Mesquite, Nevada is located in the Southeast corner of Nevada near the Arizona and Utah borders and lies on the eastern edge of the Mohave Desert. The geology and beauty of the geological land forms in the area make the Mesquite region an area of interest for hikers, rock hounds and back packers. Red sandstone geological formations and river carved canyons dot the dry arid desert landscape and make great scenery for camping. The best travel conditions exist for this rugged desert wilderness terrain during the winter months.
Types of Camping
Types of camping in the Mesquite, Nevada ranges from fully developed fee camping to rugged free wilderness camping. Close to the town of Mesquite visitors will find several RV parks. The developed campgrounds in the area are far apart but they have the bare essentials, are clean, have water and charge a fee. The wilderness areas that allow camping have no fees, but there are no designated spots. In these areas, you must be prepared to run into the desert wildlife that inhabit the area such as rattle snakes, scorpions, tarantulas, coyotes, mountain lions and big horn sheep. Water, food and all your basic needs must be hauled in and you must be aware that there might not be cell phone coverage in the area.
Desert Skies RV Resort
RV camping has a large following in the Southwest. Many so called snow-birds flock down from the snow ridden northern states in the winter to travel through the Southwest. You definitely are not sleeping on the ground and you bring your house with you. The Desert Skies RV Resort situated right on the Nevada/Arizona border and minutes from Mesquite, Nevada casinos, offers its guests country club living. Desert Skies is built on The Palms18-hole golf course for your enjoyment. The RV park also has a pool, shower facilities, laundry facilities, fitness center, hiking trails, horseback riding and even aerobic classes.
The Virgin River Canyon Recreation Area
The Virgin River Canyon Recreation Area located 20 miles northeast of Mesquite, Nevada off of Interstate 15 offers a developed campground called the Cedar Pockets Campground. This campground allows car, tent and limited RV camping. The area has no power hook ups but does have a RV dump station. The area has one of the few developed campgrounds in the area.The campground has 75 sites that include tables, charcoal grills, water, flush toilets, handicapped-accessible sites and paved roads. Hiking trails surround the camp ground along with habitat for the bighorn sheep. The campsite sits within a short hike of the Virgin River which stays wet most of the year and swells to a rage during spring run-off allowing rafts to navigate its rapids. Views at this campsite are spectacular.
Four-Wheel Access
The Gold Butte Back Country Byway takes about four to five hours to see by car and camping is permitted. The area lies on federal land managed by the Bureau of Land Management, BLM. The region is located to the northwest of the Lake Mead National Recreation Area and to the south of the town of Mesquite and right on the border with Arizona. The Gold Butte area was placed into a U.S. Department of Transportation program to preserve selected roads throughout the country. The region seeks recognition also as a conservation area to protect valuable historic, cultural and existing animal habitat areas for the future. The Gold Butte Region has car access and four-wheel drive access and has numerous wilderness camping opportunities but there are no developed campgrounds in the area.
Extreme Camping
"The area is becoming increasingly popular for primitive recreation" according to a Bureau of Land Management information website on the area. Primitive camping has outdoor enthusiast drooling at the mouth. Extreme camping with no amenities whatsoever in the middle of the desert best describes Beaver Dam Mountains. An area made for campers that love the land with nothing added to it. The Beaver Dam Wilderness area in Arizona, located off of Interstate 15 South of St. George and 23 miles north of Mesquite. The area has wilderness camping available in undeveloped camp areas and they are for free. This area is loaded with minerals and is a great place for rock hounds to explore. The area has no official developed hiking trails but Beaver Dam Wilderness has plenty of hiking opportunities along with rock climbing. The geologic history makes for spectacular views of the surrounding mountains.
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