Camping near Elko, Nevada

Camping near Elko, Nevada includes 7 public campgrounds on record, 3 reservable and 1 first-come. The Bureau of Land Management runs the most, 3 of 7. The nearest, South Fork State Recreation Area, is 13 miles from Elko in a straight line, and 1 of 7 is within 15 miles. 1 is free, and 2 stay open all year.

South Fork State Recreation Area

Thomas Canyon Campground Zunino/Jiggs Reservoir Recreation Area

Wild Horse State Recreation Area

North Wildhorse Recreation Area

Wilson Reservoir Recreation Management Area

Urdahl Campground

Camping near Elko at a glance

Public campgrounds: 7 (3 BLM, 2 National Forest, 2 State Park)
Getting a site: 3 reservable and 1 first-come
Cost: 1 free; lowest posted fee at Zunino/Jiggs Reservoir Recreation Area: "$5 camping, $5 per vehicle day use"
Distance from Elko: 13 miles (South Fork State Recreation Area) to 71 miles (Urdahl Campground) in a straight line; 1 within 15 miles
Elevation: 5,210 ft (South Fork State Recreation Area) to 7,200 ft (Thomas Canyon Campground), 5 of 7 on record
Season: 2 open all year, 1 seasonal with posted dates
Campsites: 131 across the 5 campgrounds that state a count
RVs: 3 take RVs; hookups at South Fork State Recreation Area; longest stated RV length 65 ft (Thomas Canyon Campground)
Drinking water: 3 of 7

Distances are straight-line miles from Elko's point in the US Census Bureau Gazetteer (2025), not driving distances. Every other fact comes from each campground's own sourced record, linked from its page.

Agency

Reservable South Fork State Recreation Area Elko · State Park · 12.6 mi

Agency: State Park
Sites: 25
Season: Year-round
Fee: $15/night + $10 hookup fee ($20 non-NV); camp and boat $20/night ($25 non-NV)

Reservable Thomas Canyon Campground Elko · National Forest · 23 mi

Agency: National Forest
Sites: 39
Season: May to November
Fee: Single Site: $19 per night ($9.50 with a senior or access pass), Double Site: $38 per night

Not on record Zunino/Jiggs Reservoir Recreation Area Elko · BLM · 26.8 mi

Agency: BLM
Sites: 9
Season: Not on record
Fee: $5 camping, $5 per vehicle day use

Reservable Wild Horse State Recreation Area Elko · State Park · 57.5 mi

Agency: State Park
Sites: 34
Season: Year-round
Fee: $15/night ($20 non-NV)

Not on record North Wildhorse Recreation Area Elko · BLM · 58.9 mi

Agency: BLM
Sites: Not on record
Season: Not on record
Fee: Not on record

Not on record Wilson Reservoir Recreation Management Area Elko · BLM · 65.1 mi

Agency: BLM
Sites: 24
Season: Not on record
Fee: $10 per vehicle per night

First-come Urdahl Campground Elko · National Forest · 70.6 mi

Agency: National Forest
Sites: Not on record
Season: Not on record
Fee: Free

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Lake camping near Elko

On Wildhorse Reservoir: Wild Horse State Recreation Area (58 miles from Elko) and North Wildhorse Recreation Area (59 miles from Elko) . Fishing on this water: Wildhorse Reservoir fishing.
On Jiggs Reservoir: Zunino/Jiggs Reservoir Recreation Area (27 miles from Elko) . Fishing on this water: Jiggs Reservoir fishing.
On Lamoille Creek: Thomas Canyon Campground (23 miles from Elko) . Fishing on this water: Lamoille Creek fishing.
On South Fork Reservoir: South Fork State Recreation Area (13 miles from Elko) . Fishing on this water: South Fork Reservoir fishing.
On Wilson Sink Reservoir: Wilson Reservoir Recreation Management Area (65 miles from Elko) . Fishing on this water: Wilson Sink Reservoir fishing.

Every lake campground in the state: lake campgrounds in Nevada.

Things to do near Elko

Public land and water within 30 miles of Elko, the public land its campgrounds sit in, and landmarks at those campgrounds, nearest first.

Humboldt River, South Fork fishing, a fishing water whose mapped point is 7.8 miles from Elko; stocking record and species on fishypedia.com.
South Fork Reservoir water level, a reservoir whose mapped point is 11 miles from Elko; current water level on reservoirfinder.com.
South Fork Reservoir fishing, a fishing water whose mapped point is 12 miles from Elko; stocking record and species on fishypedia.com.
Historic Tomera Ranch, at South Fork State Recreation Area (13 miles from Elko): A former ranch along the reservoir's east shore, sold to the state in 1983; Tomera Cove, a group-use picnic area near the campground, takes its name from the ranch.
South Fork State Recreation Area, its campground is 13 miles from Elko; publiclandsdb.com has its hours, entrance fee, and boundary.
Dorsey Reservoir fishing, a fishing water whose mapped point is 16 miles from Elko; stocking record and species on fishypedia.com.
Carlin Pond fishing, a fishing water whose mapped point is 21 miles from Elko; stocking record and species on fishypedia.com.
Lamoille Creek fishing, a fishing water whose mapped point is 22 miles from Elko; stocking record and species on fishypedia.com.
Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest, 2 of the 7 campgrounds here sit inside this national forest, the nearest Thomas Canyon Campground at 23 miles from Elko; publiclandsdb.com has its dispersed-camping rule, ranger offices, and boundary.
Lamoille Canyon, at Thomas Canyon Campground (23 miles from Elko): The campground sits at the mouth of Thomas Canyon within Lamoille Canyon on the Ruby Mountains' paved Lamoille Canyon Scenic Byway (NF-660); Lamoille Creek runs through the site and the Thomas Canyon Trail begins at the campground, passing waterfalls into a glacial cirque.

Supplies and emergencies near Elko

Nearest emergency room: Northeastern Nevada Regional Hospital, 2001 Errecart Blvd, Elko, NV, 2.3 miles from Elko , (775) 738-5151. Next nearest: Battle Mountain General Hospital, 535 S Humboldt St, Battle Mountain, NV, 63 miles, (775) 635-2550. Both report emergency services in the CMS Hospital General Information dataset (accessed 2026-09-26) . In an emergency, call 911.

Groceries: Our Store convenience store · 0.2 miles
Roy's Market supermarket · 0.5 miles
Amigo supermarket · 0.5 miles
Fuel: Maverik fuel station · 0.5 miles
Sinclair fuel station · 0.7 miles · (775) 777-1732
Conoco fuel station · 0.9 miles · (775) 778-6816
Propane: AmeriGas propane dealer · 20 miles
Pharmacy: CVS Pharmacy pharmacy · 0.8 miles
Walmart Pharmacy pharmacy · 1.2 miles
Laundromat: Jet Coin laundromat · 0.5 miles

Not mapped in OpenStreetMap within 25 miles of Elko: RV dump station, potable water fill, and ice. Stores, fuel, propane, dump stations, water fill, laundromats, and pharmacies are the nearest few mapped within 25 miles, straight-line, © OpenStreetMap contributors (data as of 2026-09-26; this extract under the ODbL). Hours are as mapped; call ahead.

Common questions

Where can I camp around Elko, NV?

7 public campgrounds are on record near Elko. Nearest first, straight-line from town: South Fork State Recreation Area (13 miles), Thomas Canyon Campground (23 miles), Zunino/Jiggs Reservoir Recreation Area (27 miles), Wild Horse State Recreation Area (58 miles), and 3 more. 2 book through Reserve Nevada, 1 is first-come, first-served with no reservations, and 1 books through Recreation.gov.

Is there free camping near Elko, NV?

Yes: Urdahl Campground charges no fee at the campground.

Where can I camp with an RV near Elko, NV?

3 campgrounds near Elko take RVs: North Wildhorse Recreation Area, South Fork State Recreation Area, and Thomas Canyon Campground. South Fork State Recreation Area has hookups.

Where can I go tent camping near Elko, NV?

Thomas Canyon Campground lists tent or walk-in sites on record.

Where can I camp near Elko with drinking water?

South Fork State Recreation Area, Thomas Canyon Campground, and Wild Horse State Recreation Area have potable water on record.

Are there year-round campgrounds near Elko, NV?

Yes: South Fork State Recreation Area and Wild Horse State Recreation Area are open all year, per the managing agency. The rest are seasonal or have no season on record.

Where can I camp near a lake around Elko, NV?

Wild Horse State Recreation Area and North Wildhorse Recreation Area sit on Wildhorse Reservoir, Zunino/Jiggs Reservoir Recreation Area sits on Jiggs Reservoir, Thomas Canyon Campground sits on Lamoille Creek, South Fork State Recreation Area sits on South Fork Reservoir, and Wilson Reservoir Recreation Management Area sits on Wilson Sink Reservoir.

Where is the nearest emergency room to Elko, NV?

Northeastern Nevada Regional Hospital, 2001 Errecart Blvd, Elko, NV, is 2.3 miles from Elko in a straight line and reports emergency services to CMS; phone (775) 738-5151. In an emergency, call 911.

Every campground in the state: camping in Nevada ; by agency: BLM campgrounds in Nevada , National Forest campgrounds in Nevada and State Park campgrounds in Nevada .