Camping near Ely, Nevada
Camping near Ely, Nevada includes 12 public campgrounds on record, 6 reservable and 6 first-come. Most (7 of 12) are run by the U.S. Forest Service. The nearest, Ward Mountain Campground, is 6.6 miles from Ely in a straight line, and 3 of 12 are within 15 miles. 4 are free, and 1 stays open all year.
Ward Mountain Campground 
Cave Lake State Park 
Berry Creek Campground 
Ward Charcoal Ovens State Historic Park 
Timber Creek Campground 
Bird Creek Campground 
Cleve Creek Campground Camping near Ely at a glance
- Public campgrounds
- 12 (7 National Forest, 3 BLM, 2 State Park)
- Getting a site
- 6 reservable and 6 first-come
- Cost
- 4 free; lowest posted fee at East Creek Campground: "Single Site: $5 per night ($2.50 with a senior or access pass)"
- Distance from Ely
- 6.6 miles (Ward Mountain Campground) to 34 miles (White River Campground) in a straight line; 3 within 15 miles
- Elevation
- 6,229 ft (Cleve Creek Campground) to 8,500 ft (Timber Creek Campground), 9 of 12 on record
- Season
- 1 open all year, 7 seasonal with posted dates
- Campsites
- 120 across the 9 campgrounds that state a count
- RVs
- 7 take RVs; no hookups on record; longest stated RV length 40 ft (Bird Creek Campground)
- Drinking water
- 5 of 12
Distances are straight-line miles from Ely'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.
Reservable Ward Mountain Campground - Agency
- National Forest
- Sites
- 33
- Season
- End of May to mid-October
- Fee
- Single Site: $12 per night ($6 with a senior or access pass)
Reservable Cave Lake State Park - Agency
- State Park
- Sites
- Not on record
- Season
- Not on record
- Fee
- $15/night ($20 non-NV); camp and boat $20/night ($25 non-NV)
First-come Berry Creek Campground - Agency
- National Forest
- Sites
- Not on record
- Season
- Late May to Mid-October
- Fee
- Free
Reservable Ward Charcoal Ovens State Historic Park - Agency
- State Park
- Sites
- Not on record
- Season
- Year-round
- Fee
- $15/night ($20 non-NV)
Reservable Timber Creek Campground - Agency
- National Forest
- Sites
- 15
- Season
- End of May to September
- Fee
- Single Site: $10 per night ($5 with a senior or access pass)
Reservable Bird Creek Campground - Agency
- National Forest
- Sites
- 9
- Season
- Late May to Mid-October
- Fee
- Overnight Use: Single Site $10/night ($5 with a senior or access pass), Double Site $15-20/night, Group Site $45/night
First-come Cleve Creek Campground - Agency
- BLM
- Sites
- 13
- Season
- Not on record
- Fee
- Free
Reservable East Creek Campground - Agency
- National Forest
- Sites
- 12
- Season
- Late May to Mid-October
- Fee
- Single Site: $5 per night ($2.50 with a senior or access pass)
First-come Kalamazoo Campground - Agency
- National Forest
- Sites
- 8
- Season
- Late May to Mid-October
- Fee
- Overnight use: $5 per night, single site
First-come Illipah Reservoir Recreation Area - Agency
- BLM
- Sites
- 15
- Season
- Not on record
- Fee
- Not on record
First-come Sacramento Pass Recreation Area - Agency
- BLM
- Sites
- 10
- Season
- Not on record
- Fee
- Free
First-come White River Campground - Agency
- National Forest
- Sites
- 5
- Season
- End of May to mid-October
- Fee
- Free
No campgrounds match.
Lake camping near Ely
- On Cave Creek: Cave Lake State Park (10 miles from Ely) . Fishing on this water: Cave Creek fishing.
- On Illipah Reservoir: Illipah Reservoir Recreation Area (28 miles from Ely) . Fishing on this water: Illipah Reservoir fishing.
- On Sacramento Pass Pond: Sacramento Pass Recreation Area (32 miles from Ely) . Fishing on this water: Sacramento Pass Pond fishing.
Every lake campground in the state: lake campgrounds in Nevada.
Things to do near Ely
Public land and water within 30 miles of Ely, the public land its campgrounds sit in, and landmarks at those campgrounds, nearest first.
- Historic amphitheater and BBQ roasting facility, at Ward Mountain Campground (6.6 miles from Ely): Ward Mountain Recreation Area, 10 miles southwest of Ely, also has a volleyball court, horseshoe pit, historic amphitheater, and an underground BBQ roasting facility beyond its campsites.
- Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest, 7 of the 12 campgrounds here sit inside this national forest, the nearest Ward Mountain Campground at 6.6 miles from Ely; publiclandsdb.com has its dispersed-camping rule, ranger offices, and boundary.
- Comins Lake fishing, a fishing water whose mapped point is 8.5 miles from Ely; stocking record and species on fishypedia.com.
- Cave Lake, a swimming hole whose mapped point is 10 miles from Ely; swimming details on swimholesmap.com.
- Cave Lake State Park, its campground is 10 miles from Ely; publiclandsdb.com has its hours, entrance fee, and boundary.
- Cave Creek fishing, a fishing water whose mapped point is 11 miles from Ely; stocking record and species on fishypedia.com.
- Cave Lake fishing, a fishing water whose mapped point is 11 miles from Ely; stocking record and species on fishypedia.com.
- Bristlecone Wilderness, a wilderness area whose mapped point is 12 miles from Ely; its permit and camping rules and boundary on publiclandsdb.com.
- Ward charcoal ovens, at Ward Charcoal Ovens State Historic Park (16 miles from Ely): Six beehive-shaped stone ovens, up to 30 feet tall, built in 1876 and used until 1879 to make charcoal for silver smelters in nearby Ward.
- Ward Charcoal Ovens State Historic Park, a state park whose mapped point is 16 miles from Ely; its hours, entrance fee, and boundary on publiclandsdb.com.
Supplies and emergencies near Ely
Nearest emergency room: William Bee Ririe Hospital, 1500 Ave H, Ely, NV, 0.8 miles from Ely , (775) 289-3001. Next nearest: Grover C Dils Medical Center, 700 N Spring St, Caliente, NV, 115 miles, (775) 726-3171. Both report emergency services in the CMS Hospital General Information dataset (accessed 2026-09-26) . In an emergency, call 911.
- Groceries
-
- Ridley's Family Markets
- Dino Mart
- R Place Food Depot
- Fuel
-
- Chevron Convenience Store
- Chevron
- Shell
- Propane
-
- Suburban Propane
- Laundromat
-
- Soak N Suds Laundromat
Not mapped in OpenStreetMap within 25 miles of Ely: RV dump station, potable water fill, pharmacy, 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 Ely, NV?
12 public campgrounds are on record near Ely. Nearest first, straight-line from town: Ward Mountain Campground (6.6 miles), Cave Lake State Park (10 miles), Berry Creek Campground (13 miles), Ward Charcoal Ovens State Historic Park (16 miles), and 8 more. 6 are first-come, first-served with no reservations, 2 book through Recreation.gov, 2 book through Reserve Nevada, 1 books through Recreation.gov for some sites, including group and multi-family; the rest are first-come, first-served, and 1 books through Recreation.gov for some sites; the rest are first-come, first-served.
Is there free camping near Ely, NV?
Yes: Berry Creek Campground, Cleve Creek Campground, Sacramento Pass Recreation Area, and White River Campground charge no fee at the campground.
Where can I camp with an RV near Ely, NV?
7 campgrounds near Ely take RVs: Berry Creek Campground, Bird Creek Campground, East Creek Campground, Illipah Reservoir Recreation Area, and 3 more. None has hookups on record.
Where can I go tent camping near Ely, NV?
Bird Creek Campground and East Creek Campground list tent or walk-in sites on record.
Where can I camp near Ely with drinking water?
Bird Creek Campground, Cave Lake State Park, Timber Creek Campground, Ward Charcoal Ovens State Historic Park, and 1 more have potable water on record.
Are there year-round campgrounds near Ely, NV?
Yes: Ward Charcoal Ovens State Historic Park is open all year, per the managing agency. The rest are seasonal or have no season on record.
When is camping season near Ely, NV?
Of the 7 seasonal campgrounds with posted dates, most open in May (7 of 7) and close in October (6 of 7). Ward Charcoal Ovens State Historic Park stays open all year. Each campground's own dates are in the table.
Where can I camp near a lake around Ely, NV?
Cave Lake State Park sits on Cave Creek, Illipah Reservoir Recreation Area sits on Illipah Reservoir, and Sacramento Pass Recreation Area sits on Sacramento Pass Pond.
Where is the nearest emergency room to Ely, NV?
William Bee Ririe Hospital, 1500 Ave H, Ely, NV, is 0.8 miles from Ely in a straight line and reports emergency services to CMS; phone (775) 289-3001. 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 .