16 Forest Service, 15 National Park Service and 8 BLM. 26 can be booked ahead
Big trucks suit Nevada, within limits
Nevada suits a self-contained vehicle. Its documented routes are mostly dirt and gravel roads classed for high clearance, the distances reward fuel and water capacity, and a 14-day stay limit across 47.2 million acres of BLM land rewards independence. Size still has limits. The Park Service allows nothing over 24 feet beyond Upper Lehman Creek Campground on the Wheeler Peak Scenic Drive, and the BLM describes the Bitter Springs byway and the return leg of Gold Butte as single lane.
Tires and spares come before cabinetry on this ground. The BLM calls flats common on Nevada’s sharp rock, and an unusual size is a long way from a replacement.
Buying a finished vehicle trades money for time. Someone else has already made the thousand decisions, and you can be traveling this season. A dealer who knows these vehicles can also tell you what a used one has been through.
What they offer
01New expedition vehicles, campers and vans
02Used and consignment vehicles
03Trade-ins, financing and delivery
04A proper walk-through of every system
05Service after the sale, or a referral to it
How to buy a finished vehicle
The questions are the same whether it is new or used.
01Ask for weights: empty, loaded, and the gross rating. Overweight expedition vehicles are common.
02Ask for the build documentation: wiring diagrams, component manuals and service history.
03On a used vehicle, have the chassis and the house inspected independently before you buy.
04Ask who services what after the sale, and where.
05Drive it, on dirt if they will let you.
What to have ready before you ask
Know the trip before you choose the truck.
01How many people travel, and for how long
02Where you want to take it, and what you need to park it
03New, used, or either
04A budget range, and whether you have a trade
05When you want to be on the road
Questions people ask
Is it cheaper to buy a finished vehicle or build one?
A used, finished vehicle is often the least expensive way into a capable rig, because builds rarely return what was spent on them. A new custom build costs the most and fits you best. Building it yourself costs the least money and the most time.
What should I check on a used build?
Weight against rating, water damage and leaks, the age and type of the batteries, heater and appliance service history, and the condition of the frame and suspension. Then have a mechanic check the vehicle underneath the camper.
Can I finance an expedition vehicle?
Often, through RV or specialty lenders, depending on the vehicle and how it is titled. Dealers who sell these regularly know which lenders will.
How high is Nevada?
From Mesquite at 1,607 feet to Boundary Peak at 13,140.
Altitude decides what your engine, your brakes and your lungs have to work with, and how late in the year the passes open.
02,0004,0006,0008,00010,00012,00014,000
Feet above sea level
Towns
AustinOn US 50 in the middle of the state. Forest Service office for the Austin-Tonopah Ranger District.6,644 ft
ElyWhere US 50, US 6 and US 93 meet. BLM district office and Forest Service ranger district. The Park Service puts it 68 miles from Baker.6,436 ft
PiocheOn US 93. The Mount Wilson byway ends here, where State Route 322 returns to the highway.6,076 ft
TonopahWhere US 6 meets US 95. BLM field office and a Forest Service office. The Lunar Crater byway leaves US 6 to the east, at about mile marker 79.6,045 ft
WellsWhere I-80 meets US 93. Forest Service office. The California Trail byway starts 26 miles north on US 93.5,633 ft
BakerFive miles from Great Basin National Park, at the foot of the Wheeler Peak Scenic Drive. The Park Service lists fuel here year-round.5,311 ft
ElkoOn I-80. BLM district office and a Forest Service office. The Forest Service puts Thomas Canyon Campground, in Lamoille Canyon, 30 miles away.5,067 ft
Carson CityState capital. BLM district office and a Forest Service office. NDOT’s Tahoe chain rules apply on US 50 between here and Glenbrook.4,680 ft
RenoOn I-80. Home of the BLM’s Nevada State Office. The road to the Black Rock leaves I-80 to the east, at Wadsworth.4,505 ft
CalienteOn US 93, east of Basin and Range National Monument. The BLM’s Caliente Field Office looks after the monument and the Mount Wilson byway.4,399 ft
WinnemuccaWhere I-80 meets US 95. The BLM’s Winnemucca District and Black Rock Field Office and a Forest Service office. The Fish and Wildlife Service routes visitors from here to Sheldon refuge by way of Denio.4,295 ft
LovelockOn I-80. Start of the BLM’s 20-mile Lovelock Cave Back Country Byway.3,980 ft
GerlachPortal to the Black Rock Desert, 75 miles north of Wadsworth on State Highway 447. The BLM lists fuel, food and motels here, and the nearest tow truck to the conservation area.3,943 ft
AlamoOn US 93. North end of Alamo Road from the Desert refuge, and the nearest tow service to Basin and Range National Monument.3,462 ft
Las VegasWhere I-15 meets US 93 and US 95. BLM district office and a Forest Service office. The Desert refuge’s Corn Creek entrance is north on US 95.1,996 ft
MesquiteOn I-15 in the far southeast. The Gold Butte byway starts off nearby Exit 112.1,607 ft
Passes, high roads and summits
Boundary PeakThe highest point in Nevada, in Esmeralda County13,140 ft
Wheeler PeakGreat Basin National Park. The scenic drive ends below its face13,063 ft
Charleston PeakTop of the Spring Mountains National Recreation Area, outside Las Vegas11,918 ft
Ruby DomeRuby Mountains, above Lamoille Canyon11,387 ft
Hayford PeakThe highest point in the Desert National Wildlife Refuge9,924 ft
Wheeler Peak CampgroundWheeler Peak Scenic Drive: Baker and State Highway 488 to the Wheeler Peak trailheads, in Great Basin National Park9,886 ft
Road’s End TrailheadLamoille Canyon Road: State Route 227 to Road’s End Trailhead, in the Ruby Mountains8,800 ft
Pass, road and summit elevations are the figures published by the agency that manages them. Town elevations are the town’s or county’s own
figure where it publishes an exact one; the rest are from the U.S. Geological Survey (3D Elevation Program at the place’s official coordinates),
retrieved September 18, 2026. Every source is listed at the foot of the page.
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