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Established Camping

Sportsman's Beach

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Sportsman's Beach, near Hawthorne, Nevada, is a straightforward camping spot that offers a peaceful escape right by the stunning Walker Lake. With a mix of tent sites, RV spots, and even yurts, it’s a solid choice for anyone looking to kick back and enjoy the great outdoors without the fuss.

The campground is known for its beautiful views and spacious areas, perfect for setting up camp. Visitors have mentioned that the fire pits and picnic tables right on the lake's edge make for a cozy atmosphere, especially during sunset. One camper noted, “Fire pits, tables, pit toilets right on the lake edge,” highlighting the convenience of the setup.

While the amenities are basic—think vault toilets and no running water—campers appreciate the tranquility and the chance to connect with nature. Many have enjoyed the quiet nights, with only the sounds of nature to keep them company. As one reviewer put it, “Very quiet all night, can only faintly hear highway traffic.”

For those who enjoy a bit of wildlife, keep an eye out for the big horn sheep that roam nearby. Plus, the campground is a great stop if you’re traveling between Reno and Las Vegas, making it a convenient pit stop for road trippers. Whether you’re here for a quick overnight stay or a longer retreat, Sportsman's Beach offers a no-frills camping experience that lets you soak in the beauty of Nevada’s landscape.

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Location

Sportsman's Beach is located in Nevada

Detail location of campground

Coordinates

38.69113508 N
118.76977882 W

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Access

  • Drive-In
    Park next to your site
  • Walk-In
    Park in a lot, walk to your site.
  • Boat-In
    Sites accessible by watercraft.

Stay Connected

  • WiFi
    Unknown
  • Verizon
    Good
  • AT&T
    Good
  • T-Mobile
    Good

Site Types

  • Tent Sites
  • RV Sites
  • Standard (Tent/RV)
  • Group
  • Tent Cabin
  • Yurts
  • Equestrian

Features

For Campers

  • ADA Access
  • Trash
  • Picnic Table
  • Electric Hookups
  • Toilets
  • Alcohol
  • Pets
  • Fires

For Vehicles

  • Pull-Through Sites
  • Big Rig Friendly

FREE established camping

Enjoy camping on government land. Limited or no services at this camping area.


PERMIT might be REQUIRED

We curate permit requirements across the US for our PRO members. Try PRO to see if Sportsman's Beach needs a permit.

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General Info


Reviews

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4.5

out of 5

21 Reviews

Reviewed Nov. 3, 2024

Great place!

Sportsman’s Beach was a great stopover for us. It’s enough off the main road that you hear very little road traffic. There are no amenities, but there are covered picnic tables and a public toilet

Sitethere are no numbered sites, just first come, first served
Month of VisitNovember
  • Review photo of Sportsman's Beach by Debbie H., November 3, 2024
  • Review photo of Sportsman's Beach by Debbie H., November 3, 2024
  • Review photo of Sportsman's Beach by Debbie H., November 3, 2024
Reviewed Sep. 24, 2024

Relaxing place to stay

We stayed for one night on our way to El Paso with the grandkids. They loved tossing wood sticks in the lake. 

Restrooms were locked up, which was unfortunate. It was cool and breezy so we stayed on the lower end of the loop away from the highway noise and closer to the lake. 

Super low cost using the Passport. No power but a table and fire ring were enjoyable to use..

Month of VisitApril
  • Review photo of Sportsman's Beach by Patricia N., September 24, 2024
  • Review photo of Sportsman's Beach by Patricia N., September 24, 2024
  • Review photo of Sportsman's Beach by Patricia N., September 24, 2024
Reviewed Sep. 10, 2024

Sportsman's beach 2nd time

This is my 2nd time staying here. Stayed last summer as well. Great place to camp even if it's just for the night. Very quiet other than some highway noise but wasn't distracting. There are larger spots up top as you come in, more spots down at next road and a few down by water and boat ramp. Self pay station is on 2nd level down by the vault restrooms.

Site17
Month of VisitSeptember
  • Review photo of Sportsman's Beach by Jason , September 10, 2024
  • Review photo of Sportsman's Beach by Jason , September 10, 2024
  • Review photo of Sportsman's Beach by Jason , September 10, 2024
  • (14) View All
Reviewed Aug. 27, 2023

Sportsman's Beach camping

Very quiet all night, can only faintly hear highway traffic. Beautiful and peaceful with big horn herd roaming nearby. Only one of the restrooms were unlocked. They are vault restrooms so no water or power on site.

Site18
Month of VisitAugust
  • Review photo of Sportsman's Beach by Jason , August 27, 2023
  • Review photo of Sportsman's Beach by Jason , August 27, 2023
  • Review photo of Sportsman's Beach by Jason , August 27, 2023
  • (10) View All
Reviewed Jun. 7, 2023

Walker Lake

Fire pits tables pit toilets right on lake edge. 25 or so campgrounds and fee is $6 per night with free areas all around Not crowed some wind and rain but lots of sun. Great views

Sitefree area
Month of VisitJune
Reviewed May. 14, 2023

Tent camping

Hard ground, flat spots. Fine if u stay on ur camping pad. Great stop to stay the night while driving through. Tent camping is definitely hefty here but with a washroom and free, couldn’t ask for more

Site16
Month of VisitMay
  • Review photo of Sportsman's Beach by Oliver H., May 14, 2023
Reviewed Apr. 16, 2023

No frills but Free!

This spot has a beautiful view of Walker Lake and flat places to park. That’s it. Restrooms are technically available, but it was a hard pass for me. I’ve seen more than a few public/camp restrooms and this was the worst.

Site17
Month of VisitApril
  • Review photo of Sportsman's Beach by Melody O., April 16, 2023
  • Review photo of Sportsman's Beach by Melody O., April 16, 2023
  • Review photo of Sportsman's Beach by Melody O., April 16, 2023
  • (7) View All
Reviewed Mar. 10, 2023

Winter Camping

Stayed here on a drive through the area. Only ones here aside from one other camper. Beautiful spot with plenty of spacious spots. Pit toilets- no running water. Water and Mtns were beautiful

Month of VisitMarch
  • Review photo of Sportsman's Beach by Carolyn S., March 10, 2023
Reviewed Oct. 21, 2022

Pleasant desert oasis

Large lake and great stop between Reno and Las Vegas. Close to the road and hardly any noise. 6$ fee, clean toilet

Site26
Month of VisitOctober
  • Review photo of Sportsman's Beach by Christoph R., October 21, 2022
  • Review photo of Sportsman's Beach by Christoph R., October 21, 2022
  • Review photo of Sportsman's Beach by Christoph R., October 21, 2022
  • (4) View All
Reviewed Mar. 2, 2022

Beautiful view

We stayed in the lower level lot. Pit toilets were clean. Listened to coyotes howling just after a beautiful sunset. The weather was perfect with no wind. The reflections off the lake were amazing.

Site24
Month of VisitMarch
  • Review photo of Sportsman's Beach by Debra P., March 2, 2022
  • Review photo of Sportsman's Beach by Debra P., March 2, 2022
  • Review photo of Sportsman's Beach by Debra P., March 2, 2022
  • (4) View All
Reviewed Sep. 30, 2021

Good RV roadstop

This site is a little higher from the lake. There is a day picnic area with tables and shade structures. Further down the trail are dirt pullout areas that can better accommodate rv pull behinds. Verizon was about 2 bars when there but I opted to take next camp spot up the road two miles or so, to get better lake access.

Siteopen
Month of VisitSeptember
  • Review photo of Sportsman's Beach by Randell C., September 30, 2021
Reviewed Jun. 11, 2021

Simplicity Right Off the Highway

My daughter and I stopped here on our way from Las Vegas to Reno. The campground is easy to locate, directly off the Highway. The vault toilets were out of service due to broken locks at the hill top location, they maybe functional down below. There were very few people there, so we had the pick if locations. Be prepared that the sites are on a slope and very rough condition, so you need levelers. However, the view of stars at night were amazing. We had a gorgeous view of the Milky Way around 3am, only rivaled by the view in Great Basin NP. The weather was a good 20 degrees cooler than Las Vegas and then evening breeze made for a comfortable even.

SiteNA
Month of VisitJune
Reviewed Mar. 8, 2021

Beautiful area.

The price is right, only 3.00 for this senior pass holder. And what a view! You don’t even hear the highway above. Paved spots and covered picnic tables. No electric or water, but what a sweet place to stay! I will be back.

  • Review photo of Sportsman's Beach by Shawn A., March 8, 2021
  • Review photo of Sportsman's Beach by Shawn A., March 8, 2021
  • Review photo of Sportsman's Beach by Shawn A., March 8, 2021
  • (7) View All
Reviewed Feb. 1, 2021

Nice place to stop for the night

Great views. Nice spots. Quite a few camping areas. Might be a bit different on a busy summer day but in winter it was nice. Close to the hwy so very convenient. Felt very safe.

  • Review photo of Sportsman's Beach by Jennifer  C., February 1, 2021
  • Review photo of Sportsman's Beach by Jennifer  C., February 1, 2021
Reviewed Oct. 6, 2020

Worked for the night

Only stayed one night. It had several spots to pick from (at least 20-25) and multiple pit toilets spread throughout. Some of them were closed due to covid. Very quiet and peaceful. The area had a funky smell and SO many flies, maybe due to the heavy amount of algae on the lake but overall, a good stay.

  • Review photo of Sportsman's Beach by Abby M., October 6, 2020
  • Review photo of Sportsman's Beach by Abby M., October 6, 2020
Reviewed Sep. 17, 2020

Spacious with little road noise and beautiful views

Lots of spaces here with picnic tables and hard top awnings to give you some shade. Stopped here on a Tuesday for an overnight and it was very smoky due to the fires in Cali but there was a nice breeze and we still enjoyed the little bit of Mountain View that you could see from the sites. It was 90 degrees F when we arrived on September 16th around 4:30 pm and around 6 pm the breeze started to pick up so it was very comfortable. There is a fee station but there were no envelopes, no way to pay so I think normally it is 6$ but we couldn’t figure out how to pay. We’d definitely return here when the smoke dissipates. Several pull thru sites. We have a 26 foot tr with a Ford F-150. Gravel road, picnic tables and fire pits available. Some restrooms were closed. Sites are gravel and dirt so you will likely need to level.

  • Review photo of Sportsman's Beach by Katie B., September 17, 2020
  • Review photo of Sportsman's Beach by Katie B., September 17, 2020
  • Review photo of Sportsman's Beach by Katie B., September 17, 2020
  • (5) View All
Reviewed May. 22, 2020

Beautiful View of the Lake

This is our second stay at this campground by the lake. The sites are pretty level and can accommodate a larger rig. Be sure to go all the way to the end to find the RV sites with covered picnic tables and fire rings. The terraced views of the lake are beautiful. You can walk down to the water but know the lake is farther out than it looks. Vault toilets and dumpster on site. Town of Hawthorne is about 10 miles away with all necessities. If this park is full, you can try Tamarack and 20 mile beach but they’re not as nice.

  • Review photo of Sportsman's Beach by Lyf Uninterrupted .., May 22, 2020
  • Review photo of Sportsman's Beach by Lyf Uninterrupted .., May 22, 2020
Reviewed May. 21, 2020

Little more established than Tamarack

Nice covered spots with picnic tables, pit toilets and trash services. Beautiful view of the lake, few spots were occupied when we drove by so it is open and available if you're looking for a place to camp!

Reviewed Jul. 12, 2019

Breathtaking

Despite being adjacent to the highway, it is a quiet campground at night. Love the walk to the beach and seeing those dragonflies. We will definitely come back because Mineral County has so much history.

  • Review photo of Sportsman's Beach by Yzl B., July 12, 2019
  • Review photo of Sportsman's Beach by Yzl B., July 12, 2019
  • Review photo of Sportsman's Beach by Yzl B., July 12, 2019
  • (4) View All
Reviewed May. 10, 2018

Love walker Lake

I live close by and we go occasionally. FYI dogs are welcome at Walker Lake!

Site20 mile beach
Month of VisitApril

Frequently Asked Questions

  • What is the max vehicle length at Sportsman's Beach?

    Sportsman's Beach allows vehicles up to 50 feet.

  • Are fires allowed at Sportsman's Beach?

    Yes, according to campers on TheDyrt.com, fires are allowed at Sportsman's Beach, although make sure to check current fire restrictions in the area.

  • Does Sportsman's Beach have wifi?

    No, according to campers on TheDyrt.com, Sportsman's Beach does not have wifi.

  • Is there cell phone reception at Sportsman's Beach?

    According to campers on TheDyrt.com, Verizon signal is good, AT&T is good, and T-Mobile is good.