Best Cabin Camping near Hawthorne, NV

We stopped here to eat dinner and since the sign said campground, of course, I inquired further. Not really a campground but what the owners called an outdoor experience. 

There are two covered wagons but since they were both occupied, we could not see inside of them. They have a double bed (linens provided for an extra cost) and no heat. There is also a five-room motel and 12 cabins, some of which have kitchenettes and some without. 

The bathhouse was small but clean. The trout project was interesting (Started in 2006 to improve Bridgeport area fisheries. The family that owns the Settlement continues to hatch and raise trout specifically to plant in Virginia Creek as a thank you to the anglers that support them. It is a non-profit that is supported by people eating in their restaurant and staying on their property). There is corn-hole, a horseshoe pit, and a fish cleaning station on-site as well as a Tesla charging station! 

The settlement is located directly on Virginia Creek on Highway 395. We’ve stayed in a variety of accommodations but never a covered wagon – it would definitely be a unique stay but would have to be when it is warmer!

Be prepared for a long bumpy ride but it's well worth it!

There are several areas/loops to camp.  Driving in you will cross over a bridge and just up and off to your right you will see the parking area for the hot springs.

To the left just after crossing the bridge is a road you can pull off on and there is excellent fishing.  

I grabbed campsite #28.  There are fire rings and picnic tables. 28 also is close to one of the pit toilets and also has a path down to the river.  It's a bit of a steep grade down to the river but worth it for the solitude while fishing.

Was super quiet even though there were a few campers close by.

Great shade from the trees.

We stayed in tent site #4, aka “Extra Special Lakeshore Camping”. The views were absolutely incredible. The site site on a small promontory, affording you incredible sunsets across Bridgeport Reservoir. The drawback to this of course is that everyone has to walk right by your campsite to enjoy these views. Expect very limited privacy, friendly conversation, lots of it, and to meet every dog in camp. As the listing warns, the location also means extra exposure to wind and bugs. What the listing also says is that the site is (just) big enough for a large tent and EZ-up (shade structure), although it doesn’t mention what we were told upon arrival: due to winds coming off the reservoir at up to 60 knots, we were not allowed to rely on stakes and had to be present at all times when the shade structure was up.

Additional clarifications: The “dog beach” is ~30 ft long, and is the same beach the kayaks, SUP boards, and pedal boat are lunched from (and stored). In practice this is fine for playing fetch, but is not enough room for letting your dog run. Individual fire rings are not provided, so if you want a fire cozy up to the communal fire ring, which can get crowded on weekends, hopefully you’re not an introvert. Restrooms and showers are at the far corner of camp, ~1/8 mi away and up a small incline, not the easiest to get to for midnight wake up calls, or those with mobility limitations. FYI re: accessibility: the entire camp past the bathrooms is not firm & stable surface, and the restrooms are very tight with small stalls.

Otherwise the camp was great. We loved the free and easy access to boats. The communal kitchen was a nice convenience, particularly for washing dishes. The bathrooms were always very clean, and having free showers is awesome. The host’s local knowledge was very helpful, and pointed us to the right hot springs for the right day/time/weather. Finally, back to the view. It was great anytime of day, sunrise to sunset, even peeking out when hiding in the tent from the rain and bugs, the view really made the trip.

We visited this site Memorial Day weekend after driving through the 108 on Sonora Pass. It took about 30 minutes to get to the campground from the main road. Our site had two tent spots, a picnic table, and a fire ring. The campground itself has vaulted bathrooms. Each site was a short walk to a creek and the trail that leads to the hot springs. The campground can get busy, but each site is a good distance from eachother. They allow dogs too. They do not have bear boxes so be careful where you leave your food. You are a short driving distance to twin lakes which has beautiful scenery of the Eastern Sierra, and the town of Bridgeport has Hot Springs too. Overall a stunning campground with amazing views.

We have been camping here for 25+ years. Beautiful location, the campsites are well placed, and very large. Tons of amenities; general store/market (literally has everything you would need), boat/tackle shop (fishing gear, boat rentals, items for your tent, trailer, and RV), diner (breakfast, lunch and dinner, even has a bar), campground activities, large beach on the lake, easy access to the stream that runs through the entire campground and a meadow in the middle of the campground that has stunning views at sunrise, sunset, and at night; especially when there’s no moon.  All the facilities are well-maintained, and very clean. We have always had, for the most part, a great time, overall during our stay. That said, in full disclosure, the last time we camped there, we did have some issues related to the gray/black water, clean out and fresh water refill. The technician who performed this task, perhaps he was not very experienced, ended up breaking the fresh water plumbing under the trailer causing it to leak badly. With the pontoon rental, they improperly accused us of breaking “the rules” and kept our deposit despite our clear and undeniable explanation of the truth. In both circumstances, we had never come across the issues that we had. It was very unfortunate, because we had a new family up there camping with us who is really into camping, and it just soured them on this location. Fortunately, for us most of our history camping there has been exceptional and full of great memories. I would highly recommend camping at this location.