When Society Collapses, These Are the Only 30 Places in Nevada You’ll Want to Be

If you’re a survival prepper in Nevada, you’re already aware that the Silver State offers some of the most diverse and rugged terrains in the country. Whether you’re preparing for a grid-down scenario or simply want to be ready for whatever comes next, knowing where to camp in Nevada is essential. With its wide range of environments—from deserts to mountains, forests to lakes—Nevada offers the perfect backdrop for honing your survival skills, stocking up on supplies, or just escaping into nature. In this guide, I’ll walk you through some of the best campsites in Nevada for preppers, where you can test your abilities, stock your gear, and practice your outdoor skills in some of the most unforgiving terrain in America.

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1. Great Basin National Park

Nestled along the Nevada-Utah border, Great Basin National Park is a prepper’s paradise. With its towering peaks, remote valleys, and diverse ecosystems, this park offers a rugged experience for anyone looking to put their survival skills to the test. There are ample campgrounds and backcountry areas to practice stealth camping, fire-starting, and water purification. Make sure to bring plenty of layers, as temperatures can swing drastically.

2. Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area

Just outside of Las Vegas, Red Rock Canyon is a popular spot for preppers looking for desert terrain that’s not too far from civilization. While it’s close to the hustle and bustle of the city, Red Rock Canyon’s vast network of trails and campsites can give you a sense of isolation, making it ideal for practicing your outdoor skills in a relatively safe environment.

3. Lake Tahoe

Lake Tahoe is a prime location for preppers looking to practice survival tactics by water. Surrounded by forests and mountain ranges, the area has various campgrounds where you can practice fishing, water purification, and wilderness navigation. It’s the perfect spot to perfect your skills in a picturesque setting, with plenty of opportunities to build shelters and fire-starting stations near the water.

4. Toiyabe National Forest

With over 6 million acres of land, Toiyabe National Forest offers an incredible diversity of landscapes and ecosystems for preppers to explore. From high-desert areas to mountainous regions, the forest is a top choice for those looking to practice survival skills in various environments. The campsite options here are plentiful, so you’ll never run out of opportunities to test your skills.

5. Pyramid Lake

Pyramid Lake is a unique and remote location for those looking to practice survival techniques while enjoying the natural beauty of Nevada. Situated in the northern part of the state, Pyramid Lake offers solitude and an environment perfect for survival training. The terrain varies from marshes to rocky outcrops, making it an excellent location for testing your wilderness navigation skills.

6. Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest

The largest national forest in Nevada, Humboldt-Toiyabe offers a mix of high-desert and alpine landscapes. Whether you’re camping in the rugged mountains or the arid desert, this forest provides an excellent opportunity for preppers to learn and practice skills such as trapping, shelter-building, and wildlife identification.

7. Valley of Fire State Park

If you’re looking for a campsite that allows you to practice your desert survival skills, Valley of Fire State Park is where you need to go. Located just an hour north of Las Vegas, this state park has some of the most striking desert landscapes in Nevada. With its large red sandstone formations, the area is perfect for honing your desert navigation skills and practicing skills like fire-making and water conservation.

8. Lamoille Canyon

For those who prefer mountain terrain, Lamoille Canyon in the Ruby Mountains is an excellent choice. The area offers stunning views, alpine lakes, and rugged peaks perfect for practicing shelter-building, water filtration, and creating emergency fire stations. Lamoille Canyon is also remote, making it a great place for more isolated survival training.

9. Bonneville Salt Flats

While known for its historical significance and salt flats, this area offers a surreal, otherworldly experience. The Bonneville Salt Flats is one of the most barren and unforgiving environments in Nevada, making it the ideal place to practice survival tactics in extreme conditions. Use it to test your ability to navigate using basic survival tools like a compass or map.

10. Eldorado Canyon

If you’re looking for an adventurous, yet accessible location, Eldorado Canyon is a great option. It’s a popular spot for rock climbers, but survivalists can also benefit from the area’s varied terrain, which includes caves, crevices, and water sources that allow you to test your skill set in a variety of ways.

11. Cold Creek Campground

Located near the Nevada Test Site, Cold Creek Campground is known for its remote desert environment and relative isolation. It’s a perfect place for preppers to practice extended survival tactics and prepare for isolation scenarios. Use the location for testing gear, making shelter, and honing your skills in tough conditions.

12. Mount Charleston

If you prefer cooler climates, Mount Charleston is an ideal option. Located just outside of Las Vegas, this high-altitude area offers a mix of desert and forest terrains, making it perfect for a variety of survival training. Whether you’re practicing snow shelters or desert survival techniques, Mount Charleston has everything you need to up your prepper game.

13. Walker Lake

Walker Lake offers an excellent opportunity to hone your skills around water sources. The area is remote, which allows you to practice everything from fishing and water filtration to navigation and shelter-building. As it’s an off-the-beaten-path destination, it’s perfect for those looking to immerse themselves in nature and refine their prepper skills.

14. Ruby Mountains Wilderness

The Ruby Mountains provide a classic mountain terrain with high-altitude lakes, rugged cliffs, and forested areas. It’s a prime location for practicing high-elevation survival skills, such as building shelters in snow or relying on your gear to make it through colder temperatures.

15. Bristlecone Pine Forest

For those who enjoy higher elevations and the beauty of ancient trees, the Bristlecone Pine Forest in the White Mountains offers an ideal spot. This area is known for the world’s oldest trees, and the serene environment offers plenty of opportunities for stealth camping, trail navigation, and wilderness survival training.

16. Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge

This hidden gem in southern Nevada is perfect for preppers interested in a unique desert ecosystem. Ash Meadows is home to rare wildlife and a variety of different terrain types, including springs, salt flats, and wetlands. The area’s isolation and unique conditions provide an excellent setting for wilderness survival.

17. Spring Mountains National Recreation Area

This is an excellent place to practice high-desert survival skills. With plenty of campsites and hiking trails, Spring Mountains is a place where preppers can test their endurance, build shelters, and master basic survival techniques like fire-building and navigation.

18. Cave Lake State Park

For those seeking a more tranquil environment, Cave Lake State Park offers a mix of mountainous terrain and lakeside camping. It’s a great place to practice your wilderness navigation skills while fishing, boating, and exploring caves. The park is also remote enough to allow for extended survival trips.

19. Shoshone Mountains

The Shoshone Mountains are a rugged and often overlooked part of Nevada, offering a chance to explore the remote high-desert and mountain terrain. It’s an excellent place for more advanced preppers to practice tactics such as hunting, foraging, and navigating extreme conditions.

20. Tonopah

Tonopah is a great location for a prepper looking to experience remote desert living. The town itself is small, but it provides quick access to nearby wilderness areas where you can practice your survival skills. It’s an ideal spot for long-term camping and testing your gear in extreme conditions.

21. Kingston Canyon

Kingston Canyon is a great option for anyone looking to enjoy some solitude while practicing survival skills. The area features stunning mountain views, and the proximity to water sources makes it ideal for testing skills like water purification and fishing.

22. Crescent Valley

Crescent Valley is located in central Nevada and provides a great place for long-term camping. The area offers a unique combination of desert and forest environments, perfect for honing various prepper skills.

30 Best Campsites in Nevada for Survival Preppers

  1. Great Basin National Park
  2. Red Rock Canyon
  3. Lake Tahoe
  4. Toiyabe National Forest
  5. Pyramid Lake
  6. Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest
  7. Valley of Fire State Park
  8. Lamoille Canyon
  9. Bonneville Salt Flats
  10. Eldorado Canyon
  11. Cold Creek Campground
  12. Mount Charleston
  13. Walker Lake
  14. Ruby Mountains Wilderness
  15. Bristlecone Pine Forest
  16. Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge
  17. Spring Mountains National Recreation Area
  18. Cave Lake State Park
  19. Shoshone Mountains
  20. Tonopah
  21. Kingston Canyon
  22. Crescent Valley
  23. Ruby Lake National Wildlife Refuge
  24. Jarbidge Wilderness
  25. Alamo
  26. Desert National Wildlife Refuge
  27. Las Vegas Wash
  28. Virgin River Gorge
  29. Stokes Castle
  30. Desert Springs Campground

The Underrated Chess Skill That Will Make You A Better Prepper

Did you know getting good at chess would improve your prepping abilities?

Don’t worry, I’m not going to ask you to learn how to play chess.

In fact, I don’t even know the rules of that game!

But I do know that it requires a lot of strategic thinking.

And that professional chess players can quickly think of 15 or 20 moves ahead in each move.

This is exactly what is needed for prepping.

Being prepared means more than just stocking up on food and weapons.

It means having a comprehensive plan in place that covers a wide range of scenarios and contingencies. 

Without a plan, we risk being caught unaware and unable to respond effectively to emergencies. 

But planning for emergencies is not easy.

There is always something different to prepare for.

Earthquakes…

Tornados…

Power Outages…

One can’t ever account for everything.

Sometimes we don’t even know what we are preparing for.

Take the chemical spill in Ohio, for example.

How could the residents see this coming?

And how could they even prepare for it?

Well, the truth is, with a proper planning system, you can prepare for anything.

You’ll see how in a minute.

First, you need to know:

Why Planning Is So Important.

Imagine you lived in an area that is prone to hurricanes.

You’ve stocked up on food and water…

You have a generator…

…and you’ve secured your house as best you can. 

You feel confident that you are prepared for the next big storm.

But suddenly, a huge storm hits.

One that is bigger than any other storm your area has seen.

It completely destroys your preparations and your house is not safe anymore.

You have to bug out.

But the issue is, it happened on a school day. And your children still haven’t gotten back from school.

How will you let them know where to meet? 

Your smartphone is not working because the power grid stopped working.

It’s a disaster!

Well, this is where foresight comes in handy.

If you had agreed on a meeting place in case your preparations didn’t work, then this would have been solved.

Getting good at planning means preparing for things that most people would not even think about.

Of course, this was a far-fetched scenario…

But it goes to show…

A proper plan can help you and your family overcome even the craziest catastrophe.

That’s why I’ll show you simple ways to become good at this skill.

And give you ideas on how to practice your planning abilities so that you are always ready.

Find Your Commitment Level

Before you start working on your planning skills, there is something that you have to figure out first…

You need to assess your level of commitment. 

The reason this is so important is that developing this skill is not something easy.

You will not become good at it overnight.

Just like professional chess players work very hard to improve their skills, you will have to go over some roadblocks.

If you are aware of your commitment level before you even start, however, you will be in a much better position to work through these roadblocks.

Before you read the rest of the article, ask yourself these questions:

  • How much time and effort are you willing to invest in planning for emergencies?
  • If improving your planning skills gets too hard, would you continue working on them?
  • What challenges are you willing to face?

Take your time and honestly answer these questions.

This way, you can set realistic goals for yourself and ensure that you don’t overcommit or burn out.

How To Improve Your Planning Skills

Once you’ve figured out your commitment level, it is finally time to improve your planning abilities.

When it comes to planning for emergencies, there are some key elements that every prepping plan should include. 

These elements include risk assessment, threat analysis, resource inventory, and contingency planning. 

Let’s explore each of these elements in more detail:

Risk assessment.

This is the process of identifying potential risks and hazards that could affect you and your loved ones. 

This includes natural disasters, economic collapse, civil unrest, and other potential emergencies.

You can even include risks that are not your plan.

Neglecting to prepare for something is also a risk.

Consider everything that could go wrong.

Threat analysis. 

This is where you evaluate the risks.

Conduct a threat analysis to evaluate:

  1. The likelihood of each threat.
  2. The potential impact of each threat.

This will help you prioritize your planning efforts and allocate resources.

Resource inventory.

A resource inventory involves taking stock of the resources you have on hand and identifying any gaps in your preparedness. 

This includes:

  • Food, 
  • Water, 
  • Medication
  • Weapons and ammunition
  • Other essential items.

Contingency planning.

Contingency planning involves developing a plan B in case your primary plan fails (Remember the storm example?).

This can include backup evacuation routes, secondary locations for shelter, or contingency supply sources.

By including these key elements in your prepping plan, you can be better prepared for a wide range of emergencies and increase your probability of survival.

Tips That Will Make This Easier

If you’ve read this far, you have probably realized that this will take some work.

But, remember, you are committed.

Which means that you are willing to do whatever it takes to become better at planning.

However, this doesn’t mean that you can’t use simple advice that will make this journey easier.

  1. Start small.

If you are not an experienced prepper, it is easy to become overwhelmed.

Start with a simple plan for a specific scenario, such as a short power outage.

This will help you build confidence and develop your planning skills.

Once you feel ready, move on to harder challenges, such as natural disasters.

  1. Set goals.

Determine what you want to achieve with your prepping plan.

And set realistic, measurable goals to help you stay motivated and on track.

  1. Involve your family.

Doing everything alone is tough. And definitely not fun.

If you involve your whole family in the prepping process, everything will proceed much smoother.

Plus, everyone is going to be on the same page so they will know what to do in emergencies.

  1. Stay organized.

Keep your prepping plan and items organized and easily accessible so you can quickly respond to emergencies.

You can use checklists, journal entries, or your preferred way of taking notes.

  1. Continuously review and update your plan.

The risks we face are constantly changing.

So it’s important to regularly review and update your prepping plan to ensure that it remains effective and relevant.

Planning is a crucial part of prepping.

And can make a huge difference in ensuring your family’s safety.

By developing this skill, you will be in a much better position to survive any emergency.

How To Put Your Prepping Skills To The Test

If you have been trying to prepare for emergencies, then you have probably come across the same roadblock that most preppers have… practice.

As a prepper, it is very difficult to put your prepping skills to the test.

Emergencies simply don’t happen that often.

So you can’t know whether your preparations are up to the task or not.

Practice, however, is a crucial aspect of every skill we develop.

They say that the first step to getting better at anything is to suck at it first.

And to identify your flaws, try to fix them, and improve over time.

But how can you do that with prepping?

Well, with little imagination, you can take steps to test your prepping techniques and stay prepared for any eventuality.

I’ll show you how to do that in a minute.

First, you need to…

Understand Your Prepping Needs

I wish I could give you a clear-cut path that you should follow.

But depending on where you live and your current situation, you need to develop the appropriate skills.

Before testing your skills, though, you need to understand what you need to test. 

There are several ways to do that:

Identify Potential Emergencies

The first step is to understand what types of emergencies are most likely to occur in your area. 

Look at your town’s history, or ask the local residents what the most dangerous disaster that they had to go through was.

Additionally, consider factors such as natural disasters, power outages, and other events that could disrupt your family.

Assess Your Resources

Take stock of what items and resources you currently have on hand and identify any gaps in your prepping plan.

Consider things like food, water, shelter, clothing, and medication, as well as any tools or equipment that you may need.

Determine Your Priorities

With a clear understanding of your needs, it is easier to prioritize what skills and items you should focus on first.

For example, if you live in an area prone to hurricanes, your priority might be to have a solid evacuation plan in place.

Putting Your Prepping Skills To The Test

It is finally time to test your skills.

You first need to find a safe and controlled environment.

This is where you will be pushing yourself to find flaws in your survival plan.

There are several ways you can do that.

Simulated Emergency Scenarios

One effective way to test your prepping skills is to create simulated emergency scenarios that mimic real situations. 

This allows you to see how well you can handle different types of emergencies using your equipment and skills. 

For example, you could simulate a power outage, and see how well you can respond to the situation.

We actually make a game out of this in my household and even have the kids evolve in the prepping process.

Practice Essential Skills

This is a simpler one to execute. But it is also time-consuming.

You just try out your essential skills.

This includes building shelters, starting fires, purifying water, and more. 

Regularly practicing these skills will help you feel more confident using them in real situations.

And most importantly, it will help you identify any areas that may need improvement.

Seek Feedback From Other Preppers

Sometimes we don’t see an obvious mistake we are making until someone points it out to us.

Just last week, a buddy of mine told me some of my emergency foods had expired.

I had forgotten to look!

Speaking to other preppers can help you see your skills and equipment from a different perspective.

I go over my emergency plans with my friends very often.

And I suggest you do too.

Engage in Community Preparedness Efforts

Your local community can give you tons of chances to test your prepping skills.

Many communities hold emergency preparedness drills and exercises.

These can be excellent times to test your skills and learn from others.

By actively participating in these efforts, you can ensure that you are fully prepared to handle any emergency situation that may arise. 

Stay Up-To-Date With Modern Developments

What works nowadays is different from what worked 10 years ago.

The prepping community is always evolving and advancing.

So it is important to stay informed about the latest developments and advancements in the field. 

This can include:

  •  Researching and learning about modern technologies and gear.

Stay informed about the latest gear and technologies available to preppers. 

There is always different stuff coming out.

Just recently, for example, I learned that 3D printers are incredible for preppers.

  • Staying informed about current events.

Information is one of the most crucial aspects of prepping.

Keep up with current events and news that may impact your preparedness. 

If there is an occurring strain of a disease or a major flood, for instance, you should be aware of how these events could impact your area and your preparedness plan.

Practice and Maintain Your Prepping Skills Regularly

Prepping is not a goal. It’s a way of living.

You need to regularly evaluate your plan and change it depending on the circumstances.

This is why prepping should be a regular part of your routine.

This could mean setting aside time to practice your skills, update your equipment, and reassess your plan.

Your skills are not ever going to be flawless.

As you learn about different technologies and gear, incorporate them into your survival plan. 

This can help you stay prepared and up-to-date with the latest developments.

Socrates said that unexamined lives are not worth living.

Same goes for prepping.

An unexamined plan is not worth having.

You need to constantly reassess your prepping plan to ensure that it is still relevant and effective.

Putting your prepping skills to the test is an essential part of being truly prepared for an emergency. 

Prepping is not just about having gear and a plan.

It’s about actively practicing and refining your skills so that you are ready for any situation. 

Remember, being prepared means being ready for the unexpected.

So take the time to test your prepping skills and continually improve your preparedness.