Best Dispersed Camping near Indian Springs, NV

Quiet, secluded spot between Las Vegas and Pahrump Nevada. First come, first served but it was very quiet when we were there. The Boondocking experience is my favorite part of camping/travelling and this was a great spot. Spent 2 weeks here and didn't come in contact with anybody! Other people were there but all well dispersed.  

GPS Coordinates Latitude, Longitude: 36.0430242°,-115.6175106°
Our elevation was about 6,000 ft 
No services but also no Fee (Free) 
Hiking for days

Super cool hidden gem in the desert that’s for sure. Summertime gets a little tooooo hot but it’s perfect any other time throughout the year. It’s all dispersed so find a spot you like and enjoy!! Free camping!!! Winner!!! Make sure you build a good fire ring and make sure to put your fire completely out. Safety first! It’s Always best to take care of Mother Nature. If you have a 4x4 you can get to a much secluded area. If you don’t which we don’t have a 4x4 but we can make it pretty cool places so we’re happy.

Wheeler Peak Rd is actually one of 4 roads that goes into this vast area. 

There are several roads that some think give better access to campsites off HIghway 160 in town.  Wheeler Peak Rd is south of town.

Best one might be Charleston Peak Rd.  Turn east off 160 Highway by the Auto Zone store onto Panorama and go one block to Charleston Peak Rd turning right at the Chevy dealership. 

This is paved road nearly all the way to campsites.  When the pavement ends go straight ahead a block or two to campsites or turn to the left and go north toward the power lines.  All BLM east of the power lines clear to the mountains. 

Boondocked in this area 2  months with no complaints. Verizon Cellphone signal this close to town was very good as was my hotspot internet connection.

Wonderful dispersed camping. Good gravel roads and Picturesque views everywhere you turn. About 15 degrees cooler than vegas and good cell coverage

Great views for sunrise and sunset. Dispersed camping with plenty of space between sites. Rock fire rings but expect no facilities. We only stayed one night but would stay here again! Cell service was excellent.

My friend and I decided to hike Mt Charleston Peak in order to train for hiking Machu Picchu. Here’s a breakdown of the hike: 17 miles | 11,916 ft elevation | 8,241 ft prominence | Highest peak in Southern Nevada | 8th most prominent mountain in the U.S. | Most prominent mountain in Nevada. I will let the pictures speak for themselves.

In terms of camping, we decided to avoid the crowds, and camp on our way back, along the trail. Primitive/ dispersed camping available. Fire is allowed depending on the season, so check their website before hand. Pack-in-pack-out type camp.

Its a little bit of a drive (4 miles) into the wooded terrain to get to the listed campsite. However, you can camp in multiple areas along the route. Just about anytime I head towards this site, you will see people tent or truck bed camping. On occasion, I will see a motorhome or pull trailer in the area. Most of the time, they are near the front entrance, as the road and openness for large rigs are more friendly.   About a mile down the road is Sawmill trailhead. They have picnic areas and trails you can explore. Although, the current signage says not to camp overnight in the Sawmill area, you will see tents and rare times, small trailers (less than 20 feet) dispersed in the area. There are multiple nooks and private areas to disperse. As with any dispersed camping in this area or Sawmill, "No open fires." Just visited today and seen too many left over rock ring fires in the area. The usual from a long holiday weekend.

Great spot for dispersed camping. They have toilets near the front entrance. You will typically see small class c or pull trailers a little ways back, down the trails. No issues camping and people very respectful of other campers. Stayed during March and at night was almost freezing temperatures.

Charleston is always the go-to during summer, as it’s 20 degrees cooler than it’s surrounding area. Dispersed camping is great - no utilities of course, but very quiet, not many other campers, and a great place for stargazing. We even saw a mule walking around in the morning. Forgot my trekking poles to set up as tent poles, but luckily, Charleston is one of the few places in NV with literal trees. Can be around a 20 min drive to whatever trails you’re interested in.

This is dispersed camping along and inside Cathedral Canyon, a small canyon that was converted to an outdoor “cathedral” by a local resident in mid 20th century. Just southeast of Parumph off 95.

What was once beautiful is now weird and eerie but well worth a visit. Google the story. Interesting read.

You can camp up above or down in the cathedral. There are stone fire rings all around. No other amenities but good cell service. There was lots if trash when we were here as well as gunshots during the day from a nearby shooting range. There’s also clear evidence things have been shot up in the cathedral, too, including a giant headless Christ statue.

Not for everyone but a fine stopover with an interesting backstory.

There are several spots along Lovell Canyon Rd that you can disperse camp at. If you want to get more than 30 feet off the road then you won't want to do it in an RV, the roads are rough. I came on a Sunday in October and there quite a few people camped along here so grab one of the first that you see. Use the satellite view in Google Maps to find some clearings in the brush. The main road is not very active at night so it's a pretty peaceful sleep.

Directions led me right to it. Gravel road up the side of a hill. It wasn't too hard in an old 92 Chevy van. Campsites are far apart but I only found about 6 camping spots here. It is very quiet and very scenic. It sure beats sleeping in Sam's Parking lot. ;) I couldn't figure out if a permit is needed. No signs but the dyrt writeup leads me to believe one is needed.

Prefect place to get away from Vegas. Many places for camping and easy to pull a trailer. Main road mostly paved. Other roads were dirt but well maintained and manageable. Lots of turn offs to disperse camp from main road. Be cautious, there were a couple of groups of campers off the main road that were target shooting into the woodline. If you come across the Red Rock canyon area. Rocky mt gap is the trail you can take to come across the mt in a high clearance 4wd vehicle. Mainly a jeep or something not to wide/long. My truck couldn't get pass some tight areas, so had to turn around.

When you pull up to the campsite, you will immediately be intimidated by the steep and windy road up the cliff to access the campsites. It's actually quite wide, smooth, and easy to drive up without any issues (27ft travel trailer). Don't let that deter you. 

Stayed here in January, so the 10 degree difference from Vegas wasn't necessarily a good thing. Probably a huge plus in the summer.  At the top of the hill there are a few boondocking spots that are featured in most of the pictures. About a mile back I found a hilltop spot along one of the side roads with great views. However, it was VERY windy exposed at the top of a hill like that, with winds rushing down the main mountain. 

Other reviewers mentioned the rehab camp, which I visited while exploring the back roads one day. It's not ideal to have that nearby, but didn't have any issues throughout my stay. There are employee cars and companies providing services driving back there all day, but it's not a big deal. 

Couple miles away is the visitor center for the mountains, along with a resort with a restaurant. Only services are back down the mountain towards Vegas so come completely filled up when you make the trip up the mountain. Also a ski hill if you wind around the mountain, but probably 20-30 miles away. 

Did see a few burros grazing around the area, but didn't make it to my campsite. There is a cool slot canyon at the entrance. You can either park at the lot by the road and walk about 1/2 mile, or drive back down the single track to park closer.

This site is excellent and should be explored fully to dig all the hiking opportunities. Three great spots to boondock, Mack's Canyon, Lovell Canyon, and Champion Road. All are great spots and far superior to the established campgrounds on the mountain (with the exception of Hilltop Camp but only because that site has hot showers). Access to trail heads and the spring mountain visitor center on the way in and out along the Kyle Canyon route. One of the top things to see is the bat colonies who come out at sunset and stay the evening. The stargazing is great as the forest is bristlecone and the canopy does not block the view of the Milky Way. We stayed two nights and had the place pretty much to ourselves mid week though I hear weekends can get crowded. Do not miss this spot. FYI it is typically much cooler on the mountain which is a short 47 minute drive from the site. It was 104 in the valley and 78 on the peak. An easy choice in the summer. Grooved to Reckoning on this trip and the book was Kybalion. Check them all out.

Campground Review: This was a pleasant surprise on the way back to Vegas from Death Valley. The description is pretty obvious, it is a LARGE sand dune with plenty of space to play on 4 wheelers and plenty of beautiful desert to set up tents or RV's. 

Since it is a recreation area you will have to deal with generators and motors and lots of people from nearby towns coming out to play after work. It isn't far from Beatty which has amenities if you want to be close-ish to a town. 

No services on site so make sure you are set up properly. The road to get out there is washboard dirt as well, so make sure you have good tires.*Not advised in Travellers Campervan* 

The Dune itself is beautiful and a gorgeous spot for sunset or sunrise. It was cloudy when I was there so i didn't get that opportunity. 

Travellers Autobarn Kuga Campervan Review(Sleeping and hanging out):

While out volunteering over a week for the Audubon Bird Counts, I was able to evaluate the AWESOME Kuga campervan. Since I was gone for 7 days, I broke my evaluation up into sections where the most important features of the van were utilized. If you want to see the rest, check out my reviews for **Pahranagat Wildlife Refuge, Cathedral Gorge State Park, Ash Meadows Wildlife Refuge, Desert Wildlife Refuge, and Big Dune Recreation Area. **

This company is awesome, they come from Australia and New Zealand and we are super excited to have a truly affordable rental camper van in the United States! You can rent out different sizes and get an array of gear with them. This is perfect for music festivals, road trips, and for camping in extreme weather. Check them out here: https://www.travellers-autobarnrv.com/campervan-rv-rentals/kuga-campervan/

• Sleeping(bottom bed): Sleeping in this campervan was a true luxury. It rained (and snowed) overnight and I stayed nice and comfortable. The Double bed (bottom) was incredibly large, I would say it was as big as my queen bed at home at least. I was able to lay in almost every direction comfortably (i’m 5’6). It was really easy to set up too. Take the table and pole out of the slot and lay the table down between the benches and take the extra boards out from under one of the bench storage spaces to fill in the rest. The rest of the cushions are your back rests for the benches so you just lay those in the middle. It took me about 5 mins to set up my bed fully each night. The cushions were the perfect blend of firm and soft so I was able to toss and turn and stayed sleeping comfortably on all sides. 
• Sleeping(top): This bed packs away and can be used for storage of sleeping gear when not in use too. I kept my bag up there since I didn’t use it much since it was just me. This extra bed is perfect for traveling with 3 people but I lasted up here for about 20 mins before I became claustrophobic. I toss and turn at night so sleeping where I could touch the ceiling when I turn over on the bed wouldn’t work great for me. For kids, or smaller adults or people that don’t move in their sleep, this would be just fine. The cushions were the same as below so they were comfortable. But there isn’t a stopper at the end so I could see myself losing part of my cushions to falling below in the middle of the night. It was also a little awkward to get up there too, you have to climb up from the counter and if the bed is already in place, you will need to be a little acrobatic(or nimble) to make it happen easily. 
• Warmth: I will say that the van is not insulated so I did use a small space heater for one night while camping when it got below 20 degrees but otherwise I didn’t use it much unless I was spoiling myself to warm up in the morning or before bed.*If you use a space heater, you have to open the top vent or a window for ventilation. The heater in the front cab was quite warm as well, although the heat seemed to come from under the dash instead of the normal air vents. Easy of access: You will need to be going in and out of the van often as there is no bathroom in the van. I found that going out of the back of the van was easier(and faster) than going out of the side door. The handle for the side door to open and close it from the inside was behind the cabinet so it was a bit awkward to reach. 
• Bonus features: There is an LED light for the outside of the side doors if you need some outside lighting. I used it when we were building our fire pit so we could see what we were doing. You can totally leave the bottom bed down for the entirety of the trip if you want. I would recommend putting the pole up in the loft so it isn’t clanging back and forth on the floorboard.The curtains make it impossible to want to wake up. They are blackout curtains so on my day off when I wasn’t hiking for sunrise, I slept till almost 10 on accident. They help keep the heat in and the sun out. It also offers perfect privacy for changing or being solo in the middle of BLM land.

Pretty sunset, desolate dirt road to arrive. Guarantees that no one else will be in this spot…this is your spot. Wonderful little camping spot in the middle of nowhere. If your on a road trip, and looking for a nice place to lay thy head, don’t hesitate, you will not pop your tire. Lovely view of Vegas. :) 🏕

Camping review: Dispersed camping just South of the refuge. There are lots of dirt roads off the main road outside of the refuge that you can camp on. There are little turn offs and cut outs for you to pull up in. Ideal for car camping or RV's. The main road heading into the park on the South side of the refuge so you can easily get into the park by foot or via the dirt roads. 

You will need to look at maps to make sure you aren't on private property. The road going into the refuge is fine to for overnight stays, but if you want extended stays, you can go to Funeral Mountains Wilderness, which is across the main road on the way into Death Valley and stay up to 14 days for free. 

Ash Meadows is a BEAUTIFUL refuge filled with wonder. A literal Oasis In the Desert. In this refuge you will find many endangered pupfish swimming along in the many warm springs in the refuge. They are federally protected so you will need to keep your distance. You can also see Crystal Spring. Crystal Spring pumps out over 2800 gallons of water a minute form an underground warm aquifer. It is also cerulean blue due to the limestone breakdown in the water. 

There is also the incredible Devil's Hole located in the refuge. This is a geologic wonder of the world. It is a hole int he base of a mountain that is filled with the clearest water and the famous Devil's Hole Pupfish. These guys are incredibly close to extinction and live in a crazy environment. The Devil's hole is known the world over as a dangerous diving spot. Many divers have been lost in the underwater maze and no one even knows how deep it is. Some divers have even died trying to find out. Anywhere in the world if there is a large scale geologic shift (earthquake), it registers in this hole and the water will splash about like a wave pool. 

The entire location is hike in only. You will need a map and check for permits at the visitor's center. 

Travellers Autobarn Kuga Campervan Gear Review(Driving) 

While out volunteering over a week for the Audubon Bird Counts, I was able to evaluate the AWESOME Kuga campervan. Since I was gone for 7 days, I broke my evaluation up into sections where the most important features of the van were utilized. If you want to see the rest, check out my reviews for **Pahranagat Wildlife Refuge, Cathedral Gorge State Park, Ash Meadows Wildlife Refuge, Desert Wildlife Refuge, and Big Dune Recreation Area. **

This company is awesome, they come from Australia and New Zealand and we are super excited to have a truly affordable rental camper van in the United States! You can rent out different sizes and get an array of gear with them. This is perfect for music festivals, road trips, and for camping in extreme weather. 

Check them out here: https://www.travellers-autobarnrv.com/campervan-rv-rentals/kuga-campervan/

• Driving ability: This van is a pretty smooth drive for being such a big lug of a van. If you drive smart it gets about 500 miles to a 31 gallon tank which means I only spent about$250 total for a 7 day trip across Nevada and Death Valley Region. You have quite a few blind spots but if you leave the curtains open in the back window you can still use your rearview mirror in addition to the side mirrors. I kept the speed no higher than 55-60 so I could keep good gas mileage. 
• Dirt Road Considerations: Even though this entire Refuge is dirt roads, do not take this on dirt roads if at all possible. They request that you keep to main roads that are paved with the exception of driving up to about 200 yards for campgrounds that are packed dirt. I saw why driving into this refuge when this hunk of a van was rattling and making me nervous. Mostly nervous because it wasn’t mine, but also because I didn’t put all my gear in safe places so I would occasionally hear a cup or book fall off the counter. They were smart and had little door button locks to keep the cabinets closed during drives too, which was handy!

This was my first time doing a dispersed campsite and I have no complaints! It was relatively quiet and very peaceful at night. The spots are pretty well spread out to give you the most privacy you’d need and there is great cell reception out here. We heard all kinds of wildlife at night, coyotes were the ones to stick out the most with all their howling. I would comeback!

We had a good time here. Camp spots are fairly spread out and mostly flat. We camp with travel trailer so we stay closer to the road but it's not busy. Trying to take it up the dirt roads was a bit rugged so we came back down. Beautiful scenery. Quiet. Temps cooler than in town. Some off road vehicles, but not a problem for us. Last time we were there someone had left a bunch of trash so that part wasn't cool. We had cell service.