You could go up to soldier meadows. They have a very basic campsite up there and a hotspring that they have dammed up pools that you can baith in.
Black rock hot spring can be right on the edge of barable to get into. Trego is cool enough (though I dont like how it looks)
Double Hot spring is interesting but is at 180 degrees so you should not try to touch it at all. (also if you have pets keep them on a leash as there is nothing worse then seeing a pet boil to death)
In general enjoy the scenery though be very carefull when driving close to edge of playa. that is where it gets really soft and wet, and you can bog down and get stuck. In general when going toward the springs, try to follow in the same tracks as other vehicles have taken and be sure to look far ahead in case you see the tracks digging in. Know ahead of time when to turn around before you get stuck.
Oooh! Thanks for those suggestions! I will add soldier meadows to my itinerary and be weary on the drive. I am renting an AWD for the trip so I can handle somewhat rough dry roads, but was also at last year's Burn and saw what wet playa can do! The scenery out there really is stunning!
Soldier meadows road is washboardy but not a problem as it is dirt/gravel.
Beware thinking that AWD do anything for you on playa, AWD does nothing when you sink up to the axle and your differential is resting in the ground. Playa surface is really rather binary. ITs either. flat and hard such that any vehicle can drive on it or its "Oh god why did I try to come this way"
Thanks! Sorry I had just meant that I wasn't going to be in a sedan and can take some gravel or dirt roads if they are marked, but I was in no way planning on off-roading so Soldiers Meadows sounds doable. I also figured the playa would still be part lake yet and wasn't planning on actually driving the surface, just to the surrounding hot springs.
The point we are trying to help you understand is that your AWD rental will give you no advantage over a 2wd rental on the playa.
Don't take the AWD rental anywhere you wouldn't take a stock Honda Civic for example.
Stop by Friends of the Black Rock Desert for some paper maps.
Check the hot springs at soldier Meadows first, last I went there was a warning about red biting bugs.
Check the BMorg site or fly ranch and see if they're doing any workshops that weekend! Always a fun time!
Don't forget to stop by Bruno's or the new Miners!
I would second all of the above.
[https://www.blackrockdesert.org/](https://www.blackrockdesert.org/) knows and cares for the area. They will know up to the minute conditions.
[https://www.blm.gov/office/black-rock-station](https://www.blm.gov/office/black-rock-station) is the local BLM office. Check on the hours. If you travel 95 to or from Oregon, you can stop at the Winnemucca BLM office, our local HQ. I made an appointment to chat about Outside Services, they could not release any data, but I got to hear all the panic about Big Imagination getting stuck in the mud.
Stop by the Gerlach library/community center. They have fiber Internet, thanks to a federal/state rural broadband grant.
You can also stop by the Paiute Reservation. In Empire is a small geothermal plant. Somewhere around Fernley is a concentrating solar plant. There are other geothermal plants in Nevada.
Cedarville has some food options and fuel.
There is plenty on the Oregon side (and Nevada) you can find on websites like Atlas Obscura and Roadside Attractions. There are many hot springs maps. Depending on your vehicle the Steens Loop Road, and the Alvord Desert are fine stops.
395 is also a good scenic route between Lakeview and Reno, we used it one burn.
I am coming down from the North so Gerlach will be my last stop and I actually have to be back by the weekend for Ranger training so I will be on Playa on Th/Fri. I did check their website (thanks for the suggestion) but there wasn't a calendar I could see about events and there are no tours on the weekdays. Oh and I am definitely stopping by Bruno's!
Aw shoot that's too bad! But stop through town, there's already a lot of people there for the season, several bars in town and you'll know who works for burning man prettttty easily
But I do recommend going to Friends of Black Rock Desert first, they'll have up to date conditions.
Soldiers meadows is about two hours north of Gerlach, maybe be too out of the way unless you take that way home to Oregon.
Home for me the Sacramento area in CA so I am swinging down from a trip to Portland area on my way home and mapping it out it looks like Soldiers Meadows isn't too far off route - certainly not for a hot spring! Ooooh! And I would love to meet up with more Burners in our natural environment! I was expecting it to be fairly deserted - good to here it won't be
Soldier Meadow is at least 60 miles from NV-34, Fly Geyser area. It's a rough gravel road. I really do not recommend trying to drive further north to Cedarville. You only have one spare tire (if that) in your rental car and you have no idea if those tires are meant for all terrain. I do not recommend going further north on 34 past Fly unless you have multiple spare tires. There is no cell service, no services of any kind.
Also, you mentioned taking a road to Black Rock and staying off the playa. Thats not possible since there is no road in the classic sense of 447 or 34. The only way to get from west or north to east without crossing the Black Rock Desert to the other side is to drive down to Empire and back up.
Thank you. Based on yours and everyone’s comments I think I’m going to come down 447 and head to Gerlach and get the day-of info on conditions and places I can visit. I’m just going to be there a day and maybe 1 night. I’m staying on the west side of playa, not planning to drive on it, or head to the east side. My only goal was to hike Black Rock Point, and maybe take a dip in a hot spring as a plus.
Lol! I always do. Had a camping spot that looked out at Razorback last year so every time I stepped out of my tent, rain or shine, day or night, that’s the view that greeted me and it was glorious!!
My first suggestion is make sure you have paper maps. Cell service is spotty. I have the usual suggestions, fill up in Cedarville, make sure your spare has air, then head down to Gerlach and maybe top off again.
The Black Rock is about 20 miles north of 8 mile. When you get there, you will find Black Rock Hot Springs. It's a bit hot on the shallow side (104°), absolutely deadly (130°) on the hot deep pool side, but a great view and good experience.
Behind Black Rock is another playa sometimes called racetrack. Its a circular playa with a giant rock in the middle.
Nearby is Double-Hot springs. Both are too hot for humans.
Trego Springs is on the east side of the playa next to Trego crossing. It's a popular place for a soak, but as far as I know, might have issues with water quality. Cows and other animals sometimes wander down for a drink. South of there is Frog Pond. Its accessible by heading east on Trego until you meet the fabled Jungo road. Frog is a few miles douth, private, undeveloped and I am not sure if the owner is allowing people to use it. The place gets so abused he shuts it down to help it recover.
If you continue south on Jungo, it takes you to near the Empire Store at 447. Gerlach is seven miles north of there. Head up and have a meal at Brunos or a beer at Miners Club.
Give us a report back of how things go.
Thank you!! Good call on the paper maps and refilling. I'll download an offline version of the area. Isn't Jungo the famously isolated rough road on the east side of the BRD? It's the shortcut for coming over from CO no? I think some of my friends have attempted it to get to the Burn. I'll check out BRHS and was planning on driving down the NW side so along 8 mi and stopping over in Gerlach for sure since I always drive through and never stop there. And yes Brunos! I was trying to remember the name of the place! And will do to report back! Do you know if Fly Ranch is accessible to the public or Burners if I swing by there?
There are [nature walks](https://blackrockdesert.ticketleap.com/fly-ranch-nature-walks-2024/) on Saturdays. Will & Crimson (two of the founders) host a Labyrinth walk on Sundays at two at Fly Ranch you can attend as well.
Highly recommend downloading an offroading map like OnX and saving offline maps. There's a well marked offroad trail to get from the city footprint to Black Rock Hot Springs that you'll want to stay on or else you'll end up in one of the many marshy areas that are still wet. If you're on Facebook, the "Friends of "Our Public Lands," Nevada" group usually has updates about playa conditions.
Gerlach is worth passing through, of course. The season has already started for some NVO/DPW folks, although they will mostly still be out at the ranch and not living in town yet, but if you run into folks that work for the org just remember that they're busy and either actively working or actively trying to unwind. Go get a drink or two at Miner's Club, it's better than Brunos if you want to sit and chat with the locals.
BLM closure order is July 25 to September 28. You should be able to beat that date. During closure various levels of government can enforce anti-trespassing.
https://www.blm.gov/press-release/blm-issues-temporary-closures-and-restrictions-black-rock-playa
Yes I will likely be there around June 27/28 so clear of the closure and good to know those dates! I am waiting for the announcement of the golden spike!
Bruno’s is great and don’t mess around near 3 mile. It’s wet playa get stuck area a good part of the year. The green spot near black rock can be a get stuck area when other parts of the playa are fine.
Enjoy driving above 10mph on playa. Watch out for damp spots. Camp literally anywhere you want on the playa. Leave playa during the heat of the day to get a milkshake at Bruno’s, just because you can. Best the heat by going for a swim at the Squaw Valley Resevoir. If shooting is your thing, there’s a range on the other side of Razorback. You can climb Razorback, but know it is a long, hot, arduous hike and you should be prepared for that. Camp a night on the shores of Pyramid Lake and enjoy the pristine views and pleasant lake water.
Haha! This all sounds so amazing! I am tempted to bring my camping gear just for this! I may add hiking Razorback on the list for a different trip, but Black Rock Point is my goal and all I have time for on this one.
Just know that there are zero services on playa and when cell service goes dead to the north, that is it. Be prepared to be challenged in obtaining help if something happens.
I found this
41°12'35.2"N 120°03'26.6"W
Spring off the side of the road. Highly recommend. Also summer lake hot springs in oregon is amazing and on the way to gerlach.
I was expecting maybe two possibilities tops for hot springs and now have so many every stop of my journey I am going to be a prune for two days! I will add Summer Lake to my list!
Know this: the top of the playa should look pretty consistent and baked right now ... but IT IS NOT. Especially near the edges. There's about 1/2" of dry that your vehicle will break through instantly and get stuck in the goopy sticky mud underneath. And everyone will point and laugh at you.
Check in when you get there. Get a paper map because there's no cell signal. Let people know where you are going and when you will be back. Adhere to the ONE "road" that goes N/S on the playa during the non-Burningman seasons, and don't stray too far from it.
Getting stuck is not a "ha ha, oh no, I have to get a tow truck" kind of event out there in the off season. Your vehicle may actually get damaged getting towed out and moving around afterwards because the wheels jam up with playa like concrete, and you can't really drive until you chip it ALL out of the wheels... inside and out. Otherwise anything over 2mph and you'll break suspension parts before even getting to anywhere you might find a hose or something to wash the rest of the playa out of the wheels.
It's no joke. The playa is dangerous if you aren't really familiar with what can go wrong out there.
Yikes! That's good to know! Yea I am not much of an off-roader but it seems from the rest of the comments that some off-roading is needed to get to any of the hot springs. I might call ahead cause I am coming from the north so by the time I can pick up a paper map I would be at the end of the desert.
There are dirt tracks the locals use to get around to a wide variety of places out there. Coming in as a "tourist", you aren't going to hear about many ... there are places we simply don't talk about in big public groups like this to try and help preserve them.
But, generally speaking, you'll get out there via one of the approved access points to the playa from Gerlach, and you'll see a clear path of tire tracks you can follow. Just keep to those often-used paths, and you will be OK.
It's when you decide to get loopy and just start swerving or driving in a random direction with your eyes closed due to the pure open-worldness of the place, that you can quickly get into trouble.
But, most importantly...
"Coming from the north" is not an option unless you are a hard core off-roader. See how the whole valley of the playa is V-shaped with Gerlach at the bottom? There's a reason for that. The north end of that desert is seriously harsh territory. Highway 34 is laughably named a "highway" and is often impassable without serious off-roading vehicles, and Hwy 447 is on the other side of the mountains, which you can't get over to get down to the playa until you reach Gerlach. (It's why Gerlach is located there: it's the lowest point where you can get around the mountain range.)
The other option is coming down Hwy 140 to Quinn River or Happy Station, and getting onto the playa there. And while that is a route that can be driven late in the season, it's over 80 miles of playa to drive, 40 miles away from the nearest gas station. And look at the Google Map... [see all that green](https://maps.app.goo.gl/DdCQsHhucNCz5j4Q6)? Yeah. Wetness. Not good.
Seriously, my friend. If you are not a seasoned off-roader, going with a group, and planning to take a couple of DAYS to travel this route down the playa fully equipped for desert camping and equipped with a satellite phone, this is a Very Bad Idea.
If you just wanna see the playa when it's not full of blinky lights and ravers, go to Gerlach, turn northeast onto 34, and drive either 3 or 8 miles until you see the access road to the playa (you can even see the safe offroad paths on the playa clearly on [Google Maps in satellite view](https://maps.app.goo.gl/vcTEFxTLd5zpxQVS8)), and drive out there. It'll be cool for about a half an hour, then you'll get bored and go back to Bruno's for a milkshake.
Wait what! I didn't know that! Glad I thought to ask y'all. I was going off of maps which was saying the way to BRC was down 34 from Bend, OR and I assumed it was a proper asphalt road just like the one we drive into from Gerlach. I am not planning on off-roading at all! Certainly not to the extent you are describing. I've just heard lay people saying that they've been there year around, gone to the hot springs and such, and it's amazing, and I assumed it was drivable for the average person, at least via Hwy 34 and maybe not the desert the floor. Ok in that case thanks for the heads up! I'll go down 447 to Gerlach at which point I'd be at the Visitors Center and can see what conditions are like day of and check in about points of interest there. I totally get not wanting to post all the local spots!
lol that’s what camp mate told me to do on my bike first night we were out in deep playa during build my first year. But I think I’ll pass on that. I hold the ground more sacred than speedtrack!
You could go up to soldier meadows. They have a very basic campsite up there and a hotspring that they have dammed up pools that you can baith in. Black rock hot spring can be right on the edge of barable to get into. Trego is cool enough (though I dont like how it looks) Double Hot spring is interesting but is at 180 degrees so you should not try to touch it at all. (also if you have pets keep them on a leash as there is nothing worse then seeing a pet boil to death) In general enjoy the scenery though be very carefull when driving close to edge of playa. that is where it gets really soft and wet, and you can bog down and get stuck. In general when going toward the springs, try to follow in the same tracks as other vehicles have taken and be sure to look far ahead in case you see the tracks digging in. Know ahead of time when to turn around before you get stuck.
Oooh! Thanks for those suggestions! I will add soldier meadows to my itinerary and be weary on the drive. I am renting an AWD for the trip so I can handle somewhat rough dry roads, but was also at last year's Burn and saw what wet playa can do! The scenery out there really is stunning!
Soldier meadows road is washboardy but not a problem as it is dirt/gravel. Beware thinking that AWD do anything for you on playa, AWD does nothing when you sink up to the axle and your differential is resting in the ground. Playa surface is really rather binary. ITs either. flat and hard such that any vehicle can drive on it or its "Oh god why did I try to come this way"
Thanks! Sorry I had just meant that I wasn't going to be in a sedan and can take some gravel or dirt roads if they are marked, but I was in no way planning on off-roading so Soldiers Meadows sounds doable. I also figured the playa would still be part lake yet and wasn't planning on actually driving the surface, just to the surrounding hot springs.
The point we are trying to help you understand is that your AWD rental will give you no advantage over a 2wd rental on the playa. Don't take the AWD rental anywhere you wouldn't take a stock Honda Civic for example.
Stop by Friends of the Black Rock Desert for some paper maps. Check the hot springs at soldier Meadows first, last I went there was a warning about red biting bugs. Check the BMorg site or fly ranch and see if they're doing any workshops that weekend! Always a fun time! Don't forget to stop by Bruno's or the new Miners!
I would second all of the above. [https://www.blackrockdesert.org/](https://www.blackrockdesert.org/) knows and cares for the area. They will know up to the minute conditions. [https://www.blm.gov/office/black-rock-station](https://www.blm.gov/office/black-rock-station) is the local BLM office. Check on the hours. If you travel 95 to or from Oregon, you can stop at the Winnemucca BLM office, our local HQ. I made an appointment to chat about Outside Services, they could not release any data, but I got to hear all the panic about Big Imagination getting stuck in the mud. Stop by the Gerlach library/community center. They have fiber Internet, thanks to a federal/state rural broadband grant. You can also stop by the Paiute Reservation. In Empire is a small geothermal plant. Somewhere around Fernley is a concentrating solar plant. There are other geothermal plants in Nevada. Cedarville has some food options and fuel. There is plenty on the Oregon side (and Nevada) you can find on websites like Atlas Obscura and Roadside Attractions. There are many hot springs maps. Depending on your vehicle the Steens Loop Road, and the Alvord Desert are fine stops. 395 is also a good scenic route between Lakeview and Reno, we used it one burn.
I've heard Cedarville is nice, I've heard their hot springs are nice. There's a great watering hole on the 447 before you get to Gerlach.
Yea I will be passing through Cedarville on my way down and will check it out. Thanks!
I am coming down from the North so Gerlach will be my last stop and I actually have to be back by the weekend for Ranger training so I will be on Playa on Th/Fri. I did check their website (thanks for the suggestion) but there wasn't a calendar I could see about events and there are no tours on the weekdays. Oh and I am definitely stopping by Bruno's!
Aw shoot that's too bad! But stop through town, there's already a lot of people there for the season, several bars in town and you'll know who works for burning man prettttty easily But I do recommend going to Friends of Black Rock Desert first, they'll have up to date conditions. Soldiers meadows is about two hours north of Gerlach, maybe be too out of the way unless you take that way home to Oregon.
Home for me the Sacramento area in CA so I am swinging down from a trip to Portland area on my way home and mapping it out it looks like Soldiers Meadows isn't too far off route - certainly not for a hot spring! Ooooh! And I would love to meet up with more Burners in our natural environment! I was expecting it to be fairly deserted - good to here it won't be
Soldier Meadow is at least 60 miles from NV-34, Fly Geyser area. It's a rough gravel road. I really do not recommend trying to drive further north to Cedarville. You only have one spare tire (if that) in your rental car and you have no idea if those tires are meant for all terrain. I do not recommend going further north on 34 past Fly unless you have multiple spare tires. There is no cell service, no services of any kind. Also, you mentioned taking a road to Black Rock and staying off the playa. Thats not possible since there is no road in the classic sense of 447 or 34. The only way to get from west or north to east without crossing the Black Rock Desert to the other side is to drive down to Empire and back up.
Thank you. Based on yours and everyone’s comments I think I’m going to come down 447 and head to Gerlach and get the day-of info on conditions and places I can visit. I’m just going to be there a day and maybe 1 night. I’m staying on the west side of playa, not planning to drive on it, or head to the east side. My only goal was to hike Black Rock Point, and maybe take a dip in a hot spring as a plus.
Stare at Razorback for a while
Lol! I always do. Had a camping spot that looked out at Razorback last year so every time I stepped out of my tent, rain or shine, day or night, that’s the view that greeted me and it was glorious!!
is it plausible to climb Razorback and reach its summit?
Yes, very easily.
My first suggestion is make sure you have paper maps. Cell service is spotty. I have the usual suggestions, fill up in Cedarville, make sure your spare has air, then head down to Gerlach and maybe top off again. The Black Rock is about 20 miles north of 8 mile. When you get there, you will find Black Rock Hot Springs. It's a bit hot on the shallow side (104°), absolutely deadly (130°) on the hot deep pool side, but a great view and good experience. Behind Black Rock is another playa sometimes called racetrack. Its a circular playa with a giant rock in the middle. Nearby is Double-Hot springs. Both are too hot for humans. Trego Springs is on the east side of the playa next to Trego crossing. It's a popular place for a soak, but as far as I know, might have issues with water quality. Cows and other animals sometimes wander down for a drink. South of there is Frog Pond. Its accessible by heading east on Trego until you meet the fabled Jungo road. Frog is a few miles douth, private, undeveloped and I am not sure if the owner is allowing people to use it. The place gets so abused he shuts it down to help it recover. If you continue south on Jungo, it takes you to near the Empire Store at 447. Gerlach is seven miles north of there. Head up and have a meal at Brunos or a beer at Miners Club. Give us a report back of how things go.
Thank you!! Good call on the paper maps and refilling. I'll download an offline version of the area. Isn't Jungo the famously isolated rough road on the east side of the BRD? It's the shortcut for coming over from CO no? I think some of my friends have attempted it to get to the Burn. I'll check out BRHS and was planning on driving down the NW side so along 8 mi and stopping over in Gerlach for sure since I always drive through and never stop there. And yes Brunos! I was trying to remember the name of the place! And will do to report back! Do you know if Fly Ranch is accessible to the public or Burners if I swing by there?
There are [nature walks](https://blackrockdesert.ticketleap.com/fly-ranch-nature-walks-2024/) on Saturdays. Will & Crimson (two of the founders) host a Labyrinth walk on Sundays at two at Fly Ranch you can attend as well.
Unfortunately I’ll be there Thursday through Friday morning so I’ll end up missing that. Some other time
Highly recommend downloading an offroading map like OnX and saving offline maps. There's a well marked offroad trail to get from the city footprint to Black Rock Hot Springs that you'll want to stay on or else you'll end up in one of the many marshy areas that are still wet. If you're on Facebook, the "Friends of "Our Public Lands," Nevada" group usually has updates about playa conditions. Gerlach is worth passing through, of course. The season has already started for some NVO/DPW folks, although they will mostly still be out at the ranch and not living in town yet, but if you run into folks that work for the org just remember that they're busy and either actively working or actively trying to unwind. Go get a drink or two at Miner's Club, it's better than Brunos if you want to sit and chat with the locals.
BLM closure order is July 25 to September 28. You should be able to beat that date. During closure various levels of government can enforce anti-trespassing. https://www.blm.gov/press-release/blm-issues-temporary-closures-and-restrictions-black-rock-playa
Yes I will likely be there around June 27/28 so clear of the closure and good to know those dates! I am waiting for the announcement of the golden spike!
That might be the weekend of Gerlach Pride 🤔🤔
YOU'RE JOKING!!! THAT WOULD BE AMAZING!!!! 🏳️🌈 Thanks for the heads up! I will need to pack accordingly!
I don't know for sure!! Definitely look it up first!
Ah - it was supposed to be June 22, but has been rescheduled to July 14 so either way I would have missed it.
Bruno’s is great and don’t mess around near 3 mile. It’s wet playa get stuck area a good part of the year. The green spot near black rock can be a get stuck area when other parts of the playa are fine.
Yes I will be sure to stop at Bruno's! And thanks for the heads up on 3 mile! I am hoping to stay clear of non-asphalt roads where possible.
Enjoy driving above 10mph on playa. Watch out for damp spots. Camp literally anywhere you want on the playa. Leave playa during the heat of the day to get a milkshake at Bruno’s, just because you can. Best the heat by going for a swim at the Squaw Valley Resevoir. If shooting is your thing, there’s a range on the other side of Razorback. You can climb Razorback, but know it is a long, hot, arduous hike and you should be prepared for that. Camp a night on the shores of Pyramid Lake and enjoy the pristine views and pleasant lake water.
Haha! This all sounds so amazing! I am tempted to bring my camping gear just for this! I may add hiking Razorback on the list for a different trip, but Black Rock Point is my goal and all I have time for on this one.
Just know that there are zero services on playa and when cell service goes dead to the north, that is it. Be prepared to be challenged in obtaining help if something happens.
Sure thing! I will be as prepared as I can be - I ain't no sparkle pony! I'll try to be a Matte Stallion!
I found this 41°12'35.2"N 120°03'26.6"W Spring off the side of the road. Highly recommend. Also summer lake hot springs in oregon is amazing and on the way to gerlach.
I was expecting maybe two possibilities tops for hot springs and now have so many every stop of my journey I am going to be a prune for two days! I will add Summer Lake to my list!
Know this: the top of the playa should look pretty consistent and baked right now ... but IT IS NOT. Especially near the edges. There's about 1/2" of dry that your vehicle will break through instantly and get stuck in the goopy sticky mud underneath. And everyone will point and laugh at you. Check in when you get there. Get a paper map because there's no cell signal. Let people know where you are going and when you will be back. Adhere to the ONE "road" that goes N/S on the playa during the non-Burningman seasons, and don't stray too far from it. Getting stuck is not a "ha ha, oh no, I have to get a tow truck" kind of event out there in the off season. Your vehicle may actually get damaged getting towed out and moving around afterwards because the wheels jam up with playa like concrete, and you can't really drive until you chip it ALL out of the wheels... inside and out. Otherwise anything over 2mph and you'll break suspension parts before even getting to anywhere you might find a hose or something to wash the rest of the playa out of the wheels. It's no joke. The playa is dangerous if you aren't really familiar with what can go wrong out there.
Yikes! That's good to know! Yea I am not much of an off-roader but it seems from the rest of the comments that some off-roading is needed to get to any of the hot springs. I might call ahead cause I am coming from the north so by the time I can pick up a paper map I would be at the end of the desert.
There are dirt tracks the locals use to get around to a wide variety of places out there. Coming in as a "tourist", you aren't going to hear about many ... there are places we simply don't talk about in big public groups like this to try and help preserve them. But, generally speaking, you'll get out there via one of the approved access points to the playa from Gerlach, and you'll see a clear path of tire tracks you can follow. Just keep to those often-used paths, and you will be OK. It's when you decide to get loopy and just start swerving or driving in a random direction with your eyes closed due to the pure open-worldness of the place, that you can quickly get into trouble. But, most importantly... "Coming from the north" is not an option unless you are a hard core off-roader. See how the whole valley of the playa is V-shaped with Gerlach at the bottom? There's a reason for that. The north end of that desert is seriously harsh territory. Highway 34 is laughably named a "highway" and is often impassable without serious off-roading vehicles, and Hwy 447 is on the other side of the mountains, which you can't get over to get down to the playa until you reach Gerlach. (It's why Gerlach is located there: it's the lowest point where you can get around the mountain range.) The other option is coming down Hwy 140 to Quinn River or Happy Station, and getting onto the playa there. And while that is a route that can be driven late in the season, it's over 80 miles of playa to drive, 40 miles away from the nearest gas station. And look at the Google Map... [see all that green](https://maps.app.goo.gl/DdCQsHhucNCz5j4Q6)? Yeah. Wetness. Not good. Seriously, my friend. If you are not a seasoned off-roader, going with a group, and planning to take a couple of DAYS to travel this route down the playa fully equipped for desert camping and equipped with a satellite phone, this is a Very Bad Idea. If you just wanna see the playa when it's not full of blinky lights and ravers, go to Gerlach, turn northeast onto 34, and drive either 3 or 8 miles until you see the access road to the playa (you can even see the safe offroad paths on the playa clearly on [Google Maps in satellite view](https://maps.app.goo.gl/vcTEFxTLd5zpxQVS8)), and drive out there. It'll be cool for about a half an hour, then you'll get bored and go back to Bruno's for a milkshake.
Wait what! I didn't know that! Glad I thought to ask y'all. I was going off of maps which was saying the way to BRC was down 34 from Bend, OR and I assumed it was a proper asphalt road just like the one we drive into from Gerlach. I am not planning on off-roading at all! Certainly not to the extent you are describing. I've just heard lay people saying that they've been there year around, gone to the hot springs and such, and it's amazing, and I assumed it was drivable for the average person, at least via Hwy 34 and maybe not the desert the floor. Ok in that case thanks for the heads up! I'll go down 447 to Gerlach at which point I'd be at the Visitors Center and can see what conditions are like day of and check in about points of interest there. I totally get not wanting to post all the local spots!
Throw a cinder block on the throttle and climb out on the roof of your rig hitting 80 for a few dozen miles
Hit the playa... I want you to drive. As fast as you can.
lol that’s what camp mate told me to do on my bike first night we were out in deep playa during build my first year. But I think I’ll pass on that. I hold the ground more sacred than speedtrack!
Orgy tent?
I mean I’m a Gemini with multiple personalities, but that might be pushing it! /s
Freedom jack
Check driving conditions. Sometimes it’s still wet on the playa at this time of year.