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Directions to Burning Man from Phoenix &
Tucson (Open
as a PDF)
This guide is the shortest known route to
Burning Man from Arizona. Especially if you are towing or in an RV.
You should consider in your plans that speed limits are 55mph for all
vehicles towing trailers in California.
There are no lower
speeds for towing in Arizona or Nevada. This can add hours to the trip
if you use the California route. Also consider gas in California being
more expensive. Take I-10 through PHX and follow the signs that say
I-10 West-Los Angeles. Continue out past Dysart and Litchfield roads
to Cotton Lane- Loop 303. Take the Loop 303 exit and turn right onto
Loop 303. Go down about 15 miles until 303 intersects at Highway 60 to
Wickenburg.
This is a good road with only a couple stop signs
or lights and normally light traffic. There is an Albertson's grocery
store and gas station on Loop 303 about 3 miles or so before you get
to US-60. It is on your left in a shopping Plaza at the intersection
of Bell Rd and Loop 303/Cotton lane. I recommend buying gas before
Wickenburg. It is at least 20 cents a gallon cheaper than Wickenburg,
which is about 20 miles away. There is also a shell station a mile or
so north of the Junction once you turn onto US-60.
Pay
attention after you go past Bell Road, the Junction to US 60 is just
down the road a few miles. There is an overpass at US-60 and a dogleg
right turn you must take when you get to the US-60/Loop 303 Junction.
This is not marked well, with only one small sign just before the
junction. At US-60 turn left to Wickenburg. Once you get to downtown
Wickenburg, you will have a bypass route for highway US-93 to Wikiup
and I-40 to Kingman. If you miss the bypass, down the road at the
traffic light you still have the option of turning right to get to
US-93.
The next gas is in Wikiup. There are two 24 hour gas
stations there if you need them. The area for ten miles on both ends
of Wikiup is always patrolled by the Highway Patrol. They have a zero
tolerance for speeders. Once you get to Kingman you will go the usual
route on I-40 out of town. Pay Attention to the signs on the
west end of Kingman. You must exit I-40 again at US-93. It is very
easy to miss. The new bridge that bypasses the dam is open to all
traffic. There is no longer any need to go around through Laughlin
Nevada to get to Las Vegas. However traffic in Boulder city can be
slow going through town. Regardless, the new bridge will knock off
about an hour of drive time from the old route.
Las Vegas does
have heavy daytime rush hour traffic. If possible, it is best to plan
your drive through Vegas to avoid the morning and late afternoon rush
hours. Go through Las Vegas on I-515 / US-95. You need to watch the
signs at the Downtown Las Vegas interchange. Make sure you stay on
US-95 to Beatty and Tonopah which takes you up the Western edge of
Nevada.
There are several gas and food stops on the other side
of Vegas around Ann Rd. There is a few stations out past Ann Road now.
But we try to stop someplace in that area because there is food and
gas 24 hours a day at the Ann Road exit. This is the last relatively
cheap gas you will find in Nevada. For current info on Nevada gas
prices:
http://www.nevadagasprices.com/ The next gas and food are in
Indian Springs about 60 miles away. Generally, Indian Springs, Beatty,
Tonopah and Hawthorne are about 15 to 20 cents per gallon higher than
Las Vegas.
Beatty is just about half way to Burning Man for
those coming from Tucson. Baileys Hot Springs-RV Park is on the far
north end of Beatty about 3 miles out of town on your right on the way
to Tonopah. You should stop for gas in Beatty before the hot springs
or you will have to drive back. The hot springs has rest rooms and
showers plus enclosed Hot springs for $16.00 per vehicle. This is an
old haunt for AZBurners on the way to Burning Man. If you stop over
you will probably find someone there you know. Be sure and tell the
owner you heading to Burning Man.
He can tell you who has
already come and gone and when they left. He will even give other
Burners that stop a note or message if needed. If you arrive at
Baileys Hot Springs after the office is closed it is OK to find a spot
and park and pay when they open in the morning. Sometimes they have an
after hours person who may stop by your vehicle to collect the fee. Be
advised that the Hot springs are locked after 8pm. There are no
facilities to dump RV holding tanks at Baileys Hot Springs.
There are a couple 24 hour Gas stations and a Motel in Beatty if you
need them.
Warning the next gas stations are 100 miles down the
road. If you are not sure you can make it, get gas in Beatty.
Goldfield has gas, but the hours it is open are limited! Plus it is
expensive. Down the road past Beatty is Tonopah. There is free truck
and RV parking at the Banc Club Casino. You can sleep there and have
breakfast in the casino the next morning. There are several 24 hour
gas stations in Tonopah. Warning! Tonopah is well known speed trap.
The highway through town is patrolled 24 hours a day. The speed limit
through town is 25 mph, Do Not speed in this area. Most of us just get
gas there and move on. If you decide to stay overnight, many burners
recommend the Clown Motel on the North end of town.
Next stop
is Hawthorne Nevada. Warning Hawthorne Nevada has a reputation for
heavy handed enforcement of traffic laws which also tend to included
demands for vehicle searches. BE CAREFUL in this town! There is
a free RV dump at the Casino in downtown Hawthorne and at the Shell
Truck stop on the North end of Hawthorne. They also have clean hot
private showers for 8 dollars a person. If you decide to park and
sleep at this truck stop, this would probably be your last chance for
a nice long hot shower for another week! If you want a sit down meal
in Hawthorne, El Capitan Casino's restaurant will be on your right as
you enter Hawthorne. This restaurant closes at midnight on weeknights
and is open 24 hours on weekends.
The last major stop is Fallon
and Fernley. These two towns will be the last "for sure" place for
supplies and cheap gas. When you come into Fallon you'll take a left
in town to Fernley and Reno. The intersection where you make the turn
is well marked. This is the Junction of Hwy 95 and Hwy 50. Just down
the road on the right after you make the turn onto Hwy 50-Williams
Road will be a Safeway store. Down the road further is a 24 hour Super
Wal-Mart. If you need a tire replaced for your rig or trailer the
Wal-Mart has them. Fallon has a Radio-Shack, Napa, Ace hardware and
Checker Auto supply along that same road as Safeway and Wal-Mart. Note
that there is a Super Wal-Mart and Home Depot in Fernley as well. On
the way out of Fallon a few miles down the road on the right is The
SAGE VALLEY RV Park, formerly known as "The Hub". Here is where you
can get water, Propane and a hot shower if you need it.
After
you leave Fallon you will head out Hwy 50 to Fernley, then to Hwy 427
to Wadsworth, then in Wadsworth take a right on Hwy 447 to Nixon,
Empire and Gerlach. As you get near Fernley there is a traffic circle
or "round about". You will enter the circle on your right. The first
exit out of the circle will take you over a bridge to the I-80
junction. There you will find gas and a shopping plaza with a
Scolari's grocery store. The grocery store, (They love burners there),
it closes at 9pm! Across the street from the Grocery store is a 24
hour Super Wal-Mart, a Shell station that also has diesel, an Autozone,
a tire store, Home Depot, a good restaurant in the casino and a couple
hotels. You can enter I- 80 here and head to Reno and get off at the
exit 46 to Burning Man. Also note if you miss the first exit out of
the traffic circle you can also get back on the road to Wadsworth by
taking the next exit out of the circle and go though Fernley. There
are restaurants and fuel there as well. The Black Bear restaurant just
a few blocks down that road has plenty of RV parking.
After
getting on I-80 take the next Exit 46 to Wadsworth, via Nevada Hwy
427. You need to get off there and head to Wadsworth-Nixon. Try to
stock up with everything in Fallon or Fernley. There is a small
country store in Empire but it gets cleaned out pretty quick. it may
or may not be open. Don't wait until Empire or you may have to do
without.
This guide is the shortest known route to Burning Man
from Arizona. At the 1-80 Junction, Exit 46 in Fernley there is a
Loves Truck stop where you can also get fuel. They also have an RV
dump station. This is VERY Crowded with Burners. We suggest getting
your fuel and water earlier in the trip to save time waiting in line.
From the I-80 Junction at HWY 427 (Exit 46) then a few miles to Hwy
447, it is about 100 miles to Burning Man. Due to traffic and low
speed limits on the reservation, this last stretch will take you at
least 2 hours driving time. WARNING, Be careful on this road. Obey the
speed limit at all times.
The local and state police are out in
force during Burning Man. Do not give them a reason to pull you over.
You will be passing through two Indian reservations on this road. Both
have zero tolerance for speeding. If you get pulled over for speeding
it is pretty much guaranteed they will want to search your car. Your
ultimate goal, no matter which route you choose, is to eventually get
on Nevada highway 447. This will take you to Gerlach. Black Rock
Desert where Burning Man is located, is just down the road past
Gerlach. These guidelines are not designed or intended to replace good
sound trip planning, or recently printed maps. As always PLEASE use a
road map to plan your trip.
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