Boondocking near Hawthorne, Nevada - The Lost Longboarder

Just north of the small, friendly desert town of Hawthorne is Walker Lake. Walker Lake is a large lake surrounded by high desert, wild horses, and rugged peak and canyons. Even though the main road follows the western lakeside, the vast desert scenery and feeling of solitude create a very western-feel atmosphere. Having this nice view and the quiet solitude with the convenience of having Hawthorne just a short drive away, we called it home for the next two weeks!

Quick Info: Boondocking Near Hawthorne

Cost: Free

Ownership: BLM, 14 day camp limit

Directions: From Hawthorne, take the US-95 N for about 12 miles. There will be a picnic/camping area to the right but turn left to explore the free boondocking opportunities.

Road Conditions: Once you turn left onto the dirt road, the road conditions vary. Scout ahead and use caution on the rocky areas. Depending on the route you choose and how far from the road you venture, 4WD or high clearance may be necessary.

Miles From Town: About 12

Cell Service: No (T-Mobile) but we did just across the street by the lake

Solar: excellent

Where to Get Water: For non household purposes we filled a few jugs at the Golden Gate Truck Stop in town. And for drinking water we filled our jugs at the water refill machine at the Dollar General in town.

Our Experience Boondocking Near Hawthorne

Walker Lake was completely unfamiliar to us when arrived in the Hawthorne area. We are used to exploring a bit to find a spot and to be safe, we scouted ahead to find our spot because some of the roads were a bit rocky. We found a level spot far enough away from the US-95 for privacy and quiet and with a nice panoramic view of the lake and the surrounding mountains. During our two week stay boondocking near Hawthorne we had no neighbors and saw maybe 2 or 3 people aside from the cars on the highway.

The landscape is mostly great for looking at. There weren’t any trails by us but we did wander around and explore the area near our campsite. The 4WD road that we followed until it got too rough, which wasn’t very far. There were lots of cool rocks here as well as interesting clouds and sunsets. We kept our eyes out for bighorn sheep but we didn’t see any. We mostly used our time here as a chance to work on our hand painted longboards in some mild weather as we were working our way northeast to Nebraska.

views of the surrounding mountains boondocking near hawthorne

While we were boondocking near Hawthorne we learned about some of the recreational opportunities available on the nearby Walker Lake such as swimming, boating, fishing, bird watching, picnicking, and camping at one of the BLM campgrounds. There are three main BLM camping areas on the lake with reasonable fees and basic facilities. We didn’t stay at any of these but we did find a site with a lot of information about the camping in the area. Check it out here.

We stayed here in April and the weather was pleasant though often windy. We did have a couple cloudy windy days. The mountains across the lake captured the storm and the clouds sat upon the ridge.

walker lake and mountains in the background

There is no shade here which is great for solar but it would get very hot in the heat of summer.

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Things to do in Hawthorne Nevada

As I mentioned, it was nice having Hawthorne close. In town there is a Vons and a Dollar General for resupplying, a few gas stations, McDonalds, hardware store, auto parts store and the local pizza place, Old Nevada Pizza.

If you’re in the area and looking for something to do in town, there is a free military museum which is fitting because of Hawthornes’ military importance. Stop in and check it out, they’re very friendly!

There are also a couple of parks in town. The Lions Park has sports fields, a playground, restrooms, and a skate park. Of course, we spent some time hanging out with the locals at the skate park.

We definitely appreciated how welcoming the people in Hawthorne were to us. For more about our experience at the skate park check out our Hawthorne Skatepark article here!

Overall, we had a positive experience boondocking here. It was a good spot for us, quiet with pretty high desert scenery and a friendly town nearby but there was not a whole lot to do when the weather was chilly in April. So we got a lot of work done and as always, it was time to move on!

Check Out More From The Lost Longboarder

Thanks for reading about our Hawthorne boondocking experience! For more fun in the desert be sure to check out some of our other desert hiking, camping, and longboarding articles!

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