Silver Island Mountains Dry Lake Dispersed Camping

At the far end of the lake is the start of the Silver Island Loop Road, a 54-mile loop around the Silver Island Mountains. People park there to hike the hills but it’s probably a quarter mile from the end of the lake where we parked.

Just 5 miles to the Bonneville Salt flats. We were the only ones here in June - the salt flats are still underwater from snowmelt, etc. - but I bet this place is packed in August for Speed Week!

Great cell signal. Pronghorn came to the top of the nearest berm to check us out.

Great spot

Great 360 views. No cover. Lots of space. Quiet. Good cell service.

Way better than the common spot at the bottom of the hill.

No facilities at all.

We camped here for 2-3 nights in late May 2020. We were able to easily maneuver our 38 foot motorhome out onto the dry lake bed from the road. The lake bed was flat and dry and fairly level. From the campsite, we took the jeep out on hiking/jeeping excursions, flew our the drone and enjoyed the quiet. The only downside was wind. On the second night we are pretty sure we experienced a microburst that was quite unnerving. But, that's not the campsite's fault. I think in the summer it could be pretty hot as there is NO shade, but, for sheer rugged beauty, it's hard to beat.

Very peaceful place surrounded by mountains and pronghorns. The sunsets last about an hour and so spectacular!! We have a 40 ft Diesel pusher towing our hummer and got in here just fine. Plenty of space to turn around. The road wasn’t too bad once you turn off the speedway road onto Leppy Road all paved and once you turn off Leppy Pass road to your right just by the utility building it’s all packed gravel. We were a little unsure on parking at the bottom in the dry lake bed but it’s packed really good and solid at least during late June. Looked like locals passing by occasionally but haven’t been bothered by anyone. There was some broken glass around but cleaned it up.

We camped near this pin, up above the dry lake on the berm for a better 360° view.

There are countless possibilities in the area, not just the places marked by Campedium. We saw many people camped just before the road leading to the salt flats, east of the main road. Others were camped at the other pin marked for the area. We decided to proceed on and were happily surprised that we were the only ones up there. Other dirt roads will take you to suitable places to camp. We picked up a lot of beverage container trash around the lake bed and beyond.

Lots of dirt roads to explore with an OHV. You must drive out on the salt flats if it’s dry, don’t just stop at the end of the road.

We were going to pull into the Bonneville area at the lower point near the Salt Flats, but then I saw this on the map too. So happy we took the trek up the road. Paved road leads all the way up and onto a valley of dry lake beds and a ton of ATV trails. We pulled onto the dry lake nearer the maintenance building as it was easy access for our 38 foot motorhome towing a 16 foot cargo trailer with plenty of room to turn around. Very firm ground, no issues. Those with smaller units or tents have infinite possibilities out here, but there is plenty of room for several larger units. While there is some vehicle traffic, due to the trails, it is minimal and we had no near neighbors our entire stay. Daily visits by Pronghorn were appreciated and we found a large herd out on the dry lake trails. One day we took the UTV down to the Bonneville Speedway for some fun too. Peaceful nights, fantastic sunsets and about a zillion stars made this a new favorite stop along I80.

You are surrounded by mountains so the beauty is endless. There’s plenty of BLM land to select from for your stay. Stayed on a Saturday night and only 1 other campers on site. It short drive up a paved road for a great stay. No amenities so please pack out what you packed in. Decent ATT service too.

We were heading home and stopped here for overnight. We camped back about 2 miles off Leppy road, off of a dirt gravel road in the Silver Island Mountains Backcountry Byway. We went clockwise in this area. We have camped in this area before, going counterclockwise, and wanted to try a new spot.

There are a few but not too many camping spots. We found one that is level and spacious for our 25 foot airstream. It can be very windy here. We got the whole place to ourselves and we had fun walking around m. We found some cool rocks in drainages and washes. Cell svc was great!

Stayed here 5/29/20 – 5/31/20, 4/30/20, 2/7/19, and 9/20/18. Great location whether it’s a stop over or the destination and close to the salt flats. The entrance is a short distance off of I-80. And, you can see the highway but the noise from the highway is faint. We love this camping area and will definitely visit again.

There's no overnight camping allowed on the flats, and although there are spots close to the flats, we much preferred this location! There wasn't anybody here the entire time we stayed. A few cars passing by while driving the backcountry loop, but that was about it. Total and complete privacy and unbridled views of Pilot Peak!

Lots of little poops around but no visits from wildlife. Be sure to check out the strange markings from Google Earth just Northeast of here, then drive the Aqueduct road and go explore! Those markings were once part of the Utah Training and Test Range from the 40's and 50's.

Also be sure to stop into historic West Wendover to see Wendover Will, and stop in at the casino to see the very last splice of the telephone lines connecting the East and West coasts!