Black Rock Desert

Burner Byway

Find Freedom in the Black Rock

Route Distance

110 to 250 miles

Suggested Time

2 to 4 days

Come trace the art-lined route Burners take on their annual pilgrimage “home” to Burning Man, the wildest arts event on Earth in the mystical Black Rock Desert. For a week-ish each fall, the pop-up metropolis of Black Rock City Nevada springs to life and—just as quickly—disappears. However, around northwestern Nevada, the Burning Man spirit never does. Road trip the Burner Byway any time of year and you’ll discover how Nevada’s do-it-yourself verve, splendorous wide-open spaces, spunky “why not” attitude, and unmatched freedom energize people to come create something magical, from Reno to Gerlach and far beyond.

Explore the Black Rock Desert playa—one of Earth’s largest, flattest surfaces
Gaze upon magnificent, kaleidoscopic Fly Geyser on a guided nature tour
Cast for salmon-sized trout and discover Paiute culture at Pyramid Lake

Black Rock Bound on the Burner Byway

An Art-Tastic Odyssey to the Black Rock and Beyond

Each August the otherwise empty Black Rock Desert playa becomes Nevada’s sixth-largest city—the 70,000-person pop-up metropolis of Black Rock City Nevada—thanks to Burning Man, the world-famous celebration of art, technology, community, and radical self-reliance… for about a week. However, many Burners have infused the event’s spirit into northern Nevada’s soul, through public art, museums, shops, galleries, makers’ spaces, and more, keeping its rich vibes alive year-round. Feel it for yourself as you road trip from bohemian Reno—a hip town riding an art-fueled renaissance—to gorgeous, tribal-owned Pyramid Lake, the funky town of Gerlach, and off into the magnificent Black Rock Desert Wilderness.

COMMUNITIES ON THIS TRIP

Reno, Pyramid Lake, Gerlach

Glovebox Essentials

Prepare for Your Adventure

Get ready to come chase some horizons with this handy tool kit. Here, you’ll find all the Burner Byway road trip essentials, including downloadable directions, maps, and podcasts, and tunes to complement your upcoming adventure.

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Featured Story

Mural Compass: Nevada’s 7 Most Colorful Communities

Burner Byway Playlist

Landscapes Sure To Inspire On Nevada’s Burner Byway | Part 1

Landscapes Sure To Inspire On Nevada’s Burner Byway | Part 2

Awaken Your Spirit on Nevada’s Burner Byway

Refuel Your Soul on Nevada’s Burner Byway

Discover Sacred Secrets on Nevada’s Burner Byway

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Kick Up Some Dust

Find Yourself on the Burner Byway

Follow the pilgrimage route Burners take each August on their journey “home” to Black Rock City Nevada. Start in Reno—where burners have helped fuel an artistic renaissance—then visit the quiet, sunset-splashing shores of Pyramid Lake, and venture onward to delightfully eccentric Gerlach, the fabled Black Rock Desert playa, and the wilderness beyond.

Leg 1

Reno: Hippest Little City in the World

As the urban gateway to Black Rock City, Reno’s Burner vibes reveal themselves in “post-playa” sculptures, 120+ murals, a vibrant artist/maker scene, and eclectic food.

Leg 2

Pyramid Lake: Pristine Views & Paiute Culture

Tahoe-sized vistas… minus Tahoe-sized crowds. Stop by the Museum & Visitor Center to learn about the local Paiute guardians and snag a permit to fish for salmon-sized trout.

Leg 3

Gerlach: “Center of the Known Universe”

That’s the perfect slogan for this funky little Black Rock Desert basecamp, home to multiple saloons, a coffee bar, a pottery shop, and the launchpad for Fly Geyser tours.

Leg 4

To the Black Rock Desert & Beyond

The 200 square-mile Black Rock Desert playa hogs the spotlight, but this 1.2 million-acre wonderland harbors hot springs, emigrant trails, unbeatable stargazing, opal mines, and more.

Leg 1

Reno: Find Your Vibe

Local Miles

Tour 120+ vibrant murals in Midtown and Downtown Reno with Art Spot Reno
Browse sensational exhibits at the AAM-accredited Nevada Museum of Art
Scope out sculptures, debuted at Burning Man, along the Downtown Reno Riverwalk

You certainly don’t need fluffy pink boots, sparkly glasses, or other outlandish garb to enjoy the Burner Byway. But if you want ’em, Reno’s definitely got ’em—in a district defined by locally owned vintage shops, costume boutiques, and funky antique stores. Reno also sets the right artistic mood with “post-playa” Burning Man sculptures planted around town, Art Spot Reno’s guided or downloadable tours to more than 120 vibrant murals, and the fabulous Nevada Museum of Art, accredited right up there with the Met and SFMOMA.

Reno loves art and wants you to know it. Especially in July, when Artown holds about 500 music, theater, dance, and visual art events. And in October when OffBeat Music Festival takes over Midtown with 100+ live bands.

Great Reno Balloon Race

OffBeat Music Festival

Reno is Artown

Reno Rodeo

Reno River Festival

Reno National Championship Air Races

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Leg 2

Reno to Pyramid Lake

50 miles

Explore exhibits on the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe’s history and culture
Fish for huge salmon-sized Lahontan cutthroat trout on a guided tour
Camp on the sandy shores of sapphire-hewed Pyramid Lake

You’ll need more than your camera to take in the crowd-free, underrated scenic jewel that is Pyramid Lake. Tahoe-sized views, surreal colors, and remarkable silence… that’s the stuff northern Nevada memories are made of. Swing into the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe Museum & Visitor Center to learn about the culture of the people who have lived in this sacred place for generations, as well as to purchase permits for camping or fishing for massive (and rare) Lahontan cutthroat trout—Nevada’s state fish—solo or with a local guide.

Although the record Lahontan cutthroat trout weighed 41 lbs, anglers seem content with the average being about half that. Not feelin’ fishy? Swing by the museum to learn about the Paiute Tribe who protect this place today.

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Leg 3

Pyramid Lake to Gerlach

60 to 80 miles

Tour Burning Man-owned Fly Geyser with Friends of Black Rock-High Rock
Ponder hand-painted words of wisdom and offbeat folk art on Guru Road
Peruse out-of-this-world, landscape-inspired art at Planet X Pottery

Welcome to Gerlach, the last slice of civilization before 1.2 million acres of Black Rock Country. With advance reservations, take a Friends of Black Rock-High Rock nature tour of Fly Geyser, Nevada’s psychedelic riff on Old Faithful. Cruise to Planet X Pottery, a solar-powered studio and gallery filled with paintings and pottery inspired by the landscape, then reflect on whimsical art on Guru Rd. on the way back to town, where loquacious locals linger at Bruno’s Country Club and the Miners Club, often until the wee hours.

Burning Man is NOT a tourist attraction. Preparation takes weeks and, done poorly, can result in one seriously bad trip. Learn what it takes at burningman.org.

There’s a reason Fly Geyser made the cover of NatGeo’s “Rarely Seen” photo book; snap it yourself on a tour. Then shop for desert-inspired ceramics at Planet X and wander among witty art made by a revered local on Guru Road.

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Bruno Selmi is no longer with us, but Bruno’s Country Club—which he started with gypsum mine cash in 1952—carries on his fire with baseball-size ravioli in his secret tomato sauce, mean Picon Punches, and warm hospitality.

Leg 4

Into the Black Rock Desert and Beyond

20 to 200+ miles

Stargaze in solitude in one of only seven “Dark Sky Sanctuaries” on Earth at Massacre Rim
Rockhound for black fire opals—Nevada’s state gemstone—outside Denio
Spot pronghorn antelope at 500,000-acre Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge

For Burners, the Black Rock Desert playa is the destination. For Burner Byway-ers, it’s just the beginning. And it’s true: one glimpse of the playa’s other-wordly majesty confirms why people love coming here for a week each year. But between you and us…it’s even better without 69,999 other people on it. And it’s only the threshold to some of the most remote country in the USA—a wilderness rife with natural hot springs, wildlife, starlit skies, and more—all spread across 1.2 million acres of pure, unwritten adventure territory.

If it’s anything other than bone-dry, DON’T DRIVE ON THE PLAYA. Check recent conditions with Friends of Black Rock or a Gerlach business before coming.

“Hotels,” eh? Well, you won’t find any out here. Luckily, it’s public land, so as long as you’re up on your Leave No Trace ethics, you can camp nearly anywhere. If roofs are more your thing, lock these spots into your GPS.

If you’re starting your day in Gerlach, fuel up for your Black Rock Desert odyssey with hearty omelettes at Bruno’s; then grab a smoothie, latte, or bar of locally made soap to go at the Miners Club.

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Hitting the Road? Here’s the Map.

Our 10 Nevada Road Trips

Searching for road trip ideas? Look no further. Go ahead. Scroll around and click the road trip icons for the inside scoop on Nevada’s 10 best road trips, with detailed itineraries, maps, and tips for getting off the beaten track.

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30 mi to 375 mi | 2 to 5 days

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#BurnerByway

Bound for the Black Rock? Tag #BurnerByway so we can show major love for all your geyser-gazing, ravioli-scarfing, arty party snapshots along the way.

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