Moon Rocks Dispersed Camping

When I drove to moon rocks I was coming from California. So my GPS told me to take the roads that went straight from there to Moonrock‘s. But do not do that. Not only is the roads so bad that it’s essentially useless to anyone not in a monster 4 x 4, but when I got lost driving around these middle of nowhere mountain roads I accidentally drove down someone’s driveway under their property. And I was greeted by a man with a pistol. When I got out of there I finally found a way to get to a road that would lead me to the mountains and then it took me another entire hour to find Moonrock‘s because of the poor directions. You should take the road that goes straight up north from Reno. Do not go the other way. When I reached moon rocks The ATV area was extremely busy and there was no cell signal. So I kept driving until I passed that area and I saw the actual campground from Campendium. I just drove right in and parked even though nobody was there. In about an hour later to police came and told me that the area was closed for camping. I’m in the middle of the mountains at the end of the day and I told him that and they said that I could keep going straight and turn left at the next road and pull off the side of the road into a clearing and just camp there if I want. I stayed two nights because I needed to wait until I got my paycheck and then I left.

Very popular location just north of Reno/Sparks with the Side-by-side and 4wheeler crowd. Several large groups playing music late but they are so far away it did not bother us at all. There is some trash (better than California highways) and quite a bit of broken glass near fire pits. We honestly had no issues. Note, Starlink is not currently available anywhere in this grid or the the surrounding grids.

Stayed here 5/27/20 – 5/29/20 and 5/1/20 – 5/3/20. This is dispersed camping with no amenities. It is a great location for off road vehicle usage. It seems like a lot of weekenders use this location because our second stay was during the week and was hardly anyone there. We’ve enjoyed both of our stays there even though they were drastically different. Moon Rocks Recreational Area is located in Washoe County and managed by the Bureau of Land Management, Carson City District. There is a 14 day stay limit.

Pros:
- ATV, Jeeps & Dirt Bikes are having fun everywhere on Saturdays, but mostly all were extremely respectful, friendly and cleaned up after themselves.
- Felt very safe for being on public land - most other campers seemed like locals that come out for a weekend of playing and camping in tents and RVs
- Mid-week we were nearly alone with only 1-2 other RVs in site
- When fires are allowed, dry imber is plentiful and some fire pits have been built up around the main camp site

Cons:
- One group partied loudly until 2:30am on a Saturday night, but the noise went away once wearing earplugs
- Human poop and toilet paper are found in a few spots located very close to the main moon rocks camping and we saw another RV dumping water (grey/black) so be careful where you kids and dogs play

This location is an ATV and dirt bike paradise. Miles, and miles of open trails. We were looking for a spot to hunker down for covid-19, and we would have stayed here longer, but the weekend was the craziest we've ever seen on public lands.

There was no doubt, at least 12-16 rigs in one location. ATV's everywhere. Gunshots and death metal. Typical public land, but this spot isn't the place to be long term. During the week, it's really nice!

The road in, takes the trophy for the worst washboard in existence. We've had our fair share, we boondock exclusively. But this washboard was uneven, the kind that makes your rig rock side to side, to the point that you're convinced something will snap.

DO NOT enter this place from Winnemucca Ranch Road. Instead, approach from Prospect Hill road. Prospect Hill road still has bad spots, but it's not as bad as Winnemucca Ranch. Also, most weekenders and day users hang out around the main rocks area, which is approached off of Winnemucca Ranch Rd. If you're just a boondocker, and looking for a reasonable spot, hit this GPS coordinate.

39.837242, -119.776302

It's a small spot that no other RV will pull into, because that will happen here!

Despite all the above, we had a rather pleasant overall experience. We got visited by wild horses, and were buzzed by a red Cessna on a few occasions. He was low enough that we got to wave to him! It was kinda neat.

Dump and water are 45 minutes away at the Shamrock RV Park. Internet was amazing, I clocked 80mbps on AT&T

Just spent four days here, I drove about 2 miles beyond the moonrocks. I can’t say what it’s like right at the rocks or entrance..This place is for bikers and quads, so if your looking for quite on a weekend, you may want to steer clear. . I have read reviews about this place being a garbage dump. There is only one big open spot about a mile in that does looking like a dumping station, other than that just fire rings. My site was large and no garbage
The first day was full of dirt bikes, but the other days were fairly quite. Probably due to the weather. There are a lot of spaces to stay. Just, be careful of soft sand, especially if you have a low or heavy rig. I had to put my truck in four wheel at one point, but due to rain going out was a breeze. If you want wide open spaces and free, this place is great