Fort Churchill State Park

A lovely little campground along the Carson River in the midst of beautiful cottonwood trees. The camp sites are set lower than the surrounding topography so it has good wind protection. This would be a pleasant, shady place to camp during the hot Nevada summers; also I imagine it would be nice in fall when the cottonwoods turn bright yellow. History buffs will enjoy this campground— being the site of an old fort, the historic aspect of the park is interesting. I was there on the Friday night of Memorial Day weekend and although I needed to get back on the road Saturday morning and couldn’t linger, I noticed that they had set up a re-enactment camp on the grounds of the museum, with folks in period military uniforms, cannons, etc. Birders will also enjoy this campground— I loved my one evening and morning there listening to the birds singing in the trees. A heads up— when you first enter the park a sign says you have to stop at the self-pay booth before going further to pay the $5 entrance fee. But if you intend to camp just drive straight to the campground and pay your $15 (no hook ups) camp fee there which includes the park entrance fee. Another note— I got better cell reception (Verizon 4G) by just climbing up a little bluff to the higher ground.

We decided to stop here for one night while driving across Nevada along highway 50, although it is about 8 miles off the road. The park is here to protect the ruins of Fort Churchill.

We arrived late in the afternoon and were the only ones there. Surprisingly nobody came in after us so it was a very quiet night by ourselves. Many of the sites are long pull-throughs, shady and near the river where you can access trails to the ruins of the fort.

There is a dump station and drinking water but just outhouses and no showers. It was a pleasant place for an overnight stop.