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Dispersed Camping

Water Canyon Recreation Area

Water Canyon Recreation Area, near Winnemucca, Nevada, is a laid-back spot that offers a unique camping experience right by the water. With sites that are well-separated along a dirt road, you can enjoy a bit of privacy while soaking in the natural beauty around you.

This area is perfect for those who appreciate a rustic vibe, featuring picnic tables, fire pits, and vault toilets. Visitors have noted the fun of watching local wildlife, including deer and even cows across the street, adding a bit of charm to your stay. One camper shared, “We loved our overnight here... Peace and quiet plus the river sound!”

For those who enjoy a bit of recreation, there’s a legit 9-hole disc golf course that some campers found to be a fun challenge, though you might want to keep an eye on your discs in the rough. The scenery is stunning, especially during sunset, making it a great backdrop for evening campfires.

While the amenities are basic, the atmosphere is friendly and welcoming. Many campers have remarked on the cleanliness of the area, and the fact that it’s free makes it even more appealing. If you’re looking for a peaceful retreat with a touch of adventure, Water Canyon is worth checking out.

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Location

Water Canyon Recreation Area is located in Nevada

Detail location of campground

Directions

Water Canyon Recreation Area is 4.5 miles southeast of Winnemucca on Water Canyon Road.

Coordinates

40.93130348988581 N
117.67700700792639 W

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The Dyrt Alerts

Get reservations at sold-out campgrounds.

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Access

  • Drive-In
    Park next to your site
  • Walk-In
    Park in a lot, walk to your site.

Stay Connected

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

Site Types

  • Dispersed

Features

For Campers

  • ADA Access
  • Trash
  • Picnic Table
  • Phone Service
  • Toilets
  • Alcohol
  • Pets
  • Fires

For Vehicles

  • Big Rig Friendly

DISPERSED CAMPING

Enjoy dispersed camping on government land and leave no trace. Pack in and pack out. No (or limited) services at this camping area. Permit may be required.


PERMIT might be REQUIRED

We curate permit requirements across the US for our PRO members. Try PRO to see if Water Canyon Recreation Area needs a permit.


Reviews

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out of 5

36 Reviews

Reviewed Sep. 27, 2024

Breathtaking

My original review was because I lost my earbuds. But since I found them 🤦‍♀️.. I am just going to say I loved this site!

SiteEnd/last on the right
Month of VisitSeptember
  • Review photo of Water Canyon Recreation Area by Amber S., September 27, 2024
Reviewed Aug. 26, 2024

Nice BLM spot

Up 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

Month of VisitAugust
  • Review photo of Water Canyon Recreation Area by Kirsten G., August 26, 2024
  • Review photo of Water Canyon Recreation Area by Kirsten G., August 26, 2024
  • Review photo of Water Canyon Recreation Area by Kirsten G., August 26, 2024
  • (7) View All
Reviewed Aug. 22, 2024

Love this spot!

Free 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.

Month of VisitAugust
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Reviewed Aug. 7, 2024

Great Spot By the Water

It 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.

Month of VisitJuly
  • Review photo of Water Canyon Recreation Area by Amber , August 7, 2024
  • Review photo of Water Canyon Recreation Area by Amber , August 7, 2024
Reviewed Jul. 3, 2024

Disk golf review

This 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

Site5
Month of VisitJuly
  • Review photo of Water Canyon Recreation Area by mark F., July 3, 2024
  • Review photo of Water Canyon Recreation Area by mark F., July 3, 2024
  • Mormon cricket week
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  • (4) View All
Reviewed Jul. 2, 2024

Great Free Site In the trees along a stream

10 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.

Site5
Month of VisitJuly
  • Review photo of Water Canyon Recreation Area by mark F., July 2, 2024
Reviewed Jun. 19, 2024

BLM perfection!

We 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.

Site7
Month of VisitJune
  • Review photo of Water Canyon Recreation Area by Maria K., June 19, 2024
  • (10) View All
Reviewed Apr. 19, 2024

Exceeded expectations

Nice 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.

Site1
Month of VisitApril
  • Review photo of Water Canyon Recreation Area by Charlie C., April 19, 2024
  • Review photo of Water Canyon Recreation Area by Charlie C., April 19, 2024
  • Review photo of Water Canyon Recreation Area by Charlie C., April 19, 2024
  • (6) View All
Reviewed Oct. 6, 2023

Beautiful place

We 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.

Site8
Month of VisitOctober
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  • So pretty and peaceful
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Reviewed Aug. 6, 2023

Above & Beyond!

What 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!

Site3
Month of VisitAugust
  • Review photo of Water Canyon Recreation Area by Shanna C., August 6, 2023
  • Review photo of Water Canyon Recreation Area by Shanna C., August 6, 2023
Reviewed Sep. 26, 2022

More Like A County Park

This 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.

Site9
Month of VisitSeptember
Reviewed Jul. 10, 2022

What a great spot

We 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

Month of VisitJune
  • Review photo of Water Canyon Recreation Area by Carla H., July 10, 2022
  • Review photo of Water Canyon Recreation Area by Carla H., July 10, 2022
  • Review photo of Water Canyon Recreation Area by Carla H., July 10, 2022
Reviewed Jun. 19, 2022

Great spot

This 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.

Site2
Month of VisitJune
Reviewed Jun. 3, 2022

Perfect spot

Not 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.

Site3
Month of VisitJune
Reviewed May. 7, 2022

Good camping location, minus the sticky stuff!

This 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.

Month of VisitMay
Reviewed Nov. 8, 2021

Solid blm campground

Really 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.

Month of VisitOctober
  • Review photo of Water Canyon Recreation Area by Kelvin T., November 8, 2021
  • Review photo of Water Canyon Recreation Area by Kelvin T., November 8, 2021
  • Review photo of Water Canyon Recreation Area by Kelvin T., November 8, 2021
Reviewed Oct. 4, 2021

Perfect break from desert, and it's free

Got 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.

Month of VisitSeptember
  • Review photo of Water Canyon Recreation Area by Ralph D., October 4, 2021
  • Review photo of Water Canyon Recreation Area by Ralph D., October 4, 2021
Reviewed Sep. 15, 2021

Great Free spot off hwy 80

Heading 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

Siteend of road
Month of VisitSeptember
  • Review photo of Water Canyon Recreation Area by sue D., September 15, 2021
  • Review photo of Water Canyon Recreation Area by sue D., September 15, 2021
  • Review photo of Water Canyon Recreation Area by sue D., September 15, 2021
  • (4) View All
Reviewed Sep. 6, 2021

Isolated campground in beautiful spot

I 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.

Month of VisitSeptember
Reviewed Aug. 29, 2021

Great Free camp spot

We 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.

Site3
Month of VisitAugust
  • Review photo of Water Canyon Recreation Area by Jake S., August 29, 2021
  • Review photo of Water Canyon Recreation Area by Jake S., August 29, 2021
  • Review photo of Water Canyon Recreation Area by Jake S., August 29, 2021
  • (5) View All
Reviewed Aug. 18, 2021

No frills overnighter

This 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

Site5
Month of VisitAugust
  • Review photo of Water Canyon Recreation Area by Van S., August 18, 2021
  • Review photo of Water Canyon Recreation Area by Van S., August 18, 2021
  • Review photo of Water Canyon Recreation Area by Van S., August 18, 2021
Reviewed Jun. 29, 2021

Nice Stop-Over

We stopped here on our way through NV. We had a travel trailer and didn’t go all the way into what I think is a prettier part is the area. Most sites seem to have turnaround or drive through access but we didn’t look at all of them. site 3, is where we stayed. Nice picnic tables but it was too sunny to sit there past noon. It was next to the pit toilet so the smell did waft over. Pretty sunset but BOY was it hot and sunny. The other sites seemed to have a cooler climate and were closer to the creek, but didn’t have a view. I would stop Over again but be more adventurous and seek out a better cooler spot, closer to the creek. Site 5 looks really cool.

SiteSite 3
Month of VisitJune
  • Review photo of Water Canyon Recreation Area by Alma L., June 29, 2021
Reviewed Jun. 7, 2021

Quick overnighter for long drive along 80

Stopped here with my dog for one quick night in early May because my travel plans changed suddenly. Didn't make a fire. Beautiful sunset. For a free spot that's super close to I-80, it was great! The creek gave some nice white noise and there weren't too many bugs--except for the half dozen crickets/grasshoppers I woke up to on my tent!

Month of VisitMay
  • Review photo of Water Canyon Recreation Area by Caroline L., June 7, 2021
  • Review photo of Water Canyon Recreation Area by Caroline L., June 7, 2021
  • (4) View All
Reviewed Jun. 3, 2021

Sprawling campground up the Canyon

Sites are off the dusty gravel road, relatively far apart. Some are huge and could accommodate 4 cars and a large camper others are just a small parking along the road. The 2 left when I arrived were very uneven. But the sound of the creek under my window is so relaxing. On this 97 degree day, it was also 10 degrees cooler.

Site?
Month of VisitJune
  • Review photo of Water Canyon Recreation Area by Chantal  S., June 3, 2021
Reviewed Apr. 22, 2021

Good spot if you’re passing through Winnemuca

We were headed south in Winnemucca was a good overnight spot. Water canyon is well described in the other reviews, it is maybe 15 minutes off route 95/80.

There are two bathrooms and the campground is a long single road. Spots three and eight are proximal to the bathrooms. We were in spot five and it was a 10 minute walk to either bathroom. Not a problem but if being close to the bathroom is important, this is good info.

Site5
Month of VisitApril
  • Review photo of Water Canyon Recreation Area by Jim M., April 22, 2021
Reviewed Feb. 14, 2021

Winter Camp

We enjoyed our one night stay. Just a short drive from town and up a dirt road it was easy to find. We had some cell service with Verizon. We camped in third pull out where the vault toilet is. There are a few trailheads further up the road which leads to some traffic on the road during the day. It looked like a few people have gotten stuck after recent snow but we had no troubles in my Subaru.

3 day limit, no water, pets allowed, dumpster, picnic tables, fire rings.

  • Review photo of Water Canyon Recreation Area by Amanda M., February 14, 2021
  • Review photo of Water Canyon Recreation Area by Amanda M., February 14, 2021
  • Review photo of Water Canyon Recreation Area by Amanda M., February 14, 2021
  • (8) View All
Reviewed Feb. 13, 2021

Middle of the night perfection

I was the only person there. Quiet. Secluded. You pass through a very nice upscale residential neighborhood to get here. Didn’t seem sketchy. No issues. Nice covered picnic area and fire pit. Good roads. No issues with an adventure van.

Reviewed Oct. 24, 2020

Can’t beat free

This was a great pit stop on our trip from California to Idaho. It is free and first come, first served so get there early enough to snag a spot. Some spots are big enough for a few cars or vans to park, some big enough for RVs, most had spaces for a tent and every designated spot had a table. If you do get there and it’s full, there is space to get creative and find a neat spot off the main road. We stopped there for just one night and had a nice hike in the AM before leaving. It seems there is a lot you can do there! One dude looked like he was having a blast on his ATV. I think a dirt bike or a mountain bike would be lots of fun there too. Hiking was beautiful as you get a mixture of desert, cool rock formations, streams and beautiful aspen trees. We were there late October on a Tuesday and found the last designated spot around 6pm. Thankfully we didn’t need to pitch a tent because our spot was really slanted and small but it had a table, bbq pit and was next to a beautiful stream. We just parked our van and were happy campers. The limit on the sites are 3 days and your not too far from a grocery store. There are several bathrooms along the path, and a few dumpsters. I didn’t see showers and I found the bathroom to be disgusting but, hey, it’s camping. Drive slow as you pass campsites because it kicks up a ton of dust and pack out all your trash. I can’t say if the sites have spigots, our space didn’t. We were next to the stream so we gathered water, boiled it, and used that to wash dishes. We discarded all food scraps in trash bags and put in dumpster before leaving. I would not recommend washing dishes in the stream as it will affect the habitat. Lastly, star gazing is unbeatable out here. It’s worth checking out if you need a pit stop on your travels.

  • Review photo of Water Canyon Recreation Area by Najet , October 24, 2020
  • Review photo of Water Canyon Recreation Area by Najet , October 24, 2020
  • Review photo of Water Canyon Recreation Area by Najet , October 24, 2020
  • (6) View All
Reviewed Oct. 5, 2020

Sketchy

Campsites are right on the main gravel road.  Maybe its COVID or maybe its just because its a free campsite, but there were cars going up and down the gravel road until very late and again early in the morning.  There were also several campers who appeared to be living out of their cars, no campers, no tents just lots of junk in junky cars.  Several guys felt that urinating beside the pit toilet was preferable, despite the toilet being clean and well stocked.

I did see antelope on the hillside and also had a late night visit by a skunk.

Month of VisitSeptember
  • Review photo of Water Canyon Recreation Area by connie C., October 5, 2020

Frequently Asked Questions

  • What is the max vehicle length at Water Canyon Recreation Area?

    Water Canyon Recreation Area allows vehicles up to 50 feet.

  • Are fires allowed at Water Canyon Recreation Area?

    Yes, according to campers on TheDyrt.com, fires are allowed at Water Canyon Recreation Area, although make sure to check current fire restrictions in the area.

  • Is there cell phone reception at Water Canyon Recreation Area?

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