Pershing County
Pershing County travel guide
Round courthouse, Humboldt River reservoirs and the road to the playa
A thinly populated desert county in northwest Nevada, centred on the small town of Lovelock and partly covering the Black Rock Desert where Burning Man takes place. Come in late August for the event, or in spring and autumn for Rye Patch and the ghost towns. One or two nights in Lovelock is plenty outside the event. Prices are very high, and Visa Waiver travellers need an ESTA.
Pershing County covers a long stretch of high desert in northwest Nevada, strung along Interstate 80 and the Humboldt River about an hour and a half east of Reno. Fewer than 7,000 people live here. Most visitors arrive for one week a year, when Burning Man builds Black Rock City on the playa of the Black Rock Desert, part of which lies inside the county line.
Lovelock is the county seat and the only town of any size. Its courthouse, a Classical Revival building finished in 1921, has a circular courtroom beneath a dome, a rare plan for an American courthouse, and the small plaza behind it is where couples fasten padlocks to a chain as a token of commitment. Main Street has a handful of diners and motels, plus a free local history museum in the Marzen House, built in 1874.
Away from town the county is open range and alkali flat below bare mountains. Rye Patch Reservoir, north of Lovelock on the Humboldt, draws anglers and campers. Lovelock Cave, a short drive south of town just over the Churchill County line, gave archaeologists tule-reed duck decoys about 2,000 years old, made by people who lived around the ancient lake shores.
Further out, Unionville sits in a canyon of the Humboldt Range. Mark Twain spent time in this almost-empty mining camp in the 1860s, and the road there is remote and partly unpaved.
Plan for distance. Fuel stops are far apart, mobile signal fades on the back roads, and summer afternoons on the flats are fierce. Visitors who treat the county as a base for Burning Man, or as a quiet break on a cross-country drive, get the most out of it.
Explore Pershing County by theme
Find your kind of trip: 24 travel themes, each with the packages in Pershing County.
Pershing County at a glance
The essentials first-time visitors ask about, in one place.
Explore more of United States
Pick a place by travel style: beaches, nature, cities, heritage, hills, islands, desert.
Nothing in that category yet.
Top things to do in Pershing County
Small-town history in Lovelock, a reservoir on the Humboldt, archaeology and ghost towns, and once a year the playa city of Burning Man.
No things to do in Pershing County are listed yet. Browse all things to do
Best time to visit Pershing County
Month by month, so you can pick the weather and the crowds you want.
Warm days and cool nights suit camping at Rye Patch and the drive out to Unionville.
The week before Labor Day fills every motel bed between Reno and Winnemucca, and Highway 447 traffic backs up for hours.
Cold, often frosty mornings in Lovelock; back roads can be icy or muddy and services are sparse.
Burning Man runs over the nine days ending on Labor Day Monday; book any room in Lovelock months ahead, or plan to camp only in Black Rock City itself.
Packages in Demand
A Journey to Remember
Tours, activities and day trips in and around this destination, with the details you need before booking.
No packages in Pershing County are listed yet. Browse all packages
Create Your Custom-Made Trip to Pershing County
Traveling to Pershing County? Chat with a Local Travel Specialist in Pershing County Who Can Help Organize Your Trip.
START HEREOur Travel Experts are Recommended by
Plan your trip
Practical answers before you go. Pick a topic.
Getting there
I-80 from Reno and the long road to Gerlach
Reno-Tahoe International (RNO) is the practical airport: hire a car and drive east on I-80 to Lovelock, where exit 106 leads to Main Street. Burning Man traffic bypasses Lovelock; the event's directions run from I-80 exit 43 north on Highway 447 through Nixon to Gerlach, about 75 miles, then County Road 34 to the 8 Mile entrance, the only participant gate.
- Reno-Tahoe (RNO) to Lovelock
- About 90 miles east on I-80, roughly 1.5 hours
- Greyhound
- Stop at the Chevron, 150 Main Street, Lovelock
- Reno to Black Rock City
- I-80 exit 43, Highway 447 to Gerlach, then 8 miles to the 8 Mile gate
- Do not try Jungo Road from Winnemucca to the playa; the event warns it is a rough dirt road that wrecks tyres.
- Fill the tank in Fernley or Nixon before heading north on Highway 447; stations thin out quickly.
Staying safe
Heat, dust and empty roads
Crime is not the main concern in Pershing County; the environment is. Summer heat on the flats, sudden dust storms on the playa and long distances between fuel stops cause most problems.
- Water
- Carry several litres per person in the car
- Fuel
- Fill up in Lovelock, Fernley or Nixon
- Signal
- Patchy beyond I-80
- If a dust storm cuts visibility while driving, pull well off the road and wait it out.
- Tell someone your route before heading to Unionville or Lovelock Cave.
Where to stay
Cornell Avenue motels and Rye Patch campsites
Lovelock's motels line Cornell Avenue near the interstate, and Rye Patch campsites are open around the clock. There is no hotel on the playa, so town rooms during Burning Man go to people arriving early or leaving late.
- Cornell Avenue, Lovelock
- Cadillac Inn, Royal Inn, Sunset Motel and others; handy for I-80, little else nearby
- Main Street, Lovelock
- Walkable to the courthouse and Marzen House; a few diners within reach
- Rye Patch State Recreation Area
- Campsites by the reservoir; bring everything, shade is scarce
- Black Rock City
- Camping only, for ticket holders during the event week
- Reno has far more rooms if Lovelock sells out; it is the usual staging point before the playa.
Getting around
Car essential, fuel and water planned
With no local public transport, a car is the only realistic way around the county, though Lovelock itself can be crossed on foot in twenty minutes. Lovelock Cave and Unionville involve gravel roads: check conditions at the county offices or the state park before going, carry water and a spare tyre, and tell someone your route because mobile coverage drops away. On the playa during Burning Man, bicycles are how people get around Black Rock City; cars are parked once you arrive.
- Lovelock on foot
- Main Street, courthouse and museum within a few blocks
- Rye Patch
- About 20 miles north of Lovelock via I-80
- Unionville
- Remote canyon road, partly unpaved; high clearance helps
- A paper map is worth carrying; satellite navigation sometimes routes drivers onto ranch tracks.
Know before you go
What makes Pershing County worth the trip, and what catches visitors out.
Why travelers love it
- The round courthouse in Lovelock, with its domed rotunda and the padlocks clipped to the chain in the plaza behind it.
- Rye Patch at dawn, when the reservoir lies flat and the only sound is birds on the water.
- The tule duck decoys from Lovelock Cave, a reminder that a lake once filled this valley.
- Night skies over the flats, dark enough to see the Milky Way from a motel car park.
Good to know
- Distances are long and services few: fill up whenever you see a station and carry several litres of water per person.
- Burning Man week overwhelms local roads; Highway 447 and the playa entrance can take many hours.
- Summer heat is serious on the flats, and dust storms can cut visibility to almost nothing.
- Mobile signal disappears a few miles off the interstate.
Trip fit
BookingMentor editorial ratings out of 5, based on a first-time visitor's experience.
Weather in Pershing County, month by month
Month-by-month climate figures for Pershing County are being researched.
A day around Lovelock, Lovelock Cave and Rye Patch
One day covers the sights around Lovelock in Pershing County, Nevada: the 1921 Pershing County Courthouse with its round domed courtroom, Lovers Lock Plaza and the Marzen House Museum in the morning, Lovelock Cave at midday, and Rye Patch State Recreation Area, about 20 miles north on I-80, in the afternoon.
The Classical Revival courthouse is worth a look inside when the offices are open. Behind it, Lovers Lock Plaza holds a chain covered in padlocks left by couples. The Marzen House Museum, in an 1874 house, covers ranching, mining and the Humboldt emigrant trail; entry is by donation. Lovelock Cave, south of town, has little on the ground, but excavators found the woven tule duck decoys now in museum collections there. At Rye Patch, walk the reservoir or fish with a Nevada licence, and stay for sunset over the Humboldt Range. With an extra day and a sturdy car, Unionville makes a good morning trip.
Eating and stocking up in Lovelock
Lovelock's food is simple: family-run diners and casino cafes on Main Street and Cornell Avenue, plus Pizza Factory and Port of Subs near the interstate. Its real use is provisioning, so buy groceries, ice and water here before Rye Patch or the ranges. Reno and Winnemucca have a wider choice of restaurants.
Expect hearty American breakfasts, burgers, steaks and the Basque-influenced ranch cooking of northern Nevada. Nothing is for sale once you leave town. Burning Man participants mostly shop in Reno; the event is leave-no-trace, so plan meals with little packaging and pack out every scrap. Winnemucca is about an hour east on I-80.
Burning Man week and the quieter seasons in Pershing County
Burning Man, held in the nine days up to Labor Day Monday in early September, is Pershing County's one crowded week, with Black Rock City built on the playa. The rest of the year is quiet. September and October suit Rye Patch, late spring suits Unionville, and summer afternoons are very hot.
Burning Man builds Black Rock City on the Black Rock Desert playa, partly within Pershing County, and takes it down when the event ends. Access is by ticket through the 8 Mile entrance from Gerlach, and regional roads and services are stretched that week. Late spring brings canyon wildflowers after a wet winter; summer adds thunderstorms over the ranges; autumn gives Rye Patch cooler nights and calm water. Winter mornings are cold, sometimes with snow on the Humboldt Range, and unpaved roads turn to mud.
For contrast after the desert, Reno is the nearest large city, and travellers continuing across the West often link the trip with Las Vegas further south.
Travelers are asking
No questions yet about Pershing County. Ask the community or our travel team, and the answer will show here once it is published.
Our travel desk answers questions about Pershing County
How we research our Pershing County travel guide
Road conditions and access details in Pershing County are reviewed when they change. County facts come from pershingcounty.net, entry rules from the State Department's visa pages and park details from the National Park Service.
Last updated . Spotted something out of date? Tell us.
Checked against trusted sources:
Official website of Pershing CountyUS State DepartmentNational Park Service
Before You Go...
Discover Trips & Info
A Travel Network Connection Travelers and locals
Incredible Event & Festival, Don't Miss!
Most Popular Event & Festival of Pershing County
Festivals and events in this destination, with dates, venues and ticket details where available.
Memorable Experiences
Where to Go (& NOT Go) In Pershing County!
Roaming the World one Adventure at a Time: Travel Tales, Tips, and Inspiration for wanderlusters.
Subscriber
Popular car hire destinations
Explore more options to hire a car for cheap
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Quick answers to the questions travelers ask most before visiting Pershing County.
General
Black Rock City is built on the Black Rock Desert playa, which lies partly in Pershing County. The nearest village, Gerlach, is just over the line in Washoe County, and the participant entrance is about 8 miles from Gerlach.
The Pershing County Courthouse, completed in 1921, is built around a circular courtroom under a dome, a very rare layout for an American courthouse. Lovers Lock Plaza behind it is where couples attach padlocks to a chain.
The cave, just south of Lovelock across the Churchill County line, is a modest site, but it is famous among archaeologists for ancient duck decoys woven from tule reeds. Check road conditions first and bring water, as there are no facilities.
Pacific Time, the same as Reno and California: UTC-8, or UTC-7 from March to November.
With no local public transport, a car is the only realistic way around the county, though Lovelock itself can be crossed on foot in twenty minutes. Lovelock Cave and Unionville involve gravel roads: check conditions at the county offices or the state park before going, carry water and a spare tyre, and tell someone your route because mobile coverage drops away. On the playa during Burning Man, bicycles are how people get around Black Rock City; cars are parked once you arrive.
Lovelock's motels line Cornell Avenue near the interstate, and Rye Patch campsites are open around the clock. There is no hotel on the playa, so town rooms during Burning Man go to people arriving early or leaving late.
Getting there
Reno-Tahoe International (RNO). Lovelock is about 90 miles east on I-80, and the drive to Gerlach for Burning Man is roughly 75 miles via Highway 447 after leaving the interstate.
Not on a sensible road. The recommended route runs back west on I-80 to exit 43 and north on Highway 447 to Gerlach; Jungo Road from Winnemucca is a rough dirt road the event advises against.
Unionville lies in a canyon of the Humboldt Range east of Rye Patch, reached from I-80 exit 119 (Oreana) by about 22 miles of the Lovelock-Unionville road, then Unionville Road; parts are dirt or gravel. Go in a reliable car with spare water and fuel.
Booking
Yes. Rye Patch State Recreation Area, about 20 miles north of Lovelock off I-80, has campsites and is open 24 hours. Shade is limited, so bring your own.
Stay & facilities
A few motels on Cornell Avenue, and they fill early with people arriving or leaving. Reno has far more beds; Black Rock City itself is camping only.
Timing & weather
May to June and September to October, when days are warm rather than hot and nights are cool enough for good sleeping at Rye Patch.
The best time to visit Pershing County is May to Jun, Sep to Oct. Mild days for the reservoir and ghost towns; late August belongs to Burning Man.
- Shoulder months: May - June, September - October (Warm days and cool nights suit camping at Rye Patch and the drive out to Unionville)
- Burning Man: Late August - early September (The week before Labor Day fills every motel bed between Reno and Winnemucca, and Highway 447 traffic backs up for hours)
- Winter: December - February (Cold, often frosty mornings in Lovelock; back roads can be icy or muddy and services are sparse)
Visa & documents
With an approved ESTA, citizens of Visa Waiver Program countries (most of Europe, the UK, Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand among them) can stay up to 90 days. Everyone else needs a B-2 visitor visa, which means an interview at a US embassy. Since January 2026 nationals of a number of countries face full or partial entry restrictions.
Health & safety
Crime is not the main concern in Pershing County; the environment is. Summer heat on the flats, sudden dust storms on the playa and long distances between fuel stops cause most problems.
