Hey friends, welcome back to Grand Adventure! I'm your host Marc Guido,
and this week we are boondocking right on the beach at Lahontan State Recreation Area
just outside of Silver Springs, Nevada, so stay tuned!
This episode of Grand Adventure is proudly sponsored by the Better Business Bureau!
Turn to bbb.org to find trustworthy and honest businesses wherever you travel in your RV.
Lahontan Reservoir was originally built in 1905 by the Bureau of Reclamation
as part of an irrigation project to water nearby farmlands between Reno and Fallon, Nevada.
It was named after an ancient lake which covered the western Great Basin during the last Ice Age,
and became a Nevada State Recreation Area in 1971.
With willows and cottonwoods scattered along 69 miles of shoreline,
the park is one of most popular places in the state to boat, fish, water ski,
horseback ride, camp and enjoy the outdoors.
Wild horses, bobcat, fox and deer share the park with a variety of birds,
including migratory waterfowl, pelicans, herons, egrets and hawks.
Lahontan is also a nesting site for bald eagles.
Primitive boondocking on the beach is permitted in all areas except for day use and boat ramp areas,
with a permit costing $15 per night for Nevada residents
and $20 per night for out-of-state vehicles.
A camping limit of 14 days in a 30-day period is enforced.
Dump station facilities are available near both entrances to the park.
No ATVs or other unlicensed vehicles are allowed.
The water is quite low during our visit,
so those wishing to camp along the shoreline
have to travel further out onto the lakebed than normal.
Some of the beach areas are buried in deep sand, where four-wheel drive is strongly recommended.
Still, we're being treated to free entertainment in the form of an occasional stuck camper.
As full-time travelers who hate to plan ahead,
summer holidays always present us with a challenge to find an unreserved spot to camp.
We therefore arrived at Lahontan the Sunday preceding Memorial Day Weekend,
and plan to stay put through the holiday, whatever that may bring.
It wasn't difficult, though, to envision a popular lake
only an hour from the Reno area getting swarmed for the holiday weekend.
Along with the folks behind the YouTube channel Homie at Large we enjoyed a few peaceful,
isolated days on the beach before things took a dramatic turn on Wednesday afternoon.
These two scenes were filmed within 24 hours of one another,
three full days before the holiday weekend actually begins.
Despite the close quarters, everyone has been jovial, yet well behaved.
Although we typically seek solitude and space while boondocking,
we have to admit that the atmosphere here has been rather festive throughout the holiday weekend.
For those who prefer an established campsite on a paved pad,
Silver Springs Beach #7 offers developed dry campground facilities open year-round,
with restrooms, tables and grills.
Sites remain first come, first served for 2022, and the rate to camp at Lahontan is the same,
whether boondocking or staying in this developed campground.
So I'd like to take a moment to talk to you about our video sponsor, the Better Business Bureau.
Whether you're a full-timer like us or a weekend warrior,
chances are you're traveling in an area where you do not know the providers of goods and services.
Now while we were here at Lahontan I had a problem turn up.
You see, I ordered a new truck back in the middle of December,
and it was supposed to be here in April before we left Salt Lake City.
However, such is the situation with new vehicles right now,
they haven't even started the assembly yet.
So I've been reluctant to put money into our Tundra.
However, by the time we got here, looking at the tires on the Tundra I
realized I really had to cash in for a new set of tires.
Not being familiar with this area, instead of looking on, say, Google reviews,
I instead went to bbb.org, the Better Business Bureau's website,
to find a service provider that I could trust.
You see, the Better Business Bureau is all about trust, integrity, honesty and transparency,
and I found the perfect tire provider.
Quite frankly I could not have been happier
with the sales and the service experience with this particular provider
that I found through the Better Business Bureau's website.
Turn to bbb.org and start your adventure today!
A corridor known as Carson River Ranches connects Lahontan with Fort Churchill State Historic Park.
This stretch of western Nevada was crossed by multiple routes including the California Trail,
the Central Overland Route and the Pony Express Route.
Fort Churchill was built in 1861
to provide protection for early settlers and the Pony Express mail runs.
In 1860 a band of Paiutes and Bannocks attacked Williams Station,
now buried beneath the waters of Lahontan Reservoir,
in retaliation for the kidnap and rape of two young Paiute girls
by the proprietors of the station.
Following the defeat of the natives in the Pyramid Lake War,
the single greatest confrontation between Native Americans and settlers in Nevada’s history,
U.S. Army Captain Joseph Stewart established a permanent U.S. Army fort along the Carson River
near the location of where the hostilities began at Williams Station.
The post was abandoned in 1869, four years after the conclusion of the Civil War.
Today, the ruins are preserved by the State of Nevada in a state of arrested decay.
Samuel Buckland came to the area in 1859 to begin ranching,
and his ranch served as an important way station along the Central Overland Route.
The Pony Express also had a change of mounts at the ranch.
Buckland sold fresh vegetables and other supplies, including barley, hay and cattle,
to western emigrants and Fort Churchill staff during the 1860s.
When Fort Churchill was abandoned and being dismantled in 1869,
Buckland bought all of the buildings for $750 at auction,
and salvaged materials to build this two-story building to house his growing family
and provide travelers with an important place of rest.
Camping right on the shore of Lahontan Reservoir is
providing my first opportunity to paddle in 2022.
Our weather this week has varied from hot and calm to cold with 50 mph wind gusts,
limiting my ability to get out on the lake, but it sure feels good to get back on the water.
So we truly hope that you've enjoyed visiting Lahontan State Recreation Area with us!
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