I saw deer and plenty of birds along the way. If I had more time I would have loved to make it to the bristlecones as they are such a rare and unique tree. While this park is difficult to reach from any direction it is quite a little forest paradise and this campground is definitely recommended.
Ely, Nevada, offers a variety of tent camping options for outdoor enthusiasts looking to explore the stunning landscapes of the region. From well-reviewed campgrounds to unique amenities, there's something for everyone.
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