Camper submitted image from Water Canyon Recreation Area - 1

Camper submitted image from Water Canyon Recreation Area - 2

Camper submitted image from Water Canyon Recreation Area - 3

Roads

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Buildings

Camper submitted image from Water Canyon Recreation Area - 5

Facilities

Dispersed Camping

Water Canyon Recreation Area

29 Reviews

About

Bureau of Land Management

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Location

Water Canyon Recreation Area is located in Nevada

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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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

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.

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Contact

General Info

Charlie C.

Traveler

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 VisitMay

(6) View All

5 STAR X P.

Guide

Reviewed Jan. 4, 2024

5 star view in January

Rolled in at night....got my pick of camp sites. Not too cold, but awesome morning view

Site3

Month of VisitFebruary

Susan C.

Scout

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 VisitNovember

Shanna C.

Scout

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 VisitSeptember

Davidson L. H.

Guide

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 VisitOctober

Carla H.

Traveler

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 VisitJuly

Albert V.

Guide

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 VisitJuly

Cody S.

Scout

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 VisitJuly

Hailey C.

Scout

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 VisitJune

Kelvin T.

Traveler

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 VisitNovember

Ralph D.

Traveler

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 VisitOctober

sue D.

Traveler

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 VisitOctober

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Candice T.

Traveler

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 VisitOctober

Jake S.

Guide

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 VisitSeptember

(5) View All

Van S.

Guide

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 VisitSeptember

Alma L.

Ranger

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 VisitJuly

Caroline L.

Traveler

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 VisitJune

(4) View All

Chantal S.

Guide

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 VisitJuly

Jim M.

Guide

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 VisitMay

Amanda M.

Guide

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.

(8) View All

Mary

Scout

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.

Najet

Traveler

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.

(6) View All

connie C.

Guide

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 VisitOctober

Alexandra T.

Ranger

Reviewed Sep. 26, 2020

Nice BLM Camp Spot in Sparse Area

This is a BLM camping spot. The entrance to the recreation area marks the beginning of a gravel road which leads back about 2 miles. The road was fine for us to drive on in our 2WD. We counted 10 campsites with around 3 vault toilets, no showers along the 2 mile stretch. Camp sites are free. We saw two dumpsters and no water. We got in around 2pm on a Friday and it was pretty full. We snagged the last campsite, site 10, before the road turns into a more treacherous dirt road which marks the end of the camping area, and atvs were driving down this section along with hikers. Campsite 10 was large- could probably fit 3-4 tents- with a table. Next to a stream and in a field of aspens. Was beautiful. However, most of the spots to pitch were a bit slanted- nothing crazy but not flat. It was windy so we guyed our tent. One drawback was that we were right next to the entrance to hiking/atv area so got a fair amount of traffic coming through. We heard atvs coming through up until midnight. By the evening, folks who didn’t get a spot were starting to camp anywhere they could, on the hills, random spots along the side of the road, etc. Overall a nice spot for BLM camping with minimal amenities that gets busy on weekends.

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Jonathan W.

Scout

Reviewed Sep. 16, 2020

Nice place

Several dispersed campsite and pit toilets. Not too close to the neighbors. No problem for a Ram pulling a 30 foot travel trailer.

Judy T.

Ranger

Reviewed Nov. 9, 2018

Nice free campground where they are sparse

It is about 5 miles south of Winnemucca in a canyon with camping on both sides of the gravel road. The road is in great condition. Campsites are simple: picnic table and fire pit. Ours was along the stream and across from the vault toilet and dumpster. We were there mid week in mid October and it was quiet after day use people left. We had some smaller colorful boulders at our site. The stream was soothing and the aspens/willows were colorful. All amenities in Winnemucca.

I accidentally chose yes for sanitary dump. This is wrong.

Jack L.

Guide

Reviewed Sep. 6, 2018

Nice, quiet, campground

Great campground in a surprisingly green area. Sites are well layed out and sit right next to a small creek. Nice play to stay when driving through Nevada.

ami B.

Scout

Reviewed Jul. 1, 2018

Beautiful campsites. Nice area. Quiet and green.

free camping. peaceful trails. wildlife.

Lindsay B.

Ranger

Reviewed Jun. 28, 2016

Black Rock Desert (near Sulphur)

This review is for Black Rock Desert, a BLM area to the West of this campground. As home to the famed Burning Man festival, its usually a serene desert when its not crowded with the Burning Man's 50,000 festival-goers. You can still see wagon tracks here from the Oregon trail! Word to the wise: there are no established campgrounds, but free camping is allowed throughout the park (probably why it's not on this site). One thing some people get confused by is that the sculptures that you've seen photos of are not permanent installations, they are only there during the festival-time.