Best Dispersed Camping in Nevada

8 mile road is open to free dispersed camping for 7 days. There is a couple dumpsters about a 1/4 mile in but that is all for 2.1 miles of terrible washboard road down to the receding water line. No water, toilets, trash cans at beach areas. The limited beach areas tend to be hogged by folks trying to keep other campers at a distance. I found floating trash all along the shore, styerfoam, plastic bottles, ect. Ugh

Govt Wash is my favorite place to stay in the wintertime. Temperature is manageable without auxiliary heat in my van.. 70s in the day, not below 40 at night through January. Love the views of the lake. Feels so far out but only 30 mins to Vegas. Henderson for groceries and gas is very close. Lots of coyotes, even during the day. Be mindful of that if you have a dog along with you. Free dispersed camping here (with NPs Pass) with bathrooms and dumpsters at entrance. Washboard road isn’t too bad, and you get get pretty close to the lake even without 4x4. I loveeee being here. Sunsets and sunrises are awesome.

The pin is the starting point of blm land in that area. There is at least one drivable pathway deeper into blm land. I think more. I'll find out tomorrow. I was driving around trying to find access to blm land and found it. I used a public lands app to verify it is blm. The boundary barley crossed over 447. A perfect access point to blm land. My cell service was bad. I use boost mobile, but I've heard Verizon isn't very good in the area as well. If it works for you it's convenient.

As a budget travel blogger, you can’t beat a good find of a site. I tend to stray away from boondock camping because it isn’t really designed for the every day tent camper that I am looking to inspire to go on the road and try something new. Though I like primitive sites and will often do some back country camping, I also take into account that my followers don’t always. But this site was a bit different and made it worth checking out for my blog.

Free Camping usually doesn’t come with a functioning bathroom, but this one does along with lake access. So what is the kicker?? There has to be one right?

The first catch is free is only truly free if you have a National Park Pass, otherwise there is a day use fee which is charged as you enter the Lake Mead area. I have mine, so that means it was in fact free!! One of the only times this pass actually guarantees you any kind of camping related benefits.

The other, the road to the campsite is a little sketchy at times. When I went it was post a good rain which had settled a lot of the dust and while I was afraid it would have ruts from people driving out, it wasn’t bad, just a little washboard feeling. In a small car that carries very little weight I usually find these roads to shake and rattle me all over, however it was minimal so I made it down to the camping area.

This area is available to both tent and RV campers and is pretty open for those wanting to stay. When I was there I noticed there was no shortage of space available to me and I could select pretty much anywhere I want to be so I determined I would set up for my short daycation away from a couple of RVs which seemed to be traveling together.

I noticed that there were no other campers in tents but later after settling in and meeting my neighbors they told me there had been and those people had been a bit more noisy. I was happy to know that the RV group there wasn’t in that same mind set so it was going to be an enjoyable quiet time.

The outdoor space here is really nice. The beach is a mixed beach of harder sands and shells from when the lake used to be much higher and had a lot more life in the area. There are hiking areas all over Lake Mead so this is a great place to set your basecamp and move forward with adventures.

TIPS:

• Bring a car if you are in an RV so you can disconnect and move around the entire Lake Mead area more easily. You can also look into a smaller motor bike, however these are not permitted in all areas.
• Bring batteries since there is no power you will want to make sure you have lots of batteries for your lanterns and flashlights, this is a true dark space at night.
• Get Your America The Beautiful Pass!! This is a park pass which allows you access to all national parks and recreation areas for one calendar year. They do have senior and military passes available as well but the standard pass is $80 a year. If you travel to even a couple parks you have more than paid for it in savings as it doesn't just allow you personally access but up to 4 people in your car!

Don't camp here, had a gun pulled on me by a guy who "owns" BLM land.

This spot is about 4 miles from the more frequented and popular dispersed camping spot. This spot has at least 4 to 5 fire ring spots but a lot of garbage. Not a good place if you are looking to level a 20’ plus camper. We ended driving west about another 4 miles to the more “formal” dispersed camping on BLM.

This is BLM land. There are mountain biking trails nearby too. Rock fire ring and plenty of space for big rigs. Not too many bugs. Some road noise from I-80 but not too loud.

We stopped here last night and came in after sunset. Tons of room when we came in. Great Verizon coverage-4 bars and plenty of speed. BLM land . Close to town for supplies as well.

We couldn't get a spot inside Valley of Fire State Park so we decided to boondock on the BLM land outside the park. We knew there were plenty of spots but a lot were out in the open where everyone can see you. We wanted a bit of privacy and wanted to feel like we were out in nature not just parked in an empty desert. We decided to go searching for a better option and went down a dirt road, crossing our fingers. Lo and behold we found what we feel is a primo campsite! It's just outside the park of a dirt road. The coordinates are 36.413656-114.616805 and there's actually 2-3 spots back there. The first one is the easiest for bigger rigs or regular cars. The other two are up steep, sandy hills that are more suitable for a Jeep or ATV. There are rock fire pits(but be careful about fire restrictions) to designate the camping areas. It's private with hills all around. You can faintly hear the road and if you need better cell reception hike up one of the hills. It's a fantastic private spot that felt remote and special. The ONLY negative we encountered was trash. We did a sweep and picked up a lot of broken glass bottles, some aluminum cans, a bunch of bullet casings, and other trash. And nearby there's an old washer or dryer that someone dumped and used for target practice. We didn't clean that up because obviously, that's just too big. Anyway, the spot is so close to Valley of Fire you can just head on into the park for hiking and day use or head back out to the freeway for more supplies. For us, this spot was absolutely perfect and we had zero troubles, but I can imagine if it rains or shortly after it's been raining that this particular spot might be terrible. DO NOT CAMP HERE IF RAIN IS IN THE FORECAST.

Perfect dispersed camping spot outside Valley of Fire State Park and close to Lake Mead. Either up the road is Poverty Flats, but we found this to be waaaay less crowded and equally awesome. We camped next to a little canyon which was fun to explore with the kiddo when we were just hanging around the campsite.

Since COVID has closed all state and national parks to camping, we were happy to find this BLM land for an overnight. There are no services and the ground is a little bumpy/sandy but we were able to get around just fine in our camper van. There was a makeshift fire ring at our site, but it was so windy and dry brush everywhere that we didn't want to attempt to use it.

We for service on both Verizon and Sprint! Had some coyotes track around our van over night so make sure you keep everything inside!

One of many dispersed camping spots on Lake Mead. Stewart’s Point is midway on the west coast of the Overton arm of the lake, easily accessible from 167/Northshore Dr by turning onto Stewarts’s Point Rd. This is a dirt road that leads to the lake and many offshoots for plentiful dispersed spots right on or near the water.

GPS: (36.3740104, -114.3978818)

Upper sites are more level and packed, the roads and sites get sketchy and soft further down you go to the water.

There is a pit toilet here but no other amenities. There is free water, trash and dump station further south at one of several NRA campsites.

Good cell service, beautiful lake and scenery, amazing night sky and lots of donkeys braying day and night.

This is a perfect dispersed camping spot! Dirt road in was about 4 miles long from the highway but pretty well graded and easy to drive, big rig friendly. 

Plenty of camping spots along the water with some shade trees. Dumpster onsite and a few vault toilets for the tent campers. Very safe crowd.

One of the best things about Nevada and Arizona are the numerous areas which offer dispersed camping. There are a lot of BLM lands in the area as well as Recreational areas so it is really quite easy to find a place if you are willing to look. Since I have several full-time friends who spend the maximum of 2 weeks at each site before moving on, someone suggested I check this space out when I was on a trip to Nelson, NV.

It was along the same stretch of highway and not very far away at all. While it was vast and open, there wasn't a whole lot to really say about it other than just that, it is what you make it when you visit.

So what is the benefit of staying at one of these remote locations you might ask? It is about 45 minutes from Vegas, so that isn't terrible if you want to go into the city itself and explore, but part of what makes these spaces a bit more exciting is that they are removed from everything.

I took a moment when I was there to check the basics like what is there to do closely that does not involved the city itself. I could quickly see why my friends recommended this location because it was not far from Lake Mead Recreational Area in an area which was a non-pay station entrance, it was relatively close to Searchlight and not terribly far from Boulder City so if you did need supplies you could easily get out to get them without issue and I think the most intriguing was the proximity not just to Nelson Ghost Town, which is free, but also the many abandoned and never sealed mines.

Lots of activities in the area to keep you busy. Sure it doesn't have amenities but it was a perfect canvas for making the world around you all yours. The friend which recommended it also happens to meet up with other full timers at locations like this so they have a sense of community so I could see how something like this would be a perfect space for that kind of traveling community to set up and enjoy.

TIPS:

• Be able to sustain fully off grid living. There is plenty of sunshine to keep your solar panels full.

• Check out the surroundings and bring a motor bike if you have one to explore so you will not have more options for driving around some of the more remote areas.

• Be careful of mines, though they are fun to explore, some of these are not as stable, I would check out the one just past Nelson which is more heavily trafficked and also stable.

Someone had told me we could do a little dispersed camping at Sloan Canyon, just outside of Vegas. In addition to many hiking trails this place has a pretty extensive area you can hike around to find some great views and camping.

We started out by stopping in the visitor center, which is little more than a mobile station at the beginning of the Petroglyph Trailhead with portable toilets. There wasn't a lot of information online about staying here only that it was in fact BLM land and it was accessible for those who are wanting to stay. To hike in we figured we needed a permit, but when we got there we just kind of got a puzzled look.

Finally a ranger helped us and told us that people do in fact hike in to camp dispersed but there was no permit. We hiked down the trail with our gear and about 2 miles in found a great spot just beyond the petroglyph gallery. It had a view of the mountainside and a great view of the sunset.

We settled in and enjoyed a quiet evening amidst the tall walls of the lower canyon. We had views of the larger mountain ahead but opted to not stay up higher because the winds get pretty strong I this area.

I will say that we were told you cannot set up in the petroglyph area because it is preserved, but it did make me realize that a lot of people probably don't follow this by the fact that there were numerous smaller trails leading through this area where people clearly are not remaining on the main trail. I think the most important thing about camping in a place like this is respecting the leave no trace rules. I you are visiting a place with such history and want to allow others to continue doing the same then you should respect the area you are in.

While this was a clean area for the most part you could see where some people hadn't respected the land the same way.

TIPS:

• Stop at the visitor center before closing hours to get a map and find out about the area. There are two routes to the area we were in and depending on your level of desired difficulty this hike can be easy or have some light scrambling.
• Remember this is a dark space so you will want to have your own light with you because there are several animals which roam at night and you will want to be able to see.

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

This BLM site is 1 of 3 along the west side of Walker Lake. This is the northernmost BLM campground along Highway 95. Follow the signage along the highway. Access to the site is along a slow and easy gravel road that is wide enough for two rigs to safely and comfortably pass each other. As you come down the road into the campground you'll notice you have an option to turn right (south) or left (north). Both roads lead to a vault toilet building with access to drive right on down to the beach. We opted for a site near the northern vault toilet. The views are spectacular as you are surrounded by mountains on all sides with Walker Lake in the middle of it all! This is dispersed camping at it's finest! While you'll have to deal with a little bit of highway noise it's not terrible since it's Highway 95 and not heavily travelled by anything other than semi trucks. The town of Schurz is a mere 12 miles north of the site and has several amenities along with fuel. The towns of Walker Lake and Hawthorne are 10 and 20 miles to the south, respectively. Hawthorne is a more populated area with grocery, gas and other shopping amenities. Highly recommend to any other lovers of boondocking. We stayed during the second week of November and the weather was clear, light wind with highs in the upper 60s to low 70s with the lowest nighttime temp of around 38. We'll be back here again for sure!

Great dispersed camp site minus the cow pies that we're all over. Free range cattle may show up randomly.

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.

Our first time camping on this free land.  We call it free as we have a National Park pass and didn't have to pay to enter the park.  So many spots to camp and set up your rig that no one was on top of you.  Views of the water were amazing and the sunsets to behold!  There are trash dumpsters at the entrance to the dispersed camping area and we saw BLM folks out patrolling.  Many off road paths around to take your jeep or side by side.  It does get hot here in the summer so would recommend coming in during the winter or spring