On this page...
The Empire Store's gas station re-opened in Oct 2009 after a year closure.
It now also has a car service/repair shop.
The Black Rock Desert is possibly the largest flat surface on the face of
the Earth. Well, that's what some locals will tell you.
Actually we need to qualify it as possibly the largest alkali/mud flat
since there are salt flats that are larger and flatter.
But they don't get used like Black Rock because they're more fragile.
It also has several other claims to fame.
It was a stop on the Pioneer Emigrant Trails, including the Applegate Trail
to Southern Oregon and the Lassen and Nobles Trails to Northern California.
Amateur rocketry enthusiasts call Black Rock the best launch site on Earth
because of the flat lakebed and uncontested airspace above it.
AeroPAC hosts 3 high-power rocketry
launches (MudRock, Aeronaut and XPRS)
and
AHPRA hosts 1 launch (BALLS)
each year during the dry season.
It's usually a wilderness most of the year, except for one week when the
famous, infamous and controversial Burning Man event is held.
The people who go there often refer to Black Rock as a city.
The world supersonic land speed record was set there in October 1997.
I've called Black Rock "the Kitty Hawk of the 21st Century" after the
world's first
amateur launch to space occurred there in May 2004.
I led the search teams which recovered the spacecraft.
The Black Rock Desert in Northwestern Nevada is a perennial dry lakebed,
meaning that it's dry most of the year.
The wet Winters serve to re-flatten the surface of the lakebed, or playa
(pronounced PLI-yuh).
The locals claim it's the largest flat spot on the face of the Earth.
Even if it isn't, there can't be many competitors.
It's as flat or flatter than an interstate freeway.
And you can go in any direction.
But your tires don't grip the surface like pavement.
So don't do any sudden maneuvering at high speeds.
Keep that in mind and you'll safely avoid the risk of a rollover accident.
It's so flat that it causes optical illusions.
Soon after sunrise on any warm day, the mirage begins.
Objects more than 1/2 mile away slip below the horizon as the mirage
bends your field of view away from the ground.
Yet mountains 20-40 miles away may seem crystal clear.
A car driving near the mirage terminator from you may at first
appear as a low flying aircraft because you can see some refracted sky
below it. Even though it's been described to you, you will still burst
into laughter when you see your first flying car.
You can't help but laugh when you see that.
It's so flat that driving requires attention in two dimensions
to watch for other vehicles.
If done properly, this search pattern is very similar to looking for
other craft while piloting an airplane or boat .
But caution is warranted...
Some years you have to be more careful than others about small
dunes nicknamed
"playa serpents"
that can form in seemingly-random places,
usually downwind (northeast) from any site where the playa surface
has been disturbed and loosened.
And ruts along travel-worn paths and from former improperly-cleaned-up
campsites can be hazards too.
These hazards can all be difficult to see in time if you drive too fast.
It's a wilderness.
Anyone telling you about Black Rock is not saying the whole story
unless they tell you that.
It has been left nearly pristine by previous generations and we owe it
to following generations to leave it for them as well.
That means pick up every last scrap from your campsite and anywhere you go.
Pick up garbage anywhere you find it - it doesn't belong there.
Leave no trace.
It can be dangerous for the unprepared.
Don't travel alone on the playa.
Don't go anywhere without a two-way radio that people wouldn't know to look
for you.
Don't travel on the playa without enough food and water
in case your vehicle breaks down or gets stuck in a patch of mud.
(See "How to avoid needing a rescue at Black Rock".)
If you will be venturing away from an established camp site on the playa,
bring a GPS with you or you probably won't find your camp again.
Remember, due to the mirage you can only see along the surface about 1/2 mile,
more on cool days, less on hot days.
Up until recently, the nearest cell phone coverage was 80 miles to the south.
In July 2009, AT&T installed a cell site in Gerlach,
with voice-only service, no data.
Verizon roams on the service. We're still collecting more reports.
It doesn't even reach the "3-mile entrance" up the playa -
so if you're out of range, there's no way to call 911!
Outside of the cell coverage in Gerlach,
the only phone coverage is by satellite phones by
Globalstar or Iridium.
The best communications solution continues to be to have at least
one licensed Ham Radio operator
in every group that ventures from your campsite. And have Hams at your
group's base camp. With a mobile Ham radio, you can transmit with enough
power to talk anywhere in the Black Rock area.
However, if your group doesn't have any Hams, Family Radio Service
handheld radios will work for short distances (a couple miles at best
if the antenna is outside your vehicle) on the playa.
CB Radios may also work for several miles on the playa, but are
vulnerable to interference via HF propagation of distant CB stations.
If you think this isn't really serious, let me mention that
on many of my trips to Black Rock, I end up participating
in some kind of rescue of someone who got stranded.
People who were prepared had water, snacks, GPS and radios with them.
They could wait for a rescue to arrive and assist in locating them.
In those cases, the rescue was quick and only their pride was hurt.
But people who weren't prepared have been in varying stages of dehydration
which made their trip into a nightmare by the time we found them.
And it could have been worse.
Though I haven't seen this first hand, people have been found dead
in the Black Rock region who got stranded unprepared
and didn't survive for rescue to reach them.
Don't let that happen to you or people who travel with you.
See also my
Black Rock Camping Checklist.
- Nearest camping supplies
- Empire Store (Empire)
- Nearest fuel
- Bruno's Shell (Gerlach) - more expensive, open 24 hours
Empire Store (Empire) gas station (775)557-2383
- now with car service/repair shop as of Oct 2009
- Nearest food
- Bruno's Restaurant (Gerlach)
Empire Store/Deli (Empire)
- Nearest lodging
- Bruno's Motel (Gerlach) (775)557-2220
Black Rock Bungalow (Gerlach)
next-nearest motels are at I-80 in Fernley (70 miles south of Gerlach)
- Nearest medical facilities
- small clinic in Gerlach
Lassen Medical Center (Susanville)
- moved to upgraded facility in 5/2003
- nearest hospital heliport to Black Rock
- phone (530)252-2000
Washoe Medical Center (Reno)
- nearest major hospital w/ trauma center
- phone (775)982-4100
- Enroute fuel
-
Pilot Travel Center, I-80 at Exit 46 (Fernley)
truck stop, Hwy 447 near I-80 at Exit 43 (Wadsworth)
others in Reno, Sparks, Fernley and Lovelock
- Enroute camping supplies
-
Cabela's (Verdi/West Reno),
at Boomtown off I-80 exit 4 near CA border
REI (Reno),
Plumb Lane west of US395/Airport
Costco (Reno),
next to REI
Wal-Mart (North Reno), N McCarran east of US395
Wal-Mart (Susanville, CA), Hwy 36 at River Rd
Wal-Mart (Winnemucca), I-80 at Exit 176
- Enroute electronics supplies
-
Radio Shack (Fernley)
on Hwy 343
Radio Shack (Sparks)
at Silver State Plaza
Radio Shack (Susanville, CA)
next to Wal-Mart
Radio Shack (Lovelock)
12th St downtown
Radio Shack (Winnemucca)
Hanson St downtown
Three prefectures (regional chapters) of the
Tripoli Rocketry Association
(TRA) hold seven annual high-power rocket launch events at Black Rock.
Spectators are strongly discouraged on research/experimental launch days.
If you'd like to see what high-power rocketry is, come to a regular launch.
The dates below are the usual times of year that each event is planned.
The organizations post calendars on their web sites by Spring each year.
Note: BLM charges these groups $5/day/attendee - so spectators cost
money. Upon arrival, please find registration and offer to pay your share.
Or show more support by joining the organization if you like what you see.
- AeroPAC - Association of Experimental Rocketry of the Pacific
- "MudRock": mid- to late June
regular launch days on weekend, 1 weekday research launch
- "Aeronaut": late July or early August
regular launch days on weekend, 1 weekday research launch
- "XPRS" (eXtreme Performance Rocket Ships): late September
regular launch days on Friday/weekend, 1 weekday research launch
- "ARLISS": weekdays before XPRS
research launch only - no regular launch days
- AHPRA - Arizona High Power Rocketry Association
- "BALLS": Sept or Oct, weekend before or after AeroPAC XPRS
research launch only - no regular launch days
- Rocket Mavericks - experimental-only prefecture, formed in 2006
- July and October
research launch only - no regular launch days
- Wikipedia article on Black Rock - I've helped to update this
- entry at Encyclopedia Brittanica
- The Black Rock Desert: An Extraordinary Playa, part of Nevada History by John C. Evanoff, 2005
- Pilot
rescues dying man at Black Rock, AOPA Online
- Gerlach Dash '09,
photos from glider flying event from Reno to Black Rock, August 2009
- Black Rock Point, Washoe County Trail Guide, Reno Gazette-Journal
- "Good Days at Black Rock", Smithsonian Magazine
- Playa Playground, Nevada Magazine
- North American Eagle
project to bring world land speed record back to the US
(current record Mach 1.02 set by British at Black Rock)
- Friends of the Black Rock Desert
(wiki &
mail list)
non-profit organization based in Sparks, NV
- 41N 119W degree confluence
location of 41°N 119°W in the Black Rock Range
- Hycroft Gold Mine, Allied Gold Corp
- Black Rock photos by Tim Cope
- Chuck Story's Black Rock page
- Black Rock Desert photos at Stan White Photography
- Nevada’s Black Rock Desert, A Summer Sojourn by Larry Turner
- Russ Imrie's description of a visit to Double Hot Springs
A camping trip, coping with forgotten supplies
some lessons which others can learn from
- "A Bad Day at Black Rock"
John Stuart Clark's attempt to bicycle arcoss Black Rock
- Hollywood comes
to the Black Rock:
The story of the making of
"The Winning of Barbara Worth"
A movie was made at Black Rock in the 1920's.
- IMDb listing of movies made at Black Rock
I've posted literally thousands of pictures of Black Rock on my web site.
- Fireballs 98, August 1998
high power rocket launch meet,
my first visit to Black Rock
- JP Aerospace space flight attempt, May 1999
amateur rocketry altitude record set
- JP Aerospace Dark Sky Station 1 flight, Mar 2001
- JP Aerospace Dark Sky Station 2 flight, Oct 2001
unsuccessful test flight of double-length-arm Dark Sky Station
- JP Aerospace Away 9 balloon test, May 2002
electronics and PongSat flight, spectacular in-flight pictures
- CSXT Space Shot 2002 (attempt #1), June 25-28, 2002
space launch attempt
- What a month... September 2002
Three trips to Black Rock and a trip to Denver... in one month
- Launch of ParagonSpace's Dragoon 1,
June 2003
Stratospheric research rocket launch.
- AeroPAC MudRoc 2003, June 2003
Regional high-power rocketry meet.
- AeroPAC Aeronaut 2003, August 2003
Regional high-power rocketry meet.
- Stratofox 2, August 2003
Exploration and camping at Black Rock.
- AeroPAC XPRS II, September 2003
National high-power rocketry meet
- ParagonSpace Dragoon 2 (attempt #1),
September 15-18, 2003
space launch attempt
- CSXT SpaceShot 2004, May 17-18, 2004
world's first amateur and private-funded launch to space
- ParagonSpace Dragoon 2,
June 6-7, 2004
space launch attempt
- AeroPAC MudRoc 2004, June 2004
Regional high-power rocketry meet
- AeroPAC Aeronaut 2004, July-August 2004
Regional high-power rocketry meet
- AeroPAC XPRS III, September 2004
National high-power rocketry meet
- Stratofox recovers CSXT space launch booster, November 26, 2004
recovery of booster from May 17 space shot
- AeroPAC Aeronaut 2005, August 2005
Regional high-power rocketry meet, 100,000' high-power rocketry altitude attempt
- AeroPAC XPRS IV, September 2005
National high-power rocketry meet, 100,000' high-power rocketry altitude attempt
- AeroPAC Mudrock 2006, June 2006
Regional high-power rocketry meet, gear-up landing in the plane I was a passenger in
- AeroPAC Aeronaut 2006, August 2006
Regional high-power rocketry meet, 100,000' high-power rocketry altitude attempt
- "Stratofox 3" camping trip, Sept 8-10, 2006
Exploration and camping at Black Rock.
- AeroPAC XPRS 2006, September 2006
National high-power rocketry meet
- Stratofox Crater Assault 1, January 2007
Expedition to look into the theory of an impact crater at Black Rock
Stratofox
is an aerospace tracking and recovery team.
In this case "wilderness" just means the outdoors...
AeroPAC
is the Association of Experimental Rocketry of the Pacific.
The US Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management
(BLM) is the landlord of publicly-owned lands at Black Rock
These are other government-provided links about Black Rock
In this case "wilderness" is a federal land designation
Airports are listed in order of distance from the town of Gerlach,
only the nearest airport for its level of service in any given direction.
- private airports near Gerlach
permission from owner required before use
- Empire (1A8), Nevada
4.5 nm S, nearest public airport, no services
- Lovelock Derby Field (LOL), Nevada
50.4 nm SE, fuel (100LL/Jet-A), paved runway
- Susanville (SVE), California
58.0 nm WSW, fuel (100LL/Jet-A), paved runway
- Spanish Springs/Sun Valley (N86), Nevada
61.6 nm SSW, fuel (100LL), dirt runway
- Reno/Stead (4SD), Nevada
63.8 nm SSW, fuel (100LL/Jet-A), paved runway
- Cedarville (O59), California
65.3 nm NW, fuel (100LL), paved runway
- Reno/Tahoe Int'l Airport (RNO), Nevada
71.8 nm SSW, nearest airline service, fuel (100LL/Jet-A)
- Winnemucca (WMC), Nevada
71.8 nm ENE, fuel (100LL/Jet-A), paved runway
- Lakeview (LKV), Oregon
102.0 nm NNW, fuel (100LL/Jet-A), paved runway
- Nevada Airport Diagrams
from Nevada Department of Transportation
- Before attempting to land on the playa...
- check that your insurance covers landing/takeoff on unpaved surface
- announce intentions and monitor for others on 122.9 Multicom
(122.9 is also the CTAF for the Empire Airport)
- get a briefing - check NOTAMs for airspace warnings w/ rocket launches
- avoid fly-bys - rockets launches stop when aircraft are nearby
(think of hundreds of people looking at you wanting you to go away)
- it's OK to fly over landing area to check for mud/dunes
- look for any evidence of surface wind direction
- watch inversion layers - winds at surface and aloft may differ
- use horizon to guage height above ground for landing
- if in doubt, use your aircraft's soft-field procedures
- and of course, use your checklists!
Even though this is a theory I initiated, I'll list it among the controversial
topics because that's what it is. At least until more research is done.
In January 2007, I
discovered a possible impact crater at the Black Rock Desert.
The Stratofox team and other volunteers have assisted in researching it.
It'll be called "possible" or "suspected" until geologists confirm it
and papers are published.
You can see the evidence so far for yourself.
We'd appreciate any assistance in investigating this theory.
We had been observing rock patterns like breccias and deeply fractured rocks.
The theory got a boost in January 2009 when I
found a 54-mile/87km ring in the terrain surrounding
the Black Rock Desert, an apparent deeply-eroded rim which happens to
include 7 mountain ranges and all the highest peaks in the region.
But a scientifically-accepted proof can only come from finding
evidence of impact shock in the rocks.
Critics have dismissed the theory because I'm not a geologist.
Others because very specific proof is required for impacts.
Most proposed impact theories start with skeptical reactions and
have an uphill path to earn acceptance through field research.
This is listed as a "possible" impact structure on the
Impact Field Studies Group's Impact Database.
In this case, possible means it is neither rejected nor confirmed,
and is assigned no particular probability until further study.
A coal power plant was proposed west of the Black Rock Desert
by Sempra Energy of San Diego. Presumably it was named for the
nearby Granite Range and Fox Mountain.
The proposal was withdrawn
in Mar 2006 under strong opposition.
This annual event is both famous and infamous for bringing
about 48,000 attendees to a week-long festival at Black Rock.
Proponents claim it's an artisan fair and a marvel of civil engineering.
Opponents decry the lawless atmosphere, drug use and
issues with a nearby permanent "staging area" on ranching lands.
While intended to protect historical landmarks and conserve the
environment, some worry this will become increasingly restrictive
on recreational uses of the Black Rock Desert as bureaucrats are
given possibly-unchecked regulatory authority.
