Campground Review: Rye Patch State Recreation Area

Why we chose here? We were making some ground between Lake Tahoe and Jackson Wyoming. We don't like to drive more than about 200 miles a day and we needed an overnight stay. There are some RV parks in Winnemucca and Lovelock, but we prefer public lands if we can find them close enough to the freeway. This place served as a perfect stopover for us.  Very pretty and peaceful with lots of wildlife.


Location: This campground is a couple of miles from the 80 Freeway.  The reservoir is pleasant, there is a swimming beach and a few short hiking trails.

Sites: There are two campgrounds, the riverside one below the dam is far more scenic and the sites have much more room between them. There are 22 sites, two of them are by the water.  We were lucky to get one of them. The West campground is closer to the lake, but the sites are just gravel and very close together.
All sites have a table and firepit.  A couple of sites have water and electric.

Facilities: There are restrooms, showers and trash.  The boat ramp was closed due to the drought when we were here.

Groceries: You are a long way from any town, so bring what you want with you.

Reservations: No, as with all Nevada State Facilities it is First Come First Serve.  The campground was quite busy for a Sunday, but it didn't fill up.

Cell Coverage / WiFi: Good for both Verizon and AT&T

Price Paid: $15 for dry

Date of visit: June 2015

Other: We saw a great array of wildlife here at the lake, including wild turkeys, blue herons, coyotes, deer and jumping fish.

Link to Campground Website