Free Camping Collection
Dispersed Camping
Lovell Canyon Dispersed Camping (Spring Mountain)
About
Bureau of Land Management
A large part of the Spring Mountains is remote and undeveloped. Visitors can venture out and set up camp in these remote areas with just a little planning from the guidelines below
The best known areas in the Spring Mountains include Mack's Canyon, Champion Road, and Lovell Canyon but those can get crowded in warm weather. Dispersed camping is NOT allowed in the vicinity of developed recreation areas such as campgrounds, picnic areas, or trailheads. Many people drive or hike out on Forest Service roads into the woods and find a clearing or a spot with a nice view or good shade. Do not drive on meadows to access your camping site. Drive on existing roads to prevent resource damage. Dispersed camping is allowed outside a one-mile perimeter away from campgrounds and 100 feet from any stream or spring. To prevent resource damage please keep your campsite within 150 feet from a roadway.
How to Pick a Campsite If you are going to an area where others have camped before, pick a site that has been used before. Plants, soil and wildlife are impacted by new campsites so using existing ones will minimize your impact in the forest. If there is no existing campsite, then follow these Leave No Trace guidelines.
- Camp on bare soil if possible, to avoid damage or killing plants and grass.
Do NOT camp within 100 feet of any water source, as plants near water are especially fragile.
- Do not camp in the middle of a clearing or meadow; try to make your campsite less visible so that other visitors will see a "wild" setting
- Do not try to level or dig trenches in the ground at your campsite. Pick a tent site that is already level with good drainage.
Going to the Bathroom in the Woods Dispersed camping means no bathrooms and no outhouses. That means extra care has to be taken in disposing of human waste. To dispose of feces, dig a hole six (6) inches deep at least 100 feet away from any water source. When you are done, fill the hole with the dirt you dug up and take your toilet paper with you to dispose of in a proper waste container. A ziplock bag is helpful for this. Never defecate or leave toilet paper on top of the ground since it could easily get into the local water source and contaminate it.
Treating Your Water We used to be able to take a cup and drink directly out of the sparkling creek, a rushing waterfall, or a clear, deep lake. There is NO safe water source anymore. With an increasing population and visitation to the Spring Mountains, water sources have been contaminated with invisible micro-organisms that can make people very ill and even kill them in some cases. Giardia is a common contamination that has been spread through improper toileting and wild animals to many water sources. It will cause diarrhea, cramping, and other physical problems. The only way to ensure that water from any undeveloped source is safe is to treat it. That means heating it until it comes to a rolling boil, using water purification tablets or a water purification filter. Water from faucets in developed recreation areas has been tested and treated and is safe to use without treating.
Reservation Info
- You need to be self-contained. No amenities are provided; such as water, restrooms or trash cans.
- You may camp in a dispersed area for up to 14 days. After 14 days, you must move at least 5 road miles for camping in another dispersed area. Campers may not return to the same campsite within the calendar year.
- Groups of over 75 people who wish to use the forest need to obtain a special use permit.
- Keep a Pack-In Pack-Out camp by containing trash, human and pet waste, and sealing food containers. Following Leave No Trace guidelines will help you easily keep your campsite unspoiled for the next visitor.
Location
Lovell Canyon Dispersed Camping (Spring Mountain) is located in Nevada
Coordinates
36.0605401866826 N
115.56178681164594 W
Access
- Drive-InPark next to your site
- Walk-InPark in a lot, walk to your site.
Stay Connected
- WiFiGood
- VerizonGood
- AT&TGood
- T-MobilePoor
Site Types
- Dispersed
Features
For Campers
- Phone Service
- Alcohol
- Pets
- Fires
Several campsites demarcated by vegetation, very pleasant and lots of possibilities
We arrived before sunset, full of small spots along the road, which allows everyone to have their own space surrounded by vegetation. We have a van, it is easy to leave the main concrete road to enter the pitches, some are bumpier than others. The sites I saw were clean with leftover campfire pits. I recommend this spot, it is specific to Death Valley and located 30 minutes from Red Rock or 1 hour from Las Vegas. For the night of May 2, no problem with the wind, very good weather conditions
- (6) View All
Moto camping
Search for a clean area. Up higher. Seems like lower down people leave a mess.
Awesome and Free!
Great spot for whatever you are camping in. Lots of spots. Got there after dark and found a spot with no problem. Spectacular scenery, especially at the top. A little bumpy, but our Airstream Interstate X had no problem. Plenty of spots for big rigs.
Dispersed Camping
Be prepared to hunt for a good spot when the weather is nice. There are many pull off areas along the main road but they fill up quickly. We ended up in a flat canyon area at the bottom of the road which wasn’t bad and had plenty of room but not a great view since we were in the bottom of the canyon. No cell service.
- (4) View All
Amazing
Easy to find campground and easy to get to. Away from everyone and super quiet while being close to vegas!
Great Location and Privacy
Directions using the app were really good. It was busier than I expected mid-week, both stays. Stayed two separate nights a week apart. As a single lady out on her own, I did feel pretty safe but made sure I had cell service at the sites I choose just in case.
4WD isn’t a must for all sites but to get out on some of the side roads most sedans wouldn’t have the clearance.
AT&T service was spotty but had 2 bars (enough for texting) during my stay.
- (6) View All
Endless Number of Boondock Spots
We stayed at 36.076792,-115.565461 for three nights mid week in mid October. This particular spot is right off the paved road and easily accessible to most vehicles. We had no trouble in our 26ft Class C. We also saw a lot of vans and RVs just staying along small pullouts along the road, which wouldn't be ideal but it works fine.
We walked around along the deeper forest roads and found so many more established sites. Mostly those were only accessible via a jeep or truck but a few could be reached by larger clunkier vehicles as well.
The area was so quiet and peaceful, though there were plenty of other campers about. Everyone stayed a good distance from each other and nobody was obnoxious or loud.
Some trash, but we've seen worse.
No services here, no toilets or trash, so please clean up after yourself.
Good cell signal for Verizon and ATT, though the ATT phone would randomly lose service now and then and would have to be restarted to find the connection again. Just past this spot is when you start to lose signal as you head down into the canyon.
Nights were very quiet, except for the coyotes singing.
No shooting is allowed in this area, and we didn't hear any gunfire when we were there, but there were plenty of old bullet casings all over the ground.
- (9) View All
Great place
Love camping in Lovell Canyon. Great spots and usually something good available. The views are great here.
- (4) View All
Watch out when heading east on Bench Rd
Awesome camp sites. Came in from the west on Bench planning on going to Zion early morning. Headed east toward Zion in the morning and road is rough. Luckily have 4x4 but no way a normal sedan can make it up or down the east side from Apple Valley of Bench.
- (7) View All
Nice camping spot
We got there late on a Friday night, so it was pretty full and we had to drive a bit to find a spot that was open. You could see and hear neighbors. It was great for the night, had a cool breeze. Really close to vegas so if you wanna camp and then go into city, would definitely recommend this spot.
Populated
This area was very populated and it was difficult to find a good spot. We ended up taking an OHV road to find a good location. When we did, it was perfect. Previous fire ring and very spacious.
Definitely recommend getting in early and having a high clearance vehicle to take the back roads.
- (6) View All
Lovell canyon
This is a great place to camp. There are plenty of sites with privacy. I found a site with alot of interesting vegetation and the road into the camping area is well maintained. It's one of the best places I've camped for free.
Killer spot
Man what a site! went on a saturday and was worried i wouldn’t find a spot, lots of places to camp along the road but they were all taken. ended up driving all the way to the end of the dirt road (at crossroads where the main paved road bends to the right) and found a downright beautiful viewpoint to camp at with nobody else around. the road was a bit rough but my subaru outback did just fine. also pretty good cell service for t mobile Great spot and super close to calico basin if ur a climber, check out the kraft boulders they are truly world class.
- (5) View All
Nice Dispersed area outside of Vegas
We spent a few nights in Vegas and ended up staying here on our way out. Easy to get to - no problems finding a spot in our Promaster 2WD van. Plenty of spaces away from others just off the paved road. Great spot to park for a night or 2.
C C Springs Group Camping - Lovell Canyon
First time going and will definitely return. You will need a vehicle that can handle a bumpy road if you want to travel further down to find a nice spot. There was plenty of spots for us to choose, zero neighbors around us camping. I was disappointed with the amount of trash left behind and the broken glass. We took out as much trash as we could but the broken glass was difficult to take all out. Bring a tarp to put under your tent to protect the bottom. There is no bathrooms or water so come prepared and please pack out your toilet paper and bury your waste.
- (12) View All
Quiet and accessible
Great dispersed site that is easy to get to no matter your vehicle type. The road up to the campground is paved. There are a few toilets in the way up but none in the actually campground.
- (4) View All
Easy dispersed camping
Plenty of pull offs and spots. Views were great and a quiet spot! Verizon and Google Fi signal... Enough to hotspot and work from most areas. Will definitely be back! As another review mentioned - the higher you go the better the viewa.
Surprisingly cool
These mountains are a surprisingly cool view.
Great views
Stick to the paved road and then find a turn off. There were quite a few other campers but your easily able to find a spot. I would recommend driving at minimum 10-15 mins in down the paved road before finding a turn off. The higher ground spots have the best views!
Perfect if you need to crash after a night in Vegas
Instead of paying for a hotel we came and camped here. The view at some campsites are pretty wonderful, although nothing breath taking. Lots of off roading traffic coming in and out, met a few really grumpy people, but like I said it’s great if you just need a place to crash.
Great overflow camping for when Red Rock is full.
Camp anywhere along the road. It's dispersed and no facilities. The further from the highway you are, the safer you'll be.
Time of my life
So peaceful and quiet. So birds I haven’t seen in long time , found a path that lead to hidden river , caught 24” trout of some kind . Tasted fine with garlic AND LEMON IN FOIL. CANT MISS THIS PLCE LITTLY WINDY.
Great views
We tried for a spot the first warm day of spring and had to drive for a while to find a spot, ended up in a cool valley with a beautiful sunrise view. It got cold fast though and we weren’t prepared!
- (4) View All
Great for dispersed tent or small rv
Prefect place to get away from Vegas. Many places for camping and easy to pull a trailer. Main road mostly paved. Other roads were dirt but well maintained and manageable. Lots of turn offs to disperse camp from main road. Be cautious, there were a couple of groups of campers off the main road that were target shooting into the woodline. If you come across the Red Rock canyon area. Rocky mt gap is the trail you can take to come across the mt in a high clearance 4wd vehicle. Mainly a jeep or something not to wide/long. My truck couldn't get pass some tight areas, so had to turn around.
- (17) View All
Stunning views, escape from Vegas heat
Wonderful dispersed camping. Good gravel roads and Picturesque views everywhere you turn. About 15 degrees cooler than vegas and good cell coverage
Nice out of town spot.
We had a good time here. Camp spots are fairly spread out and mostly flat. We camp with travel trailer so we stay closer to the road but it's not busy. Trying to take it up the dirt roads was a bit rugged so we came back down. Beautiful scenery. Quiet. Temps cooler than in town. Some off road vehicles, but not a problem for us. Last time we were there someone had left a bunch of trash so that part wasn't cool. We had cell service.
- (30) View All
Quick getaway
This is a great little getaway outside of las vegas and pahrump. After a few miles in, you hit some trees and cooler weather. Stayed for one night, but will definitely be going back. You can ride around on toys and there are several hiking trails. Fire pits only. Some you can park a rig next to, of various sizes, and some require a short walk with a tent.
Road side sites
This place has road side camp sites that are well spread out. Perfect for a night or two. No bathrooms or facilities but that wasn’t a problem
Hidden gem
Pros: Love this place. Tons of scenery and wild life. Very quiet and pitch dark with no moon.
Cons: 4x4 speeders on the road. Rangers and fire dept can be a bit nosy and each one says their own rules... But the office says 14 out 14 in. While rebuilding my vintage trailer I stayed here and it was ratty. Day 10 Ranger told me I had to leave and write me a ticket if I came back. Knowing the rules I came back and continue and every time I've had a someone slow drive or stop at my camp. Even now in my 40ft bus.
I love the area and am a local so of course I go monthly. It's always about 15 degrees lower than Vegas temp. About 40mins to the strip and 25min to nearest gas. Good cell service depending on spot.
Mountains!
Is this vegas or Oregon?? Beautiful trees and hiking! Camping was quiet and safe.