Black Rock Desert Adventure Route
- OTG Crew
- Nov 12, 2019
- 9 min read
Updated: Oct 22
The Black Rock Desert may be one of the lesser traveled desert regions in the United States, but adventurers who make the trip will be rewarded with expansive horizons, abandoned mines and ghost towns, hot springs, and DIY art exhibits. Tired of battling the crowds in Death Valley and the Mojave, then consider heading north to the Black Rock High Rock National Conservation Area for your next off road adventure!
Route Overview
Trip Length & Season
Adventure Rating: Epic
Trip Length: 231 miles, 3-6 days
Season: Spring and Fall are the best times go visit the Black Rock, but keep in mind High Rock Canyon is typically closed from Feb to mid-May. It's possible to visit during the summer months, but triple digit temperatures aren't uncommon on the playa during the warm season. Higher elevation trails may be impassable due to snow and/or mud during the winter months. Always check with BLM for conditions on the playa, as it may be difficult or impossible to traverse when moisture or mud is present. Winter Route Options for Avoiding the Playa Always check with the BLM regarding conditions of the Playa during the winter and Spring, or after any recent rainfall. If BLM recommends avoiding the playa, you may take Soldier Meadows Road from Gerlach to Soldier Meadows. Do Not Risk crossing the playa, as vehicle recovery in this part of Nevada tends to be very expensive.
Digital Maps & GPX Files
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Technical Ratings & Terrain
Avg Technical Rating: 2
Peak Technical Rating: 4 (expect steep, loose, and eroded roads on the way to the Black Rock Point Vista)
Typical Terrain: A combination of dry lake bed, gravel roads, bumpy/rocky jeep tracks (upper High Rock Canyon), and some steep, and loose trails on the way to Black Rock Point Vista.
Recommended Vehicle / Moto / Adventure Vans
Recommended Vehicle: Stock 4x4
Recommended Moto: A mid-weight bike is recommended given some of the moderate terrain. Keep in mind you'll likely need to ford water through the High Rock Canyon section.
Adventure Vans: Sprinters and Transit Vans (4x4/AWD) should be able to explore the southern sections around Black Rock City and the Playa without any issues. Experienced drivers should be able to make it through High Rock Canyon but we recommend skipping the out-and-back to the Black Rock Point overlook. Expect to encounter off camber terrain along the way.
Fuel, Provisions, and Recommended Gear
Fuel: You'll need to plan on driving the entire route with refueling, as there are no gas stations outside of Empire (just outside of Gerlach). Provisions: Provisions can be obtained in the same general vicinity as fuel. Gear: no specialized gear is recommended for this adventure.
Alternative Routes
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Camping Recommendations
Be sure to read up on the camping guidelines from the Black Rock Desert-High Rock NCA . Some of our favorite camp locations include:
Island Microplaya
Soldier Meadows campground
Little High Rock Hilton
Fox Homestead / High Rock Garage
Red Bluff Camp
Pole Canyon
Stevens Camp
Massacre Ranch
Discovery Points & Hot Springs
Gerlach
Friends of the Black Rock-High Rock
Guru Road
Fly Geyser (reservations required)
Razor Canyon
Leadville Mining District
Lund Petrified Forest
Little High Rock Hilton
Little High Rock Canyon
High Rock Lake
Fly Canyon
High Rock Canyon
Post Office Cave
Pioneer Graffiti
High Rock Narrows
Cliff Nesting Birds
High Rock Garage
Stevens Camp
Summit Lake
Soldier Meadows Cabin
Soldier Meadows Hot Springs
Lassen-Clapper Murder site
Hardin City
Double Hot Springs
Black Rock Point
Island Microplaya
Black Rock Point Vista
Black Rock Hot Springs
Black Rock Playa
Burning Man / Black Rock City
Trego Hot Springs
Old Razorback Mountain
Hot Springs Our favorite springs for soaking is definitely the main pool near Soldier Meadows campground. Trego hot springs also offers a nice soaking pool, but the bottom tends to be muddy. Other hot springs like Double Hot Springs are unsafe and much to hot (can cause serious injury or even death). Be sure to head the warnings signs from BLM!
Camping Recommendations
Land Managers & Other Resources
Permits & Papers
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Adventure Badge OTG has partnered with All Roads Taken to offer an adventure badge for this route. >> Buy your adventure badge today!
Route Details
The Black Rock Desert-High Rock Canyon Emigrant Trails National Conservation Area covers 1.2 million acres managed by the BLM. The featured overland route is a highlight reel of all the better-known and lesser-known points of interest within the NCA.
The NCA is named after the Black Rock Desert, High Rock Canyon, and the numerous emigrant trails that passed through the Black Rock Desert. The most well-known of these trails include the Applegate, Lassen, and Nobles Trails. These trails served as major thoroughfares to both Oregon and California for emigrants seeking opportunity out West. The same trails were also used for inter-state/territory travel to reach the Sierra gold fields and mines in Idaho. In all, over 120 miles of emigrant trails pass through the NCA. It’s hard to imagine the adventure and tragedy that emigrants faced in the harsh and unforgiving desert landscape. Traveling High Rock Canyon is hard on modern vehicles; it must have been hell for the early emigrants who would have bushwhacked their way through the breast-high sagebrush.
In 1991, the Burning Man Festival relocated from San Francisco to its current home, the Black Rock Desert Playa. As the festival gained international notoriety, the lore, infamy, and reputation of the Black Rock Desert also rose. But if you want to experience the desert with all of its spiritual glory, we recommend visiting when Burning Man is not happening (avoid the last week of August through Labor Day)! And while the Black Rock may not have the name recognition of Death Valley, the Mojave, or even Joshua Tree within the off-road community, you may be pleasantly surprised to discover the Black Rock is every bit as scenic, spiritual, and filled with all kinds of history. One added benefit of the Black Rock is its remoteness, which keeps the crowds at bay (save Burning Man). The distance from major urban centers also creates spectacularly dark night skies. Just to the north of High Rock Canyon sits the Massacre Rim Dark Sky Sanctuary.
So you've made the decision to go all in on this adventure—great! What can you expect? Like other deserts in the western region of the United States, the Black Rock has its fair share of historical sites (old mining camps, pioneer graffiti, and abandoned mines) and quirkiness—like the desert art along Guru Road. Wildlife you may encounter along the way include wild horses and burros, bighorn sheep, raptors, pronghorn antelope, marmots, and more. Because the nearest major population center is several hundred miles away, the Black Rock features some of the best stargazing in the contiguous United States.
The route can be traversed in either direction, but the official guide starts in Gerlach and travels in a counter-clockwise direction. The route begins by traveling north through Guru Road (discovery point) and shortly thereafter, Fly Geyser (discovery point—be sure to make a reservation if you plan on visiting). After ten or so miles from Gerlach, the pavement gives way to a wide gravel road, which then takes you through the rugged Razor Canyon (discovery point). Other sites along the gravel county road include the Leadville Mining District (discovery point) and the Lund Petrified Forest (discovery point) before the route travels into the National Conservation Area. Follow the route into the hills until reaching the Little High Rock Hilton (discovery point). The mouth of Little High Rock Canyon also makes for a great campsite.
From here, the route heads past High Rock Lake and over to Fly Creek Canyon (discovery point), which is a popular nesting site for birds, but also has many interesting geological features. From Fly Creek Canyon, the route travels through High Rock Canyon (discovery point). The start of High Rock Canyon is open and wide, until a series of easily identifiable rock spires appear on your right. The spires instill a sense of awe when first coming upon them, and shortly after you reach them there are a number of interesting discovery points, like the old Post Office Cave (discovery point) and Pioneer Graffiti (discovery point). It's said that emigrants passing through would leave letters in the cave, and travelers heading in the opposite direction would pick up the mail and drop it off at the next location (another post office?). As you make your way through the canyon, the trail crests a knoll, which provides a vantage point of a choke-point through the canyon. It’s here that you'll pass through a series of water crossings, which are typically one to two feet deep depending on the time of year. The cliffs along this section of trail are filled with nesting birds. The sounds and shrieks of the birds echo off the canyon walls, providing an otherworldly acoustic experience!
The trail continues to ascend into the mountains, which are more like giant hills in this part of the desert. The dirt track gives way to a rock-studded trail that’s slow going. Be sure to take it slow and watch where your tires are, as there's a lot of obsidian in this part of the desert, which has gained quite the reputation for puncturing even the most robust of tires! Out of the canyon, you'll soon reach Stevens Camp (discovery point), which is perhaps the best-kept cabin within the NCA (and you can camp in it). The route passes through the highlands until reaching Summit Lake (discovery point) and then shoots south on a wide gravel road until reaching Soldier Meadows.
There are a number of hot springs within the Black Rock Desert (some are not suitable for soaking due to high temperatures). Adjacent to the Soldier Meadows Campground and hot springs (discovery point) are a series of soaking pools, which we found to be the nicest within the NCA. We highly recommend spending the night at Soldier Meadows, as a soak in the desolate desert with the sun setting is quite the experience! The route follows the western arm of the Black Rock Desert along the Applegate trail until reaching the Lassen-Clapper murder site (discovery point). This short out-and-back trail is a bit bumpy and crosses a number of washes until reaching the cabin where Peter Lassen and Edward Clapper were murdered in cold blood by a sniper while on a prospecting expedition. Peter Lassen had built quite a reputation for himself, and was well respected by Chief Winnemucca and the northern Paiutes as well. Today a prominent mountain peak, national park, national forest, and California county all bear his name.
Upon departing the Lassen-Clapper murder site, you're on the home stretch. This section of trail tends to be bumpy and slow going, and it can get muddy if there's been any recent rain. While you can't soak at Double Hot Springs (discovery point), it's worth stopping to check out the clear turquoise water. Straight ahead you'll see a massive black rock, which is Black Rock Point (discovery point). Not far from Black Rock Point sits perhaps the most impressive view within the Black Rock Desert, but you'll need to work for it. The track gets more rugged, and seems to get steeper and steeper as you near the bluffs that overlook the desert playa. Expect to spend a good amount of time in 4-Low. At approximately 1,500 feet above the playa, the views atop the Black Rock Point Vista (discovery point) are nothing short of epic! If you’re visiting during the warmer months, the temperature and breeze often provide a nice respite from the baking temperatures that plague the desert floor.
And back down we go! Along the way back down you'll pass through two micro playas. The Island Microplaya (discovery point) is one of our favorite places to camp. And while you can't have fires on the playa, you can set up a fire on the island, as long as it's a good distance from the playa dirt. The route shoots across the Black Rock Playa (discovery point) to the center of Black Rock City (discovery point), where the Man is erected and ultimately burned each year on Labor Day. The official route shoots over to Trego Hot Springs (discovery point), which are suitable for soaking but not nearly as nice as Soldier Meadows. You also have the option of taking the playa to one of the access points along Soldier Meadows Road on the north end of the Playa. The official route follows the graded yet bumpy Jungo Road back to Gerlach.
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