While casinos and neon lights come to mind when most people think of Las Vegas for those that love camping they know that the Las Vegas area is one of the best places for camping and free camping.
Below we have listed some of our favorite spots to camp for free in Las Vegas as well as some things you need to know about camping for free in the area.
How Can You Camp for Free in Las Vegas?
What most seasoned campers know but many beginning campers don’t is that there are actually a ton of areas that you can camp for free across the country and the Las Vegas area is no exception.
When it comes to free camping or boondocking as it is often called whether, in the Las Vegas area, the state of Nevada or anywhere else in the country for that matter free camping typically involves camping on undeveloped federal land or private land with permission.
In general, you typically find the most free camping options when camping in an area with a lot of undeveloped land, and luckily for you, the state of Nevada and the Las Vegas area has a ton of undeveloped and federally protected land that you can camp on for free.
Some of the most popular and best areas to camp for free in the Las Vegas area are federally protected lands such as BLM land, forestry land, or state, and national park areas.
Best Free Camping Near Las Las Vegas
If you are looking to camp in Las Vegas or on the Las Vegas strip the only way to do this is with an RV in one of the casino parking lots. However, don’t just take this as a given as some casinos allow free overnight parking and others don’t. So it’s always best practice to ask if free overnight parking is allowed.
While this type of RV casino camping might work for some wanting to camp for free in Las Vegas. This is not the type of free camping we will be focusing on as there are much better free camping options just off the Las Vegas strip with most not more than 30 minutes away.
When it comes to free camping near Las Vegas there are three main areas that are best for camping for free whether you are tent camping or RV camping including Lake Mead, the Desert National Wildlife Refuge, and the Spring Mountain National Recreation Area.
Free Camping at Lake Mead
One of the best places to camp for free near Las Vegas is Lake Mead as it is only about 30 minutes away from Las Vegas and offers plenty of free campsites that have great views of the surrounding mountains and the lake.
While there are many campgrounds and campsites in Lake Mead that you have to pay for what many campers don’t know is there are actually some great camping spots that are totally free.
When it comes to free camping at Lake Mead, there are two main areas to check out including Government Wash and 8 Mile.
Government Wash
One of the most popular free campgrounds at Lake Mead by far is Government Wash which is located on the northwest side of the Lake. To get to this free campground you want to take Nevada 167 to Government Wash Road.
While there are no hookups of any kind at campsites in Government Wash the campground does actually have a bathhouse with restrooms and water. Other than that though you are own on your own when camping here.
The campground and campsites themselves are very primitive and consist of hard-packed gravel to camp on and an abundance of desert landscape with little else.
One of the great things about Government Wash campground though is that it offers super close access to Lake Mead allowing you to walk down to the lake’s shortline from the campground.
An important thing to remember when it comes to free camping at Lake Mead is that without a National Parks Pass you will have to pay an admittance fee to get into the park of $20 which is good for 7 days. Even without the National Parks Pass though $20 for seven days’ worth of camping is pretty cheap.
For even more information about camping for free at Government Wash check out this helpful YouTube video.
8 Mile
Another great area to camp for free near Lake Mead is a campground called 8 Mile.
The great thing about this free camp area that it’s only about a half-mile up the road from Government Wash but is much less well known compared to Government Wash. Making it a great second choice when Government Wash if full or crowded.
While there are no amenities what so ever at the 8 Mile campground as with most boondocking sites this is a great free campground that usually has a lot of spots open for free camping.
Also just as with the Government Wash campground, the 8 Mile campground also offers great access to Lake Mead allowing you to quickly and easily walk down to the lakes water’s edge.
Free Camping at Spring Mountain National Recreation Area
The Spring Mountain National Recreation Area also known as Mount Charleston in the area is only 45 minutes away from Las Vegas making it a great option if you are looking for free camping near Las Vegas.
Just like Lake Mead, the Spring Mountain area has many campgrounds and campsites that you can pay to camp at. However, the area also has a ton of great options for dispersed camping for free camping as well.
This land is managed by the United States National Forest Service and as such there are many rules and regulations that you must adhere to when dispersed or free camping in the area including but not limited to camping away from developed campgrounds and picnic areas, camping away from the road by at least 100 feet, campfire restrictions, and special rules when it comes to handling waste. For more detailed information about the rules and regulations when dispersed camping in the Spring Mount area check out their website by clicking here.
Some of the more popular areas for free camping while in the Spring Mount National Recreation Area include Mack’s Canyon, Lovell Canyon, and Champion Road.
As with Lake Mead when you are camping for free or dispersed camping in the Spring Mountains area there are no amenities to speak of such as water, toilets, or electricity so if you are planning on camping for free in this area you must be prepared to be completely self-sufficient while camping.
Free Camping at Desert National Wildlife Refuge
The last place for great free camping near Las Vegas is the Desert National Wildlife Refuge which is only about 30 minutes away from Vegas. This wildlife is massive encompassing over 1.6 million acres and is managed by the US Fish & Wildlife Service.
Much like the Spring Mountains National Recreation Area this wildlife refuge is federally protected lands that allow for free dispersed camping.
While there are no hookups at any of the campsites as with most boondocking sites there is actually 24-hour access to restrooms and water at the Desert, Fish, & Wildlife Refuge. The campsites themselves are very primitive that consist of hard-pack gravel for parking and camping on and that’s about it.
While dispersed camping is allowed throughout the wildlife refuge some of the best free camping spots are located off of Alamo Road and Mormon Well Road.
Keep in mind this is another free camping area that does have many dispersed camping restrictions as well a 14-day stay limit for the number of camping days you can stay before having to leave the wildlife refuge.
For even more great information about free camping at the Desert National Wildlife Refuge check out this YouTube video.
Things to Know About Camping for Free in Las Vegas
- When camping for free in the Las Vegas area you might find some free bathrooms and drinking water available depending on where you choose to disperse camp but do not count on it as many free campsites have no close amenities at all.
- Free campsites can often be very dark especially if you are used to camping in well lit developed campgrounds, so make sure to bring a few good light sources and a lantern like this LED one on Amazon to light up your campsite.
- As most free campsites won’t have electricity it is important to bring your own source of power to keep your devices and gear charged up while camping such as a portable battery pack like this one on Amazon or a small generator.
- As with electricity, free campsites almost never have access to reliable drinking water so when camping for free in the Las Vegas area make sure to bring your own water supply for not only drinking but also general use such as washing dishes after cooking.
- When camping for free you will need to pack out all the trash you created while camping.
- Before having or starting a campfire at your free campsite make sure to check the rules and regulations about campfires while dispersed camping and check for any current fire restrictions or fire bans that may be active in the area.
- Most importantly remember that it is a privilege to camp on federal or private lands for free so make sure to treat it as such by always cleaning up after yourself and using the leave no trace motto. This means that no one should be able to tell that you even camped at the site once you have left.
Is Camping for Free a Good Fit for You?
While everyone loves free, boondocking or free keeping is not a good fit for everyone as there some drawbacks. Below is a list of all the drawbacks or negatives when camping for free.
- When camping for free on undeveloped land there are usually no amenities to speak of including toilets, running water, or electricity. So if you like a certain amount of creature comforts while camping dispersed camping may not be for you.
- If you’re a planner, free camping might not be right for you. As it requires a lot of flexibility with your plans as there are no reservations of any kind when free camping and the spot you planned on camping at might be taken.
- Most free camping sites are usually very remote with little to no people around so if you are someone that finds comfort and safety in numbers free camping is probably not a good fit for you.
- While developed and paid campground sites often have many rules and regulations for camping such as quite hours and limits on the number of campers per site, free camping spots have no such rules. This means that you might have to deal with noisy or rowdy neighbors with little to no recourse.
- If you are planning on camping for an extending period of time most free campsites have a 14 day limit on the number of days that you are allowed to camp in a row in a particular area. So if you want to camp for longer than that you might have to look at some paid-for options or perhaps a mixture of the two.
- When RV camping, boondocking sites have no RV hookups of any kind so your RV or trailer will have to be totally self-sufficient for water, sewer, electricity, and heat.