Ride into some of the most stunning wilderness in Nevada from this remote horse camp! With views and trails for days, Columbine Campground is a great place to access the Arc Dome Wilderness in central Nevada.
Camping
Horse Camp
The designated area for camping with horses is located before the main campground. Stock is not allowed in the main campground. The horse camp is a pullout off to the left side of the road. There is a hitching post and a fire ring. It is big enough to pull a rig into, but given the condition of the road leading up to it, we wouldn’t recommend a huge rig.
There are no amenities at the horse campsite. There is a flat space where you could set up panels or a containment system for horses. Water could possibly be accessed from the nearby creek but it would require climbing down and back up the hill. Recommend bringing your own water. The Forest Service requires all hay used on Forest Service lands to be certified as weed-free.
Main Campground
The main campground is located up the road from the horse camp. It has three individual sites and two group sites. Each site has a picnic table and a fire ring with a grill rack. There is a vault toilet in the center of the camp. The creek flows past three of the sites. There is no potable water or trash service. Haul it in, haul it out. Again, stock is not allowed in the main campground.
Trails
Ride right out of camp to access the Toiyabe Crest Trail – a roughly 65 mile trail that runs the spine of the range. Most of the trail was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s. Today it is managed by the US Forest Service, but only lightly maintained. This is not an area for beginner adventurers.
To the south, the trail will take you into Arc Dome Wilderness and a network of single-track trails that traverse some of the most breathtaking terrain Nevada has to offer. Arc Dome itself peaks at 11,773 feet. This is high, tough, rugged country. There are enough trails to make many different loops. If you pack into Arc Dome, you could spend days exploring.
To the north, the trail runs along the spine of the Toiyabe Range, with offshoot trails down many of the canyons on the east and west sides. The trail rarely dips below 10,000 feet and there are many rocky and barren stretches. But on clear days, it seems like you can see all the way across Nevada from the top.
The trail will take riders through aspen groves (keep an eye open for arborglyphs), lush meadows, colorful wildflowers, pinyon and juniper trees, sagebrush, creeks and streams, old cabins, mining ruins, and more. Animals here include mountain goats, deer, mountain lions, bobcats, beavers, and sage grouse. Some of the creeks are well known for their trout.
The Toiyabe Range can hold snow well into spring.
Getting Here
Columbine is located on the west side of the Toiyabe Range in Nye County. It is approximately 180 miles from Reno. The nearest gas station is in Austin, which is 55 miles away. The campground is on Forest Service Road 119. There are some signs, but not at every intersection.
NOTE: There are two water crossings on the FS road leading to the campground. They are relatively shallow but, combined with the tight turns and rocky roads, we do not recommend bringing a large or low clearance rig here.
