Previously on Just Get Outside, I was preparing for my next cross-country road trip and praying my Leer cap would come in on time. I stayed at some beautiful campgrounds along the way, and I’ll definitely share those soon, but let’s start with my first ever experience with dispersed camping at Poverty Flats outside of Las Vegas, Nevada!
Spoiler alert: my truck cap came in on time!
I was halfway through my trip from Texas to Oregon before I tried dispersed camping for the first time. I had great experiences at established campgrounds in Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona, but I was ready to push myself outside of my comfort zone a little bit. I knew I wanted to see the famous Valley of Fire State Park in Nevada, but they didn’t have any camp sites available in the park during the time I would be there, so I explored my options for dispersed camping.
Dispersed camping means free camping on public land that’s usually managed by the National Forest Service or the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). It’s a popular choice for boondockers, vanlifers, and road trippers looking to save money and enjoy some solitude. Some of the benefits of dispersed camping are that it’s free, and it’s usually much more private than being slotted into a campground just feet from your nearest RV neighbor. Some of the downsides are that it doesn’t have facilities like toilets and water, so you have to make sure you come prepared.
Poverty Flats is about an hour’s drive outside of Vegas and only about a 10 minute drive from Valley of Fire. The April weather was beautiful and it seemed like the perfect spot to try dispersed camping for the first time.
I arrived just before sunset and bounced slowly down the gravel roads, stoked to use my 4×4 for the first time. There were other campers and RVs set up, and I made my way past them to my own spot. I was a little nervous about knowing where I was actually allowed to camp, but there are tons of already established spots out there. You can usually tell when it’s an established spot because it has a fire ring and other indications people have camped there.
Settling in my home away from home!
I found a fire ring and got settled. I took Beatrix out for a stroll and marveled at the views. It was vast and open and I felt like I could see for miles. Even though we weren’t parked right next to anyone, knowing other campers were fairly close by made me feel at ease without losing that peaceful, wide-open feeling. I was out there for about 10 minutes when I realized dispersed camping would be my first choice over established campgrounds from now on.
You know I was hella stressed about her sniffing this close to the edge.
My favorite thing about camping is waking up to amazing views, and Poverty Flats definitely didn’t disappoint.
What a way to wake up!
I couldn’t get over how cool the landscape was, and how much it felt like I had it all to myself.
I mean, can you believe this!?
After feeding and taking care of Beatrix, we got out of there and headed down the road to Valley of Fire State Park.
Valley of Fire, Nevada’s first state park, was established in 1934 and covers more than 40,000 acres of Jurassic-era red sandstone and ancient limestone mountains. The area was once covered by an inland sea, which makes the views cool and surreal. No reservations are needed to visit the park, but you do need one if you want to camp there. It’s pretty popular, so book your trip in advance. They didn’t have any camping availability on the random Tuesday I was there. It costs $15 to enter the park (or $10 if you’re a Nevada resident).
The visitor’s center has facilities you can use if you’ve been dispersed camping the night before without a bathroom! You can also fill your water bottle there.
This is a fantastic park to drive through. While it’s dog friendly (as long as your furry friend is leashed), you know how Beatrix rolls: riding shotgun with the air conditioning on, living her best senior dog life. We don’t get out and hike most of the time, because she’s a delicate little old lady, so parks with amazing views you can see from the car are totally her jam.
Seriously, it’s a gorgeous drive.
The park is full of desert bighorn sheep, which I was surprised to see are just chilling wherever!
All the cars slowed down to take a pic like this, these guys were unfazed.
I stopped at just about every place I could to take pics and enjoy the view. There were many shaded picnic areas that would be perfect for a break out of the sun for hikers and car travelers alike.
Fire Canyon
Repping Texas State Parks with my hat, of course.
Valley of Fire has the most national park energy of any state park I’ve visited. Seriously, it’s stunning and otherworldly.
Seven Sisters rock formations.
At first I was disappointed that I wouldn’t be able to camp at the park, but staying at Poverty Flats and visiting the park in the morning was amazing. When I go back, I’m going to do the same thing again!
Have you ever tried dispersed camping? What was your first experience like? I’d love to hear your favorite free camping spots or Valley of Fire experiences in the comments!
Just Get Outside! 