If you’re looking to get a little out there, then check out this low-key campsite tucked into northwestern Nevada. Located about 15 miles east of the tiny town of Vya in northern Washoe County, you’ll find a little known spot called Massacre Ranch. This former ranch land is part of the Bureau of Land Management’s Massacre Ranch Recreation Area and sits along the California National Historic Trail.
The site features a rare first come, first serve cabin, a corral for your horse, lush meadows, and plenty of trails to ride.
The cabin is sparse, but it will do if you don’t have a living quarters trailer or a tent. Inside are two large rooms – one with a couple of cots for a sleeping bag and a kitchen with a wood stove and some provisions left by travelers. Outside is a fire ring and a vault toilet. There is a nice round corral for a horse or plenty of room to set up your own pen. Thanks to Massacre Creek, which flows right past the cabin, there are big grassy meadows nearby.
There is no potable water on site or garbage collection, so pack out your trash. Massacre Ranch is free to camp at. Be sure to sign the BLM log book inside which tracks use of the site.
Ride out right from the campground, onto a network of old wagon roads and trails. This region is part of the Applegate-Lassen Trail, which thousands of pioneers used starting in the 1840s to get to Oregon. Follow Massacre Creek on old single track trails or ride one of the dirt roads that crisscross the ranch. It’s easy to imagine wagons clattering along. This is remote and desolate country, but you’ll enjoy long distance views of high rims and plateaus, the sagebrush steppe, and lush meadows.
Massacre Ranch is smack dab in the middle of the Massacre Rim Dark Sky Sanctuary, which was designated in 2019 for being one of the darkest places on Earth! After a nice long ride, relax back at camp and enjoy amazing views of the night sky.
The best seasons to camp at Massacre Ranch are late spring/early summer or fall. It is not accessible in the winter and summer temps are too high. You probably won’t see any people, but keep an eye open for pronghorn antelope, mule deer, chucker, and other Nevada critters.
Getting Here
Massacre Ranch is not easy to find, though it is easy to get to. There are no signs. To find it, head east from Vya until you cross a cattle guard at a large crossroad. A sign on the right says “designated route.” Follow the dirt road south for about miles until you get to the ranch. There are no signs at the ranch either, but you will see the large cabin. There is a gate to pass through to access the ranch. Keep it closed.
There is NO cell service out here, so have maps saved before you get here. Please note that the roads here are dirt and not well maintained. Some parts are rutted out so large rigs are not recommended.
