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Tony's interested in Nevada trip info. So here I go, giving away my most closely held travel secrets 
So howthehell did I get on this Nevada kick, anyway? For starters, numerous road trips with my wife, starting back in (gasp) the late 70's, that took us through that state made me realize that there's a whole lot more out there than hot, flat, dry boring desert. Took a few motorcycle trips around the west that included US 50 and US 93. Pretty country along those roads, though I was usually going too fast to look closely. Ironically learning to fly was what got me really interested in what was on the ground. I flew across the state a few times in the late 90's and realized there is one range after another of really high mountains with no one in them, and there are dirt roads (mostly left over from prospecting and mining) all over the place. Plus I saw canyons filled with aspens turning color. Where there are aspens there is water. Hmmm.
I've found my Bronco to be a pretty good campmobile. I don't trailer, ever (don't own a trailer or a means to tow one). Which explains my hard top and some of the equipment decisions I've made. Including keeping dual gas tanks. Fuel is a real problem; I've gone 400+ miles between fuel stops over there.
But I digress. I started by ordering a full set of maps from the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest headquarters office, then sitting down with those and a AAA Nevada map. Those were ok for the first few trips. Then I discovered the DeLorme Nevada atlas. Better yet. These days I prefer the Benchmark Nevada atlas. They do a better job of indicating road quality. I found some routes in the DeLorme atlas that were shown to be major thoroughfares to be 4wd tracks. Not that that was a bad thing, but when you are planning multi-day trips covering close to 1000 miles, it's helpful to know in advance.
These days I increasingly find information on the web (too much, since I'm selfish and I wish it was a little harder to find, but then here I go posting stuff). I've found interesting threads on expeditionportal.com and wanderthewest.com, among other places. Experience helps. The more I go the better I've gotten to know the state. I finally started using a GPS this year. Not absolutely necessary, but with 1:24,000 topos containing great road databases, it helped resolve some questions. Like, should I take this 2-track that disappears into the sagebrush or that one that goes off at a 10 degree angle to the other one? Seriously, that's happened. Then there is the matter that almost everything is government land, and almost none of it is posted. Rarely I come across someone's mining claim. If it's posted, I stay out. Simple. Then there are the military areas, obviously those are off-limits, but equally obviously well-posted and easy to avoid. Beyond that, the amount of land open to cross-country travel is breathtaking. And since most Americans still think it's hot, flat, dry and dusty, you won't have too much company
So basically, you can't go wrong. Start with a Benchmark Atlas. Focus on the areas that include Toiyabe forest, as those tend to be the highest and most scenic. Even in the middle of summer it doesn't get super hot- most of the ground is above 6000 feet in the middle of the state, a lot of places are above 7000. Multi-vehicle trips are a must unless you keep to heavily traveled areas. I've traveled roads that may see 5-10 vehicles a year. A long walk or a long wait for help. I have 30+ gallons of tankage. I still carry a 20 liter NATO can. And 12 gallons of water.
Oh yeah. Google Earth is helpful too, but it's pretty difficult to tell if a road is passable or not, and since it's not real-time, it won't tell you if something is snowed in (a distinct possibility until mid-July in some places). But it's a fun tool.
So howthehell did I get on this Nevada kick, anyway? For starters, numerous road trips with my wife, starting back in (gasp) the late 70's, that took us through that state made me realize that there's a whole lot more out there than hot, flat, dry boring desert. Took a few motorcycle trips around the west that included US 50 and US 93. Pretty country along those roads, though I was usually going too fast to look closely. Ironically learning to fly was what got me really interested in what was on the ground. I flew across the state a few times in the late 90's and realized there is one range after another of really high mountains with no one in them, and there are dirt roads (mostly left over from prospecting and mining) all over the place. Plus I saw canyons filled with aspens turning color. Where there are aspens there is water. Hmmm.
I've found my Bronco to be a pretty good campmobile. I don't trailer, ever (don't own a trailer or a means to tow one). Which explains my hard top and some of the equipment decisions I've made. Including keeping dual gas tanks. Fuel is a real problem; I've gone 400+ miles between fuel stops over there.
But I digress. I started by ordering a full set of maps from the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest headquarters office, then sitting down with those and a AAA Nevada map. Those were ok for the first few trips. Then I discovered the DeLorme Nevada atlas. Better yet. These days I prefer the Benchmark Nevada atlas. They do a better job of indicating road quality. I found some routes in the DeLorme atlas that were shown to be major thoroughfares to be 4wd tracks. Not that that was a bad thing, but when you are planning multi-day trips covering close to 1000 miles, it's helpful to know in advance.
These days I increasingly find information on the web (too much, since I'm selfish and I wish it was a little harder to find, but then here I go posting stuff). I've found interesting threads on expeditionportal.com and wanderthewest.com, among other places. Experience helps. The more I go the better I've gotten to know the state. I finally started using a GPS this year. Not absolutely necessary, but with 1:24,000 topos containing great road databases, it helped resolve some questions. Like, should I take this 2-track that disappears into the sagebrush or that one that goes off at a 10 degree angle to the other one? Seriously, that's happened. Then there is the matter that almost everything is government land, and almost none of it is posted. Rarely I come across someone's mining claim. If it's posted, I stay out. Simple. Then there are the military areas, obviously those are off-limits, but equally obviously well-posted and easy to avoid. Beyond that, the amount of land open to cross-country travel is breathtaking. And since most Americans still think it's hot, flat, dry and dusty, you won't have too much company
So basically, you can't go wrong. Start with a Benchmark Atlas. Focus on the areas that include Toiyabe forest, as those tend to be the highest and most scenic. Even in the middle of summer it doesn't get super hot- most of the ground is above 6000 feet in the middle of the state, a lot of places are above 7000. Multi-vehicle trips are a must unless you keep to heavily traveled areas. I've traveled roads that may see 5-10 vehicles a year. A long walk or a long wait for help. I have 30+ gallons of tankage. I still carry a 20 liter NATO can. And 12 gallons of water.
Oh yeah. Google Earth is helpful too, but it's pretty difficult to tell if a road is passable or not, and since it's not real-time, it won't tell you if something is snowed in (a distinct possibility until mid-July in some places). But it's a fun tool.
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