Homestake Dry Camp — Hotel in Beatty

Stayed there overnight between March 23rd and 24th. The camp ground has a number of site and it was busy. I arrived around 5pm (sunset was around 6:30pm) and I got the last vacant site with people arriving after me having to squeeze into already occupied sites but people are friendly so it'll work. There is no water at the camp so make sure you bring plenty of water

I went in my Yukon XL and aired down my tires to 22 psi which seemed to work - went 45 mph on the stretches with washboard and somewhere between 12 mph - 18 mph on the stretches with gravel. When meeting cars going the other directions, I would either pull over to a spot where I wouldn't have to climb the sides or they would do the same - the sides of your tires are the most fragile bit and you don't want to try and climb a gravel curb ! It took me about 90 minutes each way and I'm sure it could be done faster in a different car with different tires but this was the fastest I felt comfortable with. I did see some 'iffy' driving from other drivers racing along and skidding in places and it's worth remembering that getting a tow-truck out there is probably not going to happen. I did not have any issues with my tires but had prepped with a puncture repair kit and a full spare tire (which I didn't need) and a compressor that worked !!

When re-inflating my tires up by the Ubehebe crater, I was asked by another traveller if they could borrow my compressor. They had brought one but forgotten to test it and although it worked when plugged into my car it didn't when plugged into their own car. Test your stuff before you go ! Of course lent it to them :)

There is absolutely no cell phone signals out there so you either have a satellite phone with you or a Starlink system for internet connectivity as I did. I threw my Starlink dish on the roof and watched the F1 race live from Australia on Saturday evening which was fun :)

The pit toilet is newly installed, is nice and works well - just bring your own toilet paper ! I had the camp site farthest from the toilet and it was a short walk under the full moon.

It was windy in the evening but dead still at night. Wind only picked up again late morning.

I went to the playa in the morning and had it all to myself which was really cool.

Btw: A Yukon XL is probably not the ideal car for this but it will do it - get offroad tires if...

Overall one of the coolest campgrounds I’ve stayed at and I look forward to coming back. Campground has fire pits and a port-a-potty. The port-a-potty was disgusting but I didn’t expect much for such an isolated campground (I was surprised it was there). There’s only a few camp sites that the campground that are drive up only/no reservation. It’s just a few miles up the road from the racetrack. It’s awesome to head over to the racetrack at night and just sit and enjoy the complete silence.

Do not drive to this campground without a high clearance vehicle, letting someone know where you are going, and having a spare on your vehicle you know how to use. Racetrack road, which you must drive down to access this campground, is notoriously bad for popping tires. You do not want to be stuck out here.

The campers near us were pretty loud which I...

Primitive camping in an excellent location. You do have to drive down a dusty washboard bumpy road 30 miles to reach this place. But that keeps the crowds away. You can do the main access road in a regular car in dry conditions. Side roads will likely need 4x4 and high clearance.

Only a lone outhouse in questionable condition. Its hard to dig a poop hole because of the hard dirt. No water or shade either. I always bring my own portable outhouse and water when I go car camping.

Nearby attractions include Racetrack Playa with famous moving rocks, Ubehebe peak. Also check out Tea Kettle junction.

Far away from any cities, this location offers excellent star gazing. We saw the Milky Way, a sight that sadly most people don't...