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SP Campground Review – Lahontan Lake State Recreation Area – Silver Springs, NV

April 27, 2014 by libertatemamo 19 Comments

A very pleasant lakeside State Park in Western Nevada, just off Alt. Hwy 95 near Silver Springs, NV. Likely gets crowded in summer.

Morning walk along Lahontan Lake shoreline

Link to campground here: Lahontan Lake State Recreation Area, NV
Link to map location here: Lahontan Lake State Recreation Area, NV

  1. Site Quality = 2/5
    Very mixed site quality here. Lahontan Lake is HUGE (over 69 miles of shoreline) and you can camp along the shoreline itself (at any of the marked coves) as well as in the developed campground at Silver Springs Beach #7. The cost is the same for each ($15/night) so it’s just a question of preference of where you want to park.

    1. Developed Campground -> The developed campground is located at Silver Springs Beach #7 and has ~25 paved campsites with concrete picnic tables and a few firepits (not all sites). Main ding here is that there is alot of variation in size, separation and levelness. The majority of sites can accommodate big rigs (disabled sites are huge), but a few sites can only accommodate smaller rigs and many of the others, especially those facing the water, are very unlevel indeed. Site separation is variable -> some sites have nice separation, other sites are right next to each other, so I would imagine this would feel like a crowded campground when full. The lake-facing sites all have excellent views of the lake and many sites have pleasant surroundings of cottownwood shade trees. On-site water spigots, but no hookups.
    2. Dispersed Camping -> Lahanton Lake is rather unusual in that it allows dispersed camping in any of the marked beach areas along the shoreline of the lake, right the way down to the water. There are literally miles of shoreline to chose from, but you have the be careful -> the shore gets sandy and soft very fast making for some tricky ground to camp on. Smaller rigs and truck campers can find nice spots close to the water, but larger rigs should stay closer to the road. Scout out your area by foot before going in with your rig. We found some nice, large sites around Silver Springs Beach #3 and #5, but thought all too soft for our size.
  2. Facilities = 2.5/5
    Basic facilities here. There are clean flush toilets at many of the beaches around the lake, plus there are a few shower facilities. Main ding is that the shower facilities are paid ($0.50 for 5 mins). Also at our location (Silver Springs Beach #7) only one shower-stall was open and the showerhead was fixed below shoulder height causing us to have to do some serious limbo-acrobatics to get clean. However pressure and temp was very good. On-site dump station and water spigots.
  3. Location = 3.5/5
    This is a decent location. You are on a large, fresh-water lake providing lots of opportunity for recreation (fishing, canoeing , swimming) plus you are close to the town of Silver Springs (limited amenities, but it has some basics) and the historic interest of Fort Churchill State Park (old fort and Pony Express). Main dings is that there is not alot of decent shopping in the area, plus there are indications the lake becomes very full/crowded with folks (cars, ATVs, teenagers etc.) during the warmer days.
  4. Pet Friendliness = 5/5
    Excellent spot for doggie. Miles and miles of sandy shoreline to hike and lake area to swim in. There are additional walking trails in nearby Fort Churchill State Park.

Overall Rating = 3.25
BONUS ALERT = Camp with full water views anywhere along Lahontan Lake!

Summary: This ended up being an interesting little stop for us. Lahontan Lake State Recreation Area covers a man-made lake with over 69 miles of shoreline right south of Silver Springs, NV. There are two main entrances to the recreation area (South and North) and you can camp either in the developed campground (near Silver Springs Beach #7) or disperse camp at any of the beach areas along the shoreline. This makes for literally miles (and miles) of shore camping with almost guaranteed lake views. The biggest issue is that site quality varies a lot. The developed campground has ~25 paved sites with picnic tables & some grills, but the separation, size and levelness are very variable meaning some sites are rather spacious, while others might be too uneven to level and/or right next to your neighbor. The dispersed camping on the shoreline is very relaxed (you can chose any location you wish), but it’s on the sand which can get very soft very fast so it’s a good idea to scope out your area by foot before bringing in a rig. Truck campers and smaller rigs can potentially get right next to the water, but big rigs are best staying closer to the tree-line. Views of the lake are generally excellent and trees make for a nice covering up from the lake, plus there are limitless opportunities for recreation (swimming, fishing, boating etc.) as well as historic interest in nearby Fort Churchill State Park. On the other hand the easy availability of the lake/water also likely means this becomes a very, very popular spot in summer. When we arrived it was rather cold/windy and there was no-one (at all) in the area making for a superbly relaxed atmosphere with the entire beach to ourselves. However we did have one warm afternoon during which several groups of teens with cars/ATVs/music etc. came in and partied down by the lake for the day. A look at this same area on Google Earth reveals hundreds of cars along the shoreline so I imagine that’s the atmosphere in summer.  Overall we enjoyed our stay, but I think much of this was thanks to the cold weather. I’d certainly come again in low season, but would probably avoid the high season crowds altogether.

Extra Info:  Excellent 3G & 4G LTE Verizon signal (4  bars of each). Sites cost $15/night whether you stay in the campground or along the shoreline (dispersed camping). No hookups. On-site flush toilets, household trash, dump station and water spigots.  Several on-site showers, but they are paid ($0.50 for 5 mins).

View of entrance into developed campground near Silver Springs Beach #7. First site on left was VERY unlevel. We're in 2nd site back.
View of entrance into developed campground near Silver Springs Beach #7. First site on left was VERY unlevel. We’re in 2nd site back.
Back view of our site in the developed campground. We had a great view of the lake out the front.
Back view of our site in the developed campground. We had a great view of the lake out the front.
View of another lake-side site in the developed campground.
View of another lake-side site in the developed campground. Excellent views here, but site was very unlevel (sloping towards front).
View of more lakeside sites at the developed campground. The left site we could potentially fit if we parked at an angle. The site further back we could not fit at all.
View of more lakeside sites at the developed campground. The left site we could potentially fit if we parked at an angle. The site further back we could not fit at all.
View of one of the longer/bigger sites in the campground
View of one of the longer/bigger/flatter sites in the developed campground.
View of flush toilets at the campground
View of flush toilets at the campground
View of one of dispersed sites along the shore. This was taken at Silver Springs Beach #3. This was large but very soft/sandy.
View of one of dispersed sites closer to the water on the shore. This was taken at Silver Springs Beach #3. This site was large but very soft/sandy.
Another view of dispersed site. This was also taken at Silver Springs Beach #3. Toilet/shower stall in the background. This was a reasonably firm site.
Another view of dispersed site. This was also taken at Silver Springs Beach #3. Toilet/shower stall in the background. This was a reasonably firm site situated well back from the water-line.
Another dispersed site view. This was taken at Silver Springs Beach #5
Another dispersed site view. This was taken at Silver Springs Beach #5. This was too soft for us, but could accommodate a lighter rig no problem.
Map of Lahontan Lake State Recreation Area. We stayed in the developed campground by Silver Springs Beach #7.
Map of Lahontan Lake State Recreation Area. We stayed in the developed campground by Silver Springs Beach #7.

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We LOooVE Comments, So Please Do

  1. Dugg says

    April 27, 2014 at 6:23 pm

    What, no pix of you and the partying teens down by the lake?

    Reply
    • libertatemamo says

      April 27, 2014 at 6:56 pm

      Ha!! No, too old for that kind of partying. I have to give them credit though. Temps were barely hitting 60 and the girls were in bikinis…brrrr!
      Nina

      Reply
  2. Rod says

    April 27, 2014 at 7:32 pm

    Just an FYI,,, there are reportedly several unhealthy sediments in the lake that wash down from the old time mines in the area. I personally wouldn’t go in the water or eat any fish from this resorvoir.

    Reply
    • libertatemamo says

      April 28, 2014 at 7:50 am

      Interesting…I did not know that. Good to know. We saw one guy fishing from an inflatable on our last day there (the water levels are low enough that they’ve closed the boat ramp).

      Nina

      Reply
  3. Susan says

    April 27, 2014 at 8:01 pm

    Looks pretty nice !

    Reply
    • libertatemamo says

      April 28, 2014 at 7:52 am

      This time of year I would definitely agree…we had a very pleasant stay.

      Nina

      Reply
  4. UPriverdavid says

    April 27, 2014 at 10:18 pm

    Yes!..Thank-you for this review, especially the map. Next time I’m down that-a-ways it gives me another option to visit a place I haven’t been. This includes the state park I wasn’t aware of.
    David

    Reply
    • libertatemamo says

      April 28, 2014 at 7:46 am

      It’s an interesting little area. I had trouble finding any info at all on the place before we got here (it’s not even listed on rvparkreviews.com), so I was surprised how large it was and how interesting the local old fort was. Clearly this is a well-known local spot, but perhaps not as well known by visitors?

      Nina

      Reply
  5. Bob says

    April 28, 2014 at 6:25 am

    Looks like an awesome area. Too bad about some (most?)of the sites not being level. Just makes it a bit of a challenge if you have a “beast”.
    Well, even in a tent nobody like all the blood rushing to their head.

    Reply
    • libertatemamo says

      April 28, 2014 at 7:49 am

      I did find it a bit odd, given how much space there is here, that the State Park didn’t make the developed campground a little more consistent. All the sites are so different/inconsistent. Of course since we were the only ones there it didn’t bother us, but if it were full I could see it feeling mighty crowded.

      Nina

      Reply
  6. Bill says

    April 28, 2014 at 8:03 am

    Too bad you couldn’t get closer to the water with your rig. Thanks for the site review.

    Reply
    • libertatemamo says

      April 28, 2014 at 8:05 am

      We were only about 100 feet from the water at the developed campground so we were ok with that. Way to sandy for our size/weight on the beach.

      Nina

      Reply
  7. Rowanova says

    April 28, 2014 at 8:52 am

    You do have a knack for finding the hidden gems. Nice one, and I like the pics too. Thanks.

    Reply
  8. Dan says

    April 28, 2014 at 8:41 pm

    Good, accurate review. Be aware that in the summer, Lahontan is a mad house, especially on weekends. The fishing is pretty good from shore during the warmer months, mostly white bass, wipers (striped bass/white bass hybrid), walleye, largemouth bass and crappie. The water line fluctuates year to year and during the year. Dry years, like this one and there’s plenty of sand. Wet years and in the spring and early summer, a lot of those trees are in the lake.

    Reply
    • libertatemamo says

      April 28, 2014 at 8:44 pm

      Great info Dan. Thanks for sharing!

      Nina

      Reply
  9. Wendi says

    September 19, 2014 at 12:24 pm

    Born and raised in the Carson City area, Lahontan was a summer staple from the age we could drive. Its always been rugged, lots of bugs and sand in the most uncomfortable of places, but we were never deterred to go when the sun warmed the earth. The counties that lake resides are very rural and so most of their operating budgets are spent elsewhere, but it is truly a local favorite. This year has been really hard with the drought and the lake is all but dried up by now. We are all hoping and praying for a really heavy wet winter so the lake will be reborn. Thanks for adding that location to your stop!

    Reply
    • libertatemamo says

      September 20, 2014 at 8:03 am

      So sad about the water levels. The lake was already pretty low when we visited earlier this year and one of the locals told us it’s been steadily dropping every year, so that basically just confirms exactly what you said. It’s a fine campground for the area, and I can totally understand why it’s so popular. Hope you get some good rain soon!

      Nina

      Reply
  10. mark prichard says

    November 29, 2016 at 10:06 pm

    I was a park aide and seasonal ranger here. Lived and taught in the local community, Silver Springs. I loved the park and area. Can be crazy on summer holiday weekends.
    Miss the ole days.

    Reply
  11. Ilaria says

    August 12, 2018 at 12:47 pm

    Hi, what beach is the one that shows the dog on the sandy area close to the water? It’s beautiful!
    Thank you for sharing
    Ilaria

    Reply

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