Big Dune Recreational Area
Wander towering sand dunes in Nevada's western Desert between Las Vegas and Death Valley National Park in Big Dune Recreational Area.
Category Bureau of Land Management
Read MoreBig Dune Recreational Area
Rhyolite Ghost Town
Looking out the window while driving Nevada Highway 374, the land seems desolate. Sparse, dry shrubs dot the flat desert landscape, ringed it by mountains. Yet, drive two miles northwest on Rhyolite Road and there are the remains of a once-thriving boom town. There may not be much left standing in Rhyolite Ghost Town, but what remains bears witness to what was a rich and active town during the launch of the twentieth century.
Lovell Canyon Road
Camp on primitive boondocking sites off Lovell Canyon Road in La Madre Mountain Wilderness near Red Rock State Park and Las Vegas, Nevada.
Pleasant Valley Pit Campground
Take in jaw-dropping vistas of the Sierra Nevada mountains from Pleasant Valley Pit's primitive campground just north of Bishop, California.
Zapata Falls Campground
Most cars tackle the rough and rocky route to Zapata Falls for Zapata Falls, a relatively short but technically complicated hike/wade to an enclosed waterfall. In fact, there is even a parking lot at the base of the road, allowing hikers with low clearance cars to park and hike to the trailhead. But, for those with high clearance rigs and tolerance for profoundly bumpy roads, there is also a campground with breathtaking views.
Aguirre Spring Campground
We don't have high expectations when we compromise on a campground. We are headed to White Sands National Monument, but there are no drive-in camp sites in the monument itself. So, we need a campground not too far outside of the monument to spend the night and are willing to sacrifice scenery for proximity. So, we expect the regular cramped campgrounds. We are not prepared for the remarkable views from Aguirre Spring Campground.
Imperial Sand Dunes Recreation Area
I had thought we would spend the night in Imperial Sand Dunes Recreational Area. What I hadn't anticipated was the park's extreme winds and camping permit prices.