Are you planning a dispersed camping trip to Winnemucca? We've got you covered. Dispersed camping is the perfect way to get off the grid. From secluded to easily reachable, we offer dispersed campsites near Winnemucca just for you.
Dispersed camping pull off near I-80
Nevada's public lands are open to camping. There is no fee for dispersed, primitive camping, but there is a limit to the number of days one may camp in the same location. Dispersed, primitive camping is camping where there are no developed amenities such as water or toilets. Primitive campers are asked to follow the "Leave No Trace" land use ethics. Dispersed camping in a motorhome is allowed, but dumping black or gray water on public lands isn't allowed. Some campground are established that requires a fee to manage it.
A person may not occupy undeveloped public lands or designated sites or areas for more than 14 days within a 28 consecutive day period. Following the 14 days, a person and their personal property must relocate to a site outside of at least a 25 mile radius from the occupied site for a period of 14 days.
24-hour stay limit. Overnight parking permitted; no camping or sleeping outside of vehicle.
Scout
My original review was because I lost my earbuds. But since I found them 🤦♀️.. I am just going to say I loved this site!
GuideUp out of the dust. Nice level site near creek. Small creek and trail that follow it as well as trails that go up the hill. Toilets and garbage cans
GuideFree camping for up to three nights here and it’s beautiful! Lots of trails to hike around and a creek running through some of the spots. First come first serve but I got there late evening on a week day and was able to get a spot.
GuideIt was Mormon Cricket season, so that was weird. They were everywhere, but they were chill. The deer were fun to watch, as well as the cows across the street. The road is a little busy (off road vehicles whizzing by) but there are lots of places to pull off with picnic tables and fire pits by the water.
RangerThis wonderful 10 large spot free camp has a 9 hole disk course. The course has legit "tee pads" and manicured "greens" around each basket. But. .. the rest of the course is wild rough, I had to shoot for the 4' wide trail to avoid loosing my disks
Ranger10 sites well separated along the dirt road. Most will fit 25' rvs, a few will take larger rigs. Pit toilets, picnic tables, fire pits, BBQ grills, vault toilets and trash pick up! And did I mention it's free! AND. A Legit 9 hole disk golf course. Way to much rough, you'll spend a bit of time looking for disks unless your very good.
Scout
Car camped here for the night on our cross country road trip. Easy to access off the highway. Surprisingly not noisy for how close it is to the highway. Lots of wildlife, including bugs (Lots of Mormon Crickets), and cow poop. However, beautiful views and only saw one other car on the road. Easy place to rest your head for the night. Spot is off the main dirt road towards the reservoir and has a homeade rock fire pit.
GuideWe loved our overnight here, we got here on a Tuesday afternoon around 5pm and were able to get a good, spacious site for our 28 foot TT without detaching it, win-win! Site 7 that was, by the river (20ish steps away). Peace and quiet plus the river sound! Also saw a deer jumping through the bushes near our site, quite marvelous.
TravelerNice level and spacious campsite with a covered cement picnic table and fire pit at campsite #1. Arrived during an amazing sunset and couldn’t believe it was both clean and available! Only concern was dog poo in the grass within 6 feet of the fire pit. People! Sign says 3 day limit.
GuideRolled in at night....got my pick of camp sites. Not too cold, but awesome morning view
ScoutWe boondocked here for one night on our way home from a 12 day camping trip. It was a little hard to figure out where to camp at first; just follow the road up past the day use area which has a pavilion, parking and pit toilet. A little bit after that the sites begin. The sites are spread along the road, sometimes a single camp site and sometimes a couple of sites next to each other. It was dusk when we arrived and we actually didn't see the first couple of sites - we realized the next day on our way out that we'd driven right by. Then we saw some that were occupied. We ended up at site 8. It's large but quite uneven. It took us a bit to level out our A-frame pop up camper. It was gorgeous there. Surrounded by hills, Birch trees, and the stream running behind. Our site had a picnic table, fire pit, and BBQ area. The pit toilet and large garbage were just across from sites 8/9. The pit toilet is ADA, very clean, and didn't smell bad.
We would happily have spent a couple of more days here if we hadn't had to return home.
ScoutWhat an amazing camp site! Free, 3 nights, and by a creek. Unreal sunset. Super clean and sites are huge for big rigs (easy turn around)! Dirt road is an easy drive. We will absolutely be back!
GuideThis location reminded me of a county park. Maybe I'm jaded for spending too much time in the outback doing disperse camping. This reminded me of a lot of county parks in California. I looked at campsite 9 which was one of the better sites, and not much in the way of excitement came to mind. The creek was a minimal trickle, and lots of flies. It was hot and mucky and I decided to not camp out here and drive two hours north into Oregon and back to the wild. The positive about this location is the other campers who all wave when you drive by. That is nice hospitality.
TravelerWe had a lovely stay! Close to the mountains and water. Don’t worry while leaving the road. Just drive straight on. Be aware of all the locusts -) there were a lot of them … I mean a lot
GuideThis campsite felt like a little oasis after driving two days in the desert. The creek cools down the temperature a lot and the trees provide some relief from the scorching sun. There aren't very many sites, but they're fairly big and apart from each other.
ScoutNot too far from town which is good. Campgrounds are right next to a creek so you can get your feet a little wet. Each campsite is very large.
ScoutThis camping area was easy to get to in a small car, seemed well kept, and overall was a good place for an overnight camping trip.
EXCEPT the sticky stuff on the ground from the trees. It matted up on my dogs paws and all over their fur, it does not come out with soap and water hardly and it stained the white parts of their fur. It also does not come off my shoes, even after scrubbing. It’s all over everything!!!
I know- sounds nit picky, but I was surprised no one mentioned this so I decided I would to save some other travelers who are tent camping with dogs. If I was in a truck or a van or something, maybe not a problem, but I don’t recommend for tent campers.
Traveler
We went through the cattle guard up about a mile on the dirt road with our 37 ft fifth wheel. It was a little tight but well worth it.
TravelerReally clean and well put together campgrounds. Has tables and fire pits around each site. There’s options between single camper sites to larger group sites. I stayed initially at a group site but realized some of the larger pull offs had people driving in during the day so I switched to a single campsite for more privacy. The only downside I have is that the sites are pretty close to the main road, but otherwise they are good.
TravelerGot lucky, rolled in about 5pm and got the last of about 10 shady, free campsites. It's a lovely tree-lined stream, what a relief from the day of Nevada desert. Don't believe the Dyrt directions (Sept 2021) as they lead you to a suburban cul-de-sac. Just Google Water Canyon and go there.
ScoutStayed one night. We went over the cattlr guard just a little way. Road is very dusty. Getting over cattleguard was the hardest due to ruts. Found a spot and parked. When we got out the plants had sharp little thorns so our two dogs could not walk anywhere but the dusty road.
Very quiet night. And the moon and stars were beautiful.
Ranger
3 pull out spots along the creek. Road is good enough for an RV. Barely an cell reception. Tons of mormon crickets. Some trash in the pull outs.
TravelerHeading south to Vegas from Bend OR and stopped in Winnemuka NV. This is. BLM managed spot. Free with fire pits tables and bathrooms. Most spots not level- but free! Good places for quick hike and saw several deer
TravelerI loved how far apart the campgrounds were. You can’t see or hear other campers, which makes you feel really isolated and gives you the full outdoor experience. There was a native plant garden, and we saw many hummingbirds and butterflies. Very peaceful spot.
GuideWe pulled off I 80 at around 7:30 on a Friday night, we found the last open site out of 13 official sites. They are first come first serve. A few other people pulled up later and just slept in their cars down the road.
We had a few dogs with no issues. The tent spot was a little sloped but not too bad.
The sites have picnic tables and a firepit and grill area.
Next time we will get there earlier to have more options for available sites.
GuideThis was a handy stop over on the 80, easy access to campsites along a small stream. It’s just outside Winnemucca, which boasts a full range of services and stores such as Walmart. Will keep this location saved for future use when traveling through the area
GuideOn a recent trip to Reno, (June 2021) we stayed here once on the way down and once on the way back. While there were a few RVs each time we used the location, mainly big trucks shared the large space.
I gave it 4-stars because only because one night the idling trucks and off again on again refer units made for a restless night. The second time it was quieter, but still several idling trucks all night. Nearest town is McDermitt, with fuel and a small casino on the Oregon border about 20 minutes away from the rest area, going North towards or South from. The rest area is about a half hour or so North of Winnemucca, Nevada.
There are pit-toilets and a dumpster on the site, and two small picnic tablets under a shelter with a historical marker between the tables. As this is immediately off the highway, there were vehicles driving by or stopping all night long, but those vehicles were generally not a bother.
As we were a self-contained 5th wheel, we didn't use either the bathrooms or the tables other than walking are the grounds to see what was there. The rest area is all black-top right off the highway (Highway 95, the Veteran's Memorial Highway, North or South). It had a really nice view of the area from the location. Along the east edge of the large paved parking area, it is lined with K-Rails. And fenced off to the land beyond the parking area except for access at the North East end of the parking area to take public lands towards the mountains.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular dispersed campsite near Winnemucca, NV?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular dispersed campground near Winnemucca, NV is Water Canyon Recreation Area with a 4.5-star rating from 36 reviews.
What is the best site to find dispersed camping near Winnemucca, NV?
TheDyrt.com has all 7 dispersed camping locations near Winnemucca, NV, with real photos and reviews from campers.
