Las Vegas free boondocking given the loud casinos and attractions on the Strip, camping in Las Vegas could seem weird. However, if you venture outside the municipal limits, you can find a number of campgrounds in Las Vegas as well as unpaid camping spots nearby.
Although Las Vegas is renowned as a place where visitors can try their luck, there are also a lot of other things to discover there. Travelers and locals alike love the city’s many undiscovered campgrounds and RV parks, and camping in Las Vegas is a well-liked pastime activity. The greatest campgrounds are those outside of the city that have a natural touch, while there are several distinctive RV parks and resorts with modern camping sites in the city.
The greatest time to go camping in Las Vegas is in the spring because Nevada has long, hot summers and cool winters. Regarding Las Vegas, keep in mind two things. 1. The most expensive time of year to visit the city is during football season. 2. Considering the cost of unhooking and parking fees, you might as well contact Uber as somewhere you choose to stay on the strip is merely a quick and inexpensive Uber ride away.
If you want to take day trips and spend more time in the area, camping is a terrific option to staying in a hotel. In addition, Sin City is close to stunning natural areas like Red Rock Canyon and the Valley of Fire, just two well-liked locations for camping nearby.
Why You Should Camp On Your Las Vegas Visit
The funhouse that is Las Vegas, Nevada is built on contrast. Set up in the middle of the desert, Las Vegas is intended to be an island of indiscretion, created to be artificially beautiful. But as anyone can tell you, the surrounding region is not just desert, but a vast array of natural beauty that remains untouched despite being so close to the state’s largest city. Any savvy RV user or canyon camper will tell you that Las Vegas camping is the best way to experience both big city lights and serene desert landscape.
The big reason to camp is quite simply the cost. Since Las Vegas has allowed the hotels to add a tax or fee called “Resort Fees” on to the bill when you see the great rates on rooms advertised they are simply not true.
An example is the Excalibur Hotel is $29 but then the resort fee of $31 which is more than the advertised cost of $29 for a Resort Tower King room on August 31, 2022 so our price with all taxes is $74 for 1 night in a Vegas hotel and that is for a room on the cheapest day in the month of August. The next night which is a weekend such as August 6th the price blossoms from $29 to $229 plus resort fee gets you over $300 for 1 night at the Excalibur hotel. A site with or without full hookups at the Red Rock campground is from $10 to $20 a night.
What to Know About Las Vegas Camping
Often you may have difficulty finding a campground with availability close to a big city. Even if you plan months in advance, you can easily get stressed out making reservations. Sometimes you need to plan trips to New York City, San Francisco, Dallas, and Las Vegas a year in advance to secure reservations. That is not true in Las Vegas, there is always a room but at what cost to the pocketbook.
Lets talk about first some unique things to do in Las Vegas and 2nd some of the best places to eat off of the strip. We have lived in Vegas most of the last 10 years and know some really great places off the strip for good deals.
5 Unique Things You Didn’t Know About Las Vegas
check out our video
1. Berlin Wall Urinal
A piece of the iconic wall found an unlikely new home in a Vegas bathroom.
One of the most iconic emblems of the Cold War came to an end when the Berlin Wall fell in 1989. The collapsed building’s fragments were dispersed all across the world. As a remembrance of the past and a caution for the future, pieces of the wall were displayed in 140 different countries, from South Africa to Estonia.
In the men’s restroom of the Main Street Station Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, another chunk of the wall was conspicuously exhibited with somewhat dubious significance.
Now, guests who use the restrooms at the casino can claim to have, sort of, urinated on the Berlin Wall. The approximately 10-foot wide and six-foot tall section of the bathroom wall, which is enclosed in glass to avoid damage, is where the three urinals are mounted. Still, it’s close enough.
2. The Mantis
Las Vegas’s very own 40-foot-tall fire-spewing praying mantis.
“The Permanent Sentinel” A huge, metallic mantis looms above the Downtown Container Park shopping mall in Las Vegas, Nevada. The mantis sculpture has a loud internal speaker system and can discharge fire from its antennae like some sort of post-apocalyptic Mad Max creature. Strangely enough, this homage to monsters from B-movies actually started as an anniversary gift.
Kirk Jellum, an aerospace engineer, first created the Mantis as a gift for his wife Kristen on their first wedding anniversary. The Mantis made its debut during the Burning Man Festival, followed by another visit outside of Zion National Park, before settling permanently in Las Vegas.
The 40-foot-tall Mantis boasts the ability to “speak 20 different languages,” in addition to fire and music, and can be moved to other areas should Jellum feel the need to transfer his enormous artwork. But for the time being, the Container Park, a huge metal monument to love and monsters, can be seen with the Mantis blazing out nightly bombast in front of it.
3. Erotic Heritage Museum
Thousands of artifacts relating to human sexuality, including the world’s largest sex bike.
A Methodist preacher named Reverend Ted McIlvenna owned one of the greatest collections of pornography in the world in the middle of the 1990s.
Like many clerics, McIlvenna had a mission in life. His was to research and preserve works of art, movies, and literature that deal with human sexuality. He formed the Institute for Advanced Study of Human Sexuality in San Francisco after spending more than three decades collecting everything from lewd postcards and posters to sexual treatises.
The foundation of the Erotic Heritage Museum in Las Vegas was built on a sizable chunk of this exceptional personal collection. The museum makes an effort to illustrate all the nuanced parts of the sexual experience and aid visitors in understanding its significance and history.
4. St. Valentine’s Day Massacre Wall
The bullet-riddled wall from the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre, bloodstains enhanced for your viewing pleasure.
A usual Chicago day, a Valentines Day, usually set aside for romance and sweet nothings, a trap was set that put seven men’s criminal careers to an end and thrust Al Capone into the public eye and the sights of the feds.
The trap that culminated the violent feud between two Chicago gangster heavyweights was actually fairly straightforward. Invite the North Side Irish Gang out in full Valentine’s Day regalia as the first step. Second step: Position them in a sitting duck position against a wall. Step three is to depress and hold the trigger.
5. Pinball Hall of Fame
This incredible collection of vintage pinball machines can be played at 25 cents a pop.
The Pinball Hall of Fame is a treasure trove of bright flashing lights, dinging bells, and furious button-pushing. Located not far off the Las Vegas strip in an unassuming building, the Pinball Hall of Fame is beloved by locals and traveling aficionados alike.
More than 200 games fill the warehouse; mostly pinball, but there are a few sports-themed games, some great get-the-ball-bearing-in-the-right-hole games, and one strange safe-breaking game, ranging from around the 1940s era to modern-day. A few games cost ten cents per play, most cost 25¢, and the newest pinball games cost $1.
When the Berlin Wall came down down in 1989, it was the end of one of the Cold War’s most enduring symbols. Pieces of the fallen structure were sent to all corners of the globe. Countries from Estonia to South Africa, and 140 places in between displayed bits of the wall as reminders of the past and warnings for the future.
Another piece of the wall ended up displayed with rather more questionable symbolism: prominently displayed inside the men’s bathroom of the Main Street Station Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.
Visitors to the casino’s bathrooms can now say, if they so desire, that they’ve peed on the Berlin Wall—sort of. The bathroom’s three urinals are attached to the nearly 10-feet wide and six-feet tall piece of the wall, which is encased in glass to prevent damage. But, hey, close enough.
5 Little Known Off Strip Vegas Eateries
1. The Road Kill Grill (My Favorite)
The John Mull’s Meats & Road Kill Grill, a renowned barbecue and meat market that has been featured on Guy Fieri’s Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives on the Food Network. You can obtain excellent customer service and affordable prices at John Mull’s Meats. The majority of food stores and warehouses cannot match our prices for quality or value. High-quality beef, hog, chicken, and other meats are available here, along with cheese, seasonings, sauces, and rubs.
2. Ferraro’s
Just a few blocks off Las Vegas Boulevard is a place called Ferraro’s, one of my all-time favorite off-the-Strip neighborhood eateries. Over the past 30 years, Ferraro’s has honed their Osso Bucco and Italian pasta dishes. When you enter the roomy bar area, live music is playing to set the mood (check out their happy hour specials). Alternately, have a private, romantic dinner in the main dining areas.
3. Chada Thai
The cool kids hang out at Chada Thai, a fantastic tiny Asian fusion restaurant close to Chinatown. The menu is varied, the cuisine is intriguing and delicious, the service is consistently excellent, and it accommodates gluten-free diners easily. It’s a small space, so make appointments to avoid hassle. Additionally, go with companions. Many items on their menu are worth trying.
4. Three Dog Bakery
The Three Dog Bakery for freshly baked biscuits if your dog is ready for their T-R-E-A-T. Ready for a personal vacation? At either of the two Lazy Dog restaurants, you and your dog are allowed to enjoy a snack on the terrace while your companion orders a bowl of chicken and rice for themselves.
5. Andiron Steak & Sea
With a build-your-own Bloody Mary bar, a menu that includes doughnuts to start, superb avocado toast, and a DJ who boosts the swanky ambiance with a mix of tunes, Andiron Steak & Sea in downtown Summerlin speaks to all audiences. This place is wonderful because it offers an experience that you might find on the Strip yet attracts both tourists and residents to its exclusive off-Strip location, which is genuinely unique.
11 Las Vegas Free Boondocking and Camping Locations Plus 4 Permit Sites
1. Desert NWR – Dispersed
Address
Corn Creek Road
Enterprise, Nevada
GPS: 36.43768, -115.35865
Elevation: 2917′
Management: Fish and Wildlife Service
The road into this Las Vegas free boondocking site is dirt. There are 1-20 campsites at this location. This is a free, dispersed camping on a 4WD, high clearance road. First come -> first camped. Please use established sites. No reservations are accepted. Warning: there are few places to turn around an RV or trailer. No services or water.
Best Review:
You will find this Las Vegas free RV camping area once you pass the visitor center, turn left and there are a few designated pull offs where camping is allowed. These spots are walking distance to the visitor center so with a big rig it might be a good idea to check if the nearby sites are open before driving down the road just to be safe. Past the close spots the roads are very slow going and even further the road conditions vary.
2. Las Vegas Lot Near Sunset Station Casino
Address
Las Vegas, Nevada
GPS: 36.03737, -114.98856
Elevation: 1870′
Management: Retail Store
The road into this Las Vegas free rv camping area is Paved. Lot Near Sunset Station Casino is open year round. The maximum RV length at EMPTY LOT is unlimited. You may stay overnight at Lot Near Sunset Station Casino.
Best Review:
Las Vegas free boondocking area in an empty parking lot. Currently has no store. Nice big burm to park next to. This location is in a decent part of Las Vegas. Next to the Vegas Auto Mall complex.
3. Jean Roach Dry Lake Bed
Address
Las Vegas, Nevada
GPS: 35.78465, -115.25949
Elevation: 2782′
Management: Bureau of Land Management
Las Vegas free rv camping area on BLM land off of Las Vegas Blvd, near the 7 magic mountains (brightly colored rock art exhibit that you can’t miss). The BLM land is a dry lake bed that is used as a popular off-road racing site, mainly on the weekends.
Best Review:
Easy to find Las Vegas free camping area, easy to get to different spot options. Heavily trafficked by ATVs, but they didn’t bother me and were all gone around 9 pm. There were spots that would be farther away from the action but it was fine. Absolutely no shade.
I tent camped out here while I was between homes, just threw my tent on the ground for the night, then back to the office in the morning. I was out on weeknights and generally there were few people out there. Some camped in large RVs, so I’d say about anything could camp out here. At no time was anyone else camping within a mile of me, which is a key for me, but on weekends I expect it would be different. I also made sure to camp 2+ miles from Las Vegas Blvd and the railroad tracks to minimize potential for conflict with vagrants.
4. Sloan Canyon National Conservation Area
Address
Las Vegas, Nevada
GPS: 35.916134, -115.125995
Elevation: Up to 5000 ft
Management: Bureau of Land Management
Free dispersed camping in this BLM area. Some areas are protected petroglyph zones where no camping is allowed. Contact the ranger for allowed sections of the area. The road into this Las Vegas free boondocking site is dirt.
Best Review:
You will find this Las Vegas free RV camping area can be very deceiving, as to where you can camp because of the petroglyphs (once you pass the main signs) this is a protected area. So if you come from Vegas and your at the little white trailer which is the main entrance you’ll have to hike to the south side if the mountains and exit.
Finally a ranger helped us and told us that people do in fact hike in to camp dispersed but there was no permit. We hiked down the trail with our gear and about 2 miles in found a great spot just beyond the petroglyph gallery. It had a view of the mountainside and a great view of the sunset.
5. Kingman Wash
Address
Templ Bar Mar, Arizona
GPS: 36.001947, -114.71766
Elevation: 1417′
Management: Bureau of Land Management
The road into this Las Vegas free rv camping area is Dirt and .6 miles from a paved road. Kingman Wash is open Year Round. There are 1-5 campsites at this location and the maximum RV length is 45 feet. You may stay 14 Days at Kingman Wash.
Best Review:
This Las Vegas free rv camping area is just off of the highway exit, there is room for 1, maybe 2 rigs in a pad about .3 miles down the dirt road. Great option for those wishing for a quick stop or those with rigs that can’t make it all the way down to the water. Any length trailer should be able to get in here, as long as you know how to back it in. Same for class A RVs, ground clearance shouldn’t be a problem.
6. Rail Road Pass Casino
Address
Las Vegas, Nevada
GPS: 35.97252, -114.91269
Elevation: 2297′
Management: Casino
The road into this Las Vegas free rv camping area is paved. Rail Road Pass Casino is open year round. There are 30 or more campsites at this location and the maximum RV length is unlimited. You may stay 2 nights at Rail Road Pass Casino.
Best Review:
Large truck parking areas for large / towed vehicles. Parking in lot OK for single vehicles. 48 hours OK. Lot Security. Lots of truck idling noise at night. Lots of traffic and highway noise. We’ve stayed here dozens of times heading North / South in our RV + Trailer. If you’re looking for a Las Vegas free camping area quiet & seclusion, don’t stay here. We like it because it is convenient, free and easy access for our 60 + foot rig.
7. Lovell Canyon
Address
Mountain Springs, Nevada
GPS: 36.053123, -115.557918
Elevation: 5003′
Management: National Forest Service
Free National Forest Las Vegas free boondocking and dispersed camping area. No reservations accepted for this site. This is definitely and OHV area, which we usually avoid, but we still really enjoyed it. The road into this Las Vegas free boondocking site is dirt.
Best Review:
Main road is paved and provides quick access to the campsites. You will find this Las Vegas free RV camping area has some of the sites are along the main road while others are down side roads. If you have a larger camper, I recommend you scout the side roads and look at google satellite view before driving down them. AT&T cell service was excellent for both voice & data. Data speeds for me were 40mbps down and 10mbps up.
8. Lovell Canyon Campground
Address
Las Vegas, Nevada
GPS: 36.059785, -115.561924
Elevation: 5085′
Management: Bureau of Land Management
BLM free RV camping sites, including group spaces. No amenities. There are camping spaces all along the Lovell Canyon road. Some are good for RVs as well as tents. This area is higher in elevation than Las Vegas so it’s always about 15 degrees cooler.
Best Review:
Stayed at this Las Vegas free camping area 3 nights in a cargo van. There are tons of spots up and down the road of various sizes and difficulties. Perfect for people working on the road since there was WiFi and some privacy as well. The campsites were definitely all trashed. It’s unfortunately something we’ve come to expect from being on the road. Beer cans, shattered glass, bullet casings, etc. I did my best to clean up a bit.
9. Lovell Canyon, Pahrump NV
Address
Las Vegas, Nevada
GPS: 36.024154, -115.55927
Elevation: 4698′
Management: National Forest Service
National Forest site for Las Vegas free RV camping area. Dispersed camping not amenities. No reservations for this area. The road into this Las Vegas free boondocking area site is dirt.
Best Review:
Las Vegas free rv camping to camp out for a night… Less than 1 mile on paved road from Highway 160 is the first spot I took. There are many more if you keep going on the road north. No shooting allowed here, compared to the other place on Sandy Wash RD just west of here. No Verizon signal whatsoever! And pay attention to low areas that could be a flash flood problem.
10. Sandy Valley Road Boondocking
Address
Las Vegas, Nevada
GPS: 35.9935, -115.60662
Elevation: 4140′
Management: Bureau of Land Management
The road into this Las Vegas free boondocking site is gravel and 1 mile miles from a paved road. There are 6-15 campsites at this location and the maximum RV length is 45 feet. You may stay 14 days at Sandy Valley Road Boondocking.
Best Review:
This Las Vegas free RV camping area is on BLM land about 35 miles west of Las Vegas. Sandy Valley Road is a well maintained gravel road that runs from Route 160 to Sandy Valley. The first spots along Sandy Valley have been used as trash dumps. We drove down about a mile and found a little loop with about five campsites.
11. Orleans Casino Las Vegas
Address
Las Vegas, Nevada
GPS: 36.105126, -115.199781
Elevation: 2211′
Management: Casino
On the Northside of casino there is oversized parking where they allow Las Vegas free rv camping, hosting many trucks and RVs, no questions asked. Truck are even running generators all night. 4500 W Tropicana Ave, Las Vegas, NV 89103 Enter oversized parking by lot from the back on Harmon avenue.
Best Review:
The over-sized vehicle car park at the hotel casino is clean, flat, quiet and has space for 100s of vehicles. No hook ups. There are bins. The casino is open 24/7 and the many restrooms are clean. Register for “B Connected” membership in the casino and you can use the courtesy bus to the Las Vegas strip which is about 2 miles away. This was a really super Las Vegas free camping spot only about a mile from the strip.
4 Free Camping Locations for Las Vegas With Permits
These 4 areas all provide low cost Dispersed Camping on Lake Mead. There are a ton of other sites on the lake, enquire with the rangers for other sites not listed. The 7 day permit covers any site that allows dispersed camping on the lake.
A pass is required to enter the Lake Mead National Recreation Area. A Federal Interagency pass will get you in. Otherwise it is $10 for 7 days and $30 for a yearly pass. They can be purchased here and printed on your printer. https://www.nps.gov/lake/planyourvisit/fees.htm
1. 8 Mile Road
Address
8 Mile Road
Las Vegas, Nevada
GPS: 36.1364, -114.8226
Elevation: 1276′
Management: National Park Service
Dispersed camping in Lake Mead National Park. 8 Mile Road is open year round. You may stay 7 Days at 8 Mile Road. The road into this Las Vegas free RV camping area is a gravel and dirt combination.
Best Review:
We camped at this Las Vegas free RV camping area at the end of November in a campervan. Bumpy road. Lots of big rigs. I liked it better than Government Wash, because it is greener, there are less people and the water is easier to get to. Good ATT and Verizon cellular. Dumpsters are near the paved road. Closest flush toilets are at Government Wash. Closest vault toilet is at Boxcar Cove. Dump, fill, laundry, (coin) showers, booze, and groceries are at Callvile.
2. Boxcar Cove – Lake Mead NRA
Address
Las Vegas, Nevada
GPS: 36.11977, -114.784
Elevation: 1201′
Management: National Park Service
Boxcar Cove – Lake Mead NRA is open Year Round. You may stay 15 days at Boxcar Cove – Lake Mead NRA. The road into this Las Vegas free boondocking site is gravel.
3. Crawdad Cove
Address
Crawdad Cove Road
Las Vegas, Nevada
GPS: 36.1281, -114.7968
Elevation: 1201′
Management: National Park Service
Las Vegas free RV camping area in Lake Mead National Park. 8 Mile Road is open year round. You may stay 7 Days at Crawdad Cove. Permit is $20/week no fee for National Park Pass holders. The camping is a few miles down the road near the waterfront.
Best Review:
Nice site got in here with a 45 foot motor home no problems there was a bit of wash board just take it slow beautiful location very close to the water 2 dumpsters right off the paved road about 2 miles of dirt road to get here watch for sandy areas off the dirt roads. Las Vegas free camping area was located on a combination paved, gravel and dirt road. (Update – This site may become day use only in 2022, just as the ranger there are many alternates.)
4. Government Wash
Address
601 Nevada Way
Boulder City, Nevada
GPS: 36.130915, -114.837129
Elevation: 1240′
Management: National Park Service
Free Las Vegas boondocking site in Lake Mead National Recreation Area. The road in is Gravel and <1 miles from a paved road. Government Wash is open All. There are 30 or more campsites at this location and the maximum RV length is unlimited. You may stay 15 days at Government Wash.
Amenities:
Near Water
Restrooms
Trash Cans
Best Review:
We stayed at this Las Vegas free RV camping area for five nights and thought it was a phenomenal spot. We pulled off to the left of the bathrooms where the pavement ends and found the perfect spot without driving our rig on gravel for more than a quarter mile. There are tons of spots that I’d say any vehicle can drive on without having to go down a really bumpy road. Between the full moon and Las Vegas light pollution (eew), nighttime was uniquely eerie. Pretty cool. There are so many amazing hikes and things to do in the Lake Mead National Recreation Area. We will definitely be .
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