They are not wrong with this sign.

Onward to the Forgotten Corner!

As always, we pain-stakingly took notes during our trip to bring you these mileage markers to ensure accuracy. This was done using odometers because Google Maps does not have an approximation on these specific points due to the area's isolation. We also cross-referenced the latest (2011) BLM maps to double-check our own findings.

For our epic trip to Soldier Meadows, we chose the traditional method of getting to Soldier Meadows by way of SR 447 from Wadsworth, then CR 34 north out of Gerlach. Therefore, all mileage plots you see below are approximate distances from downtown Gerlach, approximately Bruno's Country Club.

As a bonus, we've linked every mile marker below with its corresponding GPS per Google Maps so you can do your own reference at home. However, we highly recommend you have a traditional Black Atlas in your vehicle, and do not rely on Google Maps for this trip. We cannot stress this enough!

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Meet the Darkest Town in the West

Gerlach, Nevada Mile 0

While we usually prefer the road less traveled, we chose the road most easiest and decided to head in from the south because most of you will probably be headed in from Reno. Step one is getting to Gerlach, but even getting here isn't a casual affair! Treat this one as a nice primer to your trip. Go big, go home, and go remote!

Gracie and I started our journey in "downtown" Gerlach just a few yards north of Bruno's Country Club. We began the trip in front of an old friend Marker 152, right next to the Gerlach Water Tower. We enjoyed a picnic lunch beneath the water tower glancing north at the wild country we were about to enter.

This little everything-town coins the nickname, "Where the Pavement Ends and the West Begins." And well, visit once and you'll understand. Consider it the nucleus for the entire northwest corner. Bag the markers here, hit up a hot meal at Bruno's, and supply yourself with all the resources you might need before heading out into the great wide open.

"34 Crossroads" Mile 1

With our tank topped off and plenty of supplies on board, we headed north out of town on County Route 447 to this well ... signed ... junction. This meeting of two paved highways in the middle of nowhere is hard to miss.

Got signs?

Sadly, this jumble of signs was removed and replaced with individual signs on each road. This is weird because it's actually more confusing for motorists who have to proceed down each road individually to see if they're going in their intended direction. The road junction jumble was much more efficient. Anyway, today you'll find a mileage sign for "Squaw Creek Res., Cedarville, Eagleville, and Alturas" on CR 447 and "Boulder Res., Soldier Meadows, Denio, and Vya" on CR 34. Yup. This is pretty much every major control point in this huge, desolate region of the state. These two signs are great indicators of just how far and few between civilization is spaced out in this region. Hardcore road buffs will also notice the difference in the signage. These two signs are remnants of Nevada's old highway system dating back to the 1960s when Old State Route 81 branched to the left and County Route 34 was actually State Route 34.

This sign greeted us upon continuing straight on County Route 34. Notice the old green posts ... yet another indicator that this sign was implemented during Nevada's early highway system. Leadville is an actual ghost town and the only point listed on this sign without an active population. Unfortunately, this classic sign has been removed.

"Doobie Lane" Mile 3

The fabled Guru Lane highlights the work of a local named Dwayne "Doobie" Williams from Gerlach who passed away in 2000. Doobie left behind a quirky and impresssionist work on the desert solely for the intention of desert wanderers like us to come away enlightened by the desert's blank slate.

Such as "Ground Zero"

And, the "Teepee of Life!" I've left a link for more of the intrisic gallery you'll find at Doobie Lane below!

After Doobie's outdoor exhibit CR 34 hugs the west shore of the Black Rock playa for the next 12 miles. This is the typical view you'll see along this scenic stretch of road!

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Did You Know ... The Black Rock Desert is the largest lakebed in North America? GET THE BOOK HERE

Mile 6

The defining word for "Black Rock" almost always means the entire Black Rock Desert watershed itself -- one that covers 11,600 square miles. The Black Rock Desert is the largest desert playa in North America -- spanning 100 miles in length across northern Washoe and Humboldt Counties -- a giant saltpan that covers 997 square miles alone.

Scenes like the one above are becoming increasingly rare in these parts. As of 2000 at the establishment of the Black Rock Desert Conservation Area, approximately seventy percent of the playa has been given wilderness protection. With the week-long exception of the Burning Man Festival, the wilderness protection thoroughly bans the use of off-road vehicles. Thus, access to the playa can only be done on foot or bicycle. In retrospect, the silence is out here is a strange contrast to the annual Burning Man Festival that attracts more than 50,000 people every year.

"Twelve Mile Access" Mile 12

Mile 12 from Gerlach marks the point known as "12 Mile Access" - one of the more reliable points to put in on the playa. A half-mile from this sign you're greeted by our second crossroads and one of the most important in the region.

Here is where we said goodbye to the pavement for two whole days. CR 34 loses pavement just six miles ahead just past the Fly Ranch, but continues another 80-something miles further to the Oregon border and deep into the heart of this wild outback! You'll intersect with the junction of Old SR 8A at Vya where you have the option of continuing north to Oregon, west to California, or east into High Rock Canyon. CR 34 also puts you in a good spot to investigate the location of Marker 149, a long-lost MIA that disappeared many years ago at the junction with the BLM road into High Rock Canyon (about forty minutes north of here). From here, you can tread on through High Rock Canyon to Soldier Meadows. Don't expect a lot in the way of company. Check out our intro page for full coverage of this route.

For now, here is where we say goodbye to the pavement.
Soldier Meadows, here we come! The real adventure begins.

Kudos to the BLM! Without mileages like these travelers in this lonely country would have little clue to a waypoint. Consider this your final warning before heading into the outback. And yes, as the sign reads, you are on your own!

We didn't expect a whole lot in the way of company to begin with. In fact, we passed one vehicle the entire trip in and out of Soldier Meadows. That's doing Nevada!

Mile 16

The Soldier Meadows Road heads northwest between Granite Creek Valley and the Black Rock playa. For the next seven miles several paths branch away to the playa. The desolation is pretty sweet through here as it winds in and out of alkali mounds, saltbush, and sand dunes. The stark vistas might as well be outdoor exhibits of ancient Lake Lahontan's presence many thousands of years ago. In very wet years this section of the road becomes muddy enough to challenge hardcore four-wheel-drive vehicles.

Mile 20

Once leaving the sand dunes, the road widens to cross an expansive valley overlooking the Black Rock playa. On the left you'll see the Calico Mountains Wilderness and the first of several wilderness areas in the region. Several dirt tracks branch away from the road for the next five miles to the wilderness boundary. Extend your trip for a great night's Camp in the Calicos.

 Calico Mountains Wilderness 

Mile 27

The Soldier Meadows Road makes an abrupt 90-degree turn on the horizon to parallel the Calico Mountains Wilderness boundary, and consequently, into Humboldt County. From here on, views of the Black Rock Playa begin to disappear as we leave the valley.

Mile 35

By this time, the road began to feel like a familiar friend. There was no turning back now! Not even one minute after we captured this image, a gang of Pronghorn leapt across the road. Sorry folks. The antelope evaded our camera. You know you're a Nevadan when you can spot a ranch from several miles away. Take a look. A keen set of eyes will spot the clump of trees on the middle right horizon. You're looking at the old poplar trees of the Willow Ranch -- another minute bit of civilization in this wild country.

Willow Ranch Mile 39

Finally, after an hour and a half from Gerlach, the first reassurance sign of Soldier Meadows appeared. This sign was nailed to the fence of the Willow Ranch. The Little High Rock Range on the left marked another desert wilderness area. Only 21 miles to go!

Mile 44

You can't get much lonelier than this. Out here, your only compasses are landmarks. For the next eight miles, the Soldier Meadows Road is all sage and stark vistas with very little in the way of waypoints. The Little High Rock Canyon Wilderness lies on the left while Pahute Peak Wilderness spans your view on the right. Both of these areas see very few visitors. Time it right and you will have them all to yourself.

Mile 52

What a cool surprise! Mud Meadow Reservoir is partly spring-fed and never more than two feet deep. Before ranchers constructed an earthen dam here, westward emigrants used the area as a priceless watering hole. We however, used the area as a quick camera stop. Here, the Soldier Meadows Road makes an abrupt 90-degree turn to cross the dam. Soldier Meadows is so close we can smell the beef.

"High Rock Junction"/"High Rock Road" Mile 59

Ah. "The last cattle guard" - the official boundary onto the large land tract belonging to the Soldier Meadows Guest Ranch. See those clump of trees on the right horizon? We've come a come long way and a pat on the back was in order!

Turning left at this junction will take you to Soldier Meadows Campground, a very popular BLM stay and staging area for roaders going west into High Rock Canyon. This campground hosts a small perennial brook and hot spring with six large sites and probably the only dedicated bit of camaradarie out here. Use this as a base camp and overnight stay while you're up here. Since you can't really reserve any sites up here, everything is pretty much first-come, first-serve, with overflowing camping a regular thing. Simply show up and camp, but please clean up after yourself!

Notice the lack of mileage to Vya or Cedarville! Instead, all you get is High Rock Lake ... and even then, the arrow is extremely hard to see with a distance listed as 10 miles. This is typical of the region and why it's so imperative to know your bearings, or carry "the black" Nevada atlas with you at all times! Google will not help you out here. Just know that this road may be your only other alternative out of the area.

By the way, we tripped the Soldier Meadows Campground at approximately 5 miles from this junction.

Welcome to Soldier Meadows Ranch Mile 60

Three hours of roostertails later
Two sack lunches
171 miles north of Reno
Welcome to the Soldier Meadows Guest Ranch and Marker 162, the most remote marker in Nevada! Take a few minutes and kick back under the cool shade of the ginormous cottonwood trees. The ranch is considered the only year-round form of services out here, serving hot meals, offering warm beds, and chock full of great conversation. The owners welcome everybody (paying and non-paying) passing through. Let's get ourselves a little acquainted.

Update!
Sadly, the Soldier Meadows Guest Ranch is under new ownership after the passing of Bob, the former guest ranch owner in 2012. The Ranch's official site was shut down shortly after his passing, now with very little places to book a stay at the ranch. Post pandemic, we dove a little deeper. Except for rare emergency situations, such as vehicle trouble or health concerns, the ranch no longer accepts visitors without a reservation. The Ranch no longer has a tow truck, so do not rely on them for pulling you out of the area. You can book a visit, a stay, or a meal via the links I've provided below.

Much of the history of the area can be found on Marker 162's plaque (which you'll find on the marker's main page below), so I'm only going to provide a bit of exposition for the ranch itself, which is surprisingly quite rich!

The main lodge at Soldier Meadows © Wander the West

History
The 500,000-acre ranch went through a series of different owners beginning as far back as 1950! The name "Soldier Meadows" came from the military post of Camp McCarry and has stuck ever since the post's abandonment in 1871. The name itself stuck and was transferred Stanley and Gordon Van Vleck of California in October of 1959. Van Vleck, a pilot, also acquired the Wheeler Ranch (85 miles to the west) and he was the one who built the dam at Mud Meadows Reservoir you passed back at Mile 52. Vleck constructed two airstrips to serve the region: one at Soldier Meadows and one at the Wheeler, thereby providing a dependable means of emergency transport that are used to this day.

Vleck's last feat was the augmentation of irrigated farm land using pipe diversions from the tiny, perennial streams that coasted down the mountain ranges you see behind the ranch. Van Vleck held onto the rights and acquistions until he sold them to the Baer Ranch in June of 1970. In August 1977 the Earp Family acquired the Baer Ranch (including Soldier Meadows, and Wheeler Ranch) and the Paiute Meadows Ranch to the south, as well as the many lease units in High Rock Canyon. A great resource for this is “Historic Context for the Soldier Meadows Basin" by David Valentine, who asserts Earp’s acquisitions were "probably the closest that the Black Rock Ranch has been to being reassembled since the dissolution of Miller and Lux." The Earp Family sold to R.C. Roberts in about 1990, and R.C. Roberts established the guest ranch operation. Roberts sold the Ranch to the Estill Family in 1997 who scaled down the operation of the guest ranch and concentrated their efforts on raising calves.

Finally, the ranch was then acquired by the Kudrna Family in 2003, specifically, the former owners that we had the pleasure of conversing with, Bob and Lisa. Sadly, Bob passed away in 2012 and the ranch was sold to the newest owners, Btaz Nevada, where it remains primarily a cow/calf operation first, and guest ranch second.

Today, the Soldier Meadows Ranch is open seasonally as a Bed and Breakfast (usually during the summer months only) for hunters and all those exploring this wonderful region. At current count, the ranch owns thirty three horses, an estimated 100 herd of cattle, along with their own road grader to ensure the road is clear and passable. Of course, anything can happen in Nevada ... hence, why it's best to call the ranch weeks ahead before your trip. The change in ownership to Btaz Nevada shut down the ranch's official site. However, you can still book a stay with the button below. Since this is a working cattle ranch first and foremost, guest lodging as a bed & breakfast is second priority, so don't be surprised if you find information on Google a little hit-or-miss. Except for rare emergency situations, such as vehicle breakdown or health concerns, the ranch no longer accepts visitors without a reservation or booking. The Ranch no longer has a tow truck either, so do not rely on them for pulling you out of the area. You can book a visit, a stay, or a meal via the links I've provided below. If you want to call the ranch yourself, it usually takes the owners a few days to get back to you because they are a working cattle ranch.

Our advice is to call the BLM office in Gerlach instead to find out road and weather conditions before your trip to Soldier Meadows!

The Guest Ranch has been a northern Nevada getaway for at least two decades, offering comfortable and affordable lodging for family vacations and peaceful getaways. Nobody just finds their way here. People who have visited here are instantly converted to returning guests of not just the ranch, but the region as well.

Alternatives to Soldier Meadows

This section has been heavily requested, especially post pandemic, so ... here you go!

Obviously, the Ranch can provide you with some lodging capabilities and there's nothing quite like waking up to the smell of the ranch's hardy breakfast! However, the Ranch has limited rooms and operates in a first-guest, first-serve system. Since it's such a long way up here and a long way out, you need to be prepared to find other forms of overnight stays in the region. Here are a few options that we've discovered on our trip (and since confirmed as of 2023 by calls to the BLM or by own soujourns!). Most of these will be old fashioned slumbers by way of several primitive, but lovely BLM campsites that sit at least within a 30-mile radius of the ranch.

Stevens Camp 41.490243, -119.491506

About halfway along the route from Vya to Soldier Meadows on Old SR 8A, you'll find a narrow track leading to a weather-tight cabin known as "Stevens Camp," one of several backcountry cabins the BLM has installed throughout the region. Stevens is a popular site with four established camping areas, including a large campground near the free-use cabin. The cabin itself comes stocked with a few conveniences including a vault toilet, picnic tables, fire pits, running water (must be treated prior to drinking), a wood stove, a grill, a shower, and even a solar-powered refrigerator and water heater! Sometimes the cabinet inside is fully stocked with canned goods and bottled water. The generator that provided valuable light and power fell victim to the elements in 2021, so maintenance here is left mostly to docents and good samaritans. Stevens Camp provides a solid base camp for exploration of the area and it's no wonder that this valuable bit of shelter in this lonely land is full most of the summer. If you happen to use up any of the valuable food amenities here please re-stock them as best you can. Ordinarily, if you see a vehicle parked in front of the cabin, wave hello, be courteous, and let them enjoy their stay. Utilize one of the four camnpgrounds instead and enjoy a bit of camaradarie in the middle of nowhere. Check out the link above to prep your stay at Stevens Camp.

STEVENS CAMP

Soldier Meadows Campground 41.360509, -119.222892

Soldier Meadows Campground
At Mile 59, turn left onto High Rock Road and the BLM sign signed fo "High Rock Lake." In approximately 5 miles you'll arrive at the what is possibly the most popular stay in the region, and for good reason. The Soldier Meadows campground is not only a primitive, but well-maintained BLM campground, but doubles as a staging area for roaders headed west into High Rock Canyon. This campground hosts a small perennial brook and hot spring with six large sites and probably the only dedicated bit of camaradarie out here. Since it's only five miles from Marker 162, we recommend using this as a base camp and overnight stay while you're up here. Since you can't really reserve any sites up here, everything is pretty much first-come, first-serve, with overflowing camping a regular thing. Everybody here looks out for each other, so simply show up and camp, but please clean up after yourself!

SOLDIER MEADOWS CAMPGROUND

© Oregon Discovery

Virgin Valley Hot Spring 41.854329, -119.001536

A little far, but viable if you're headed into Nevada from the Oregon locations. This beautiful spot is perfect for car campers and RVs alike, as the site is massive with plenty of room to soujourn! It's pretty much the mandatory stop on SR 140. Considering that no services are found on the highway in between Denio and Adel, Virgin Valley has become kind of a safe haven of civilization in these wild parts. Of course, the highlight of the spot is the lovely hot spring, where you can sit and soak your weary bones, completely free of charge. However, you will need to pay a modest camping fee to utilize any of the sites. The sites are clean, and they are numerous and spaced out making it a perfect base camp for daytripping to nearby areas such as Thousand Creek Gorge, the Steens-Alvord, the Sheldon Refuge, and of course, bagging Marker 162 at Soldier Meadows.

VIRGIN VALLEY HOT SPRINGS

Virgin Valley Rest Area 41.877000, -119.042401

Not far from the Hot Spring, you'll likely pass up this Rest Area on SR 140. Considering that no services are found on the highway in between Denio and Adel, Virgin Valley has become kind of a safe haven of civilization in these wild parts. Due to the sheer remoteness of the region and concerned for commuter safety, this particular roadside rest is an exception in Nevada Highway Department. All Nevada rest areas have a maximum of 18 hours stay, but this one allows you up to 36. That's three days! There's hardly anything here, and NDOT is in the works of fully renovating this lonely rest area to include restrooms and a lawn area. Until then, this is all you get, but it can provide a bit of a respite from the road and relative close proximity to Virgin Valley.

VIRGIN VALLEY HOT SPRINGS

Sheldon Nat'l Refuge and Catnip Reservoir 41.912263, -119.458211

Lastly, no talk of the "Northwest Corner" would be complete without a mention of Sheldon Wildlife Refuge, the second largest wildlife refuge in Nevada. In my opinion, Sheldon is an absolute hidden gem that will likely remain off the radar for years to come. This refuge not only provides valuable, virtually unspoiled habitat for thousands of Pronghorn, but is absolutely loaded with tons of camping opportunities ... so many that I cannot list them all here. Therefore, the link below will get you started. Many of the refuge's highlight areas are signed on BLM pointers throughout the region from Old SR 8A, CR 34, as well as the Soldier Meadows Road, and both SR 140 in Nevada and 140 in Oregon. For example, the YX Ranch is more easily accessible out of Adel and Plush (OR), while Swan Creek and Catnip Reservoir will be found at the second major crossroads from SR 140 and Knott Creek Road. This is one area that deserves its own book and there are just too many possibilities to list here!

All of the camping options on Sheldon is dispersed camping up to 14 days ... ridiculously generous, and a huge advantage if you're exploring this region! You'll find a few other backcountry cabins like Stevens Camp dotted throughout the refuge as well, so a call to the BLM in Gerlach or Adel will get you those coordinates. The "nucleus" (if you can call it that) for Sheldon is Catnip Reservoir, a remote 15-acre impoundment that is stocked yearly by the NDOT with Lahontan Cutthroats! This is one of the only places in the state where you can catch them. It's also the most popular camping spot on Sheldon, so prepare to share the sites with other lonely wanderers during the summer months. (See the link below)

SHELDON NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE (CAMPING OPTIONS) CATNIP RESERVOIR

To finish off some other camping options (that I won't go into detail) are ...
Big Springs Reservoir
Bilk Creek Reservoir
Denio Junction
Fields Station
Alvord Desert (dispersed)
Knott Creek & Onion Valley Campgrounds

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