Good afternoon everyone!
Fernley, NV is a great "second to last stop" before Gerlach. If you go into town, gas is cheap ($3.85) and food options are plentiful. Gerlach also has a working gas station and plenty of cell service. In fact, much of the Playa area has service incase you are wondering.
- Trego hot springs has a giant sign that indicated the water is contaminated. So its a no go.
- It has rained a TON lately, in fact it rains heavy all 4 days while we were there.
- The playa was no-go and my truck has never been muddier following the suggested route. Great times though.
- Soldier Meadow hot springs were HOT. Too hot for anyone in my group.
- High Rock Canyon was beautiful and the water crossings were in the ~ 2.5 feet deep ish by my estimate. Nothing challenging from a technical point of view. But I was glad to have a snorkel. (It finally paid off!)
- With the Playa out of commission, you can use Soldier Meadow Road to return to Gerlach. It spits out around the ~ 12 mile Playa area. This road is compacted gravel and you can easily go 40 Mph or more without issue.
- I took a short cut to soldier meadows from Stevens Camp to drive past the Black Buttes. The turn off is just after Butcher Flat. There is one section with DEEP muddy ruts that are on an angle. This is the only section that required 4LO and my rear locker on 33" tires. I would advise to just follow the suggested route.
Fernley, NV is a great "second to last stop" before Gerlach. If you go into town, gas is cheap ($3.85) and food options are plentiful. Gerlach also has a working gas station and plenty of cell service. In fact, much of the Playa area has service incase you are wondering.
- Trego hot springs has a giant sign that indicated the water is contaminated. So its a no go.
- It has rained a TON lately, in fact it rains heavy all 4 days while we were there.
- The playa was no-go and my truck has never been muddier following the suggested route. Great times though.
- Soldier Meadow hot springs were HOT. Too hot for anyone in my group.
- High Rock Canyon was beautiful and the water crossings were in the ~ 2.5 feet deep ish by my estimate. Nothing challenging from a technical point of view. But I was glad to have a snorkel. (It finally paid off!)
- With the Playa out of commission, you can use Soldier Meadow Road to return to Gerlach. It spits out around the ~ 12 mile Playa area. This road is compacted gravel and you can easily go 40 Mph or more without issue.
- I took a short cut to soldier meadows from Stevens Camp to drive past the Black Buttes. The turn off is just after Butcher Flat. There is one section with DEEP muddy ruts that are on an angle. This is the only section that required 4LO and my rear locker on 33" tires. I would advise to just follow the suggested route.
