Bonneville tent camping tips and advice for 1st timer's

My son and I are making our 1st trip together to Bonneville speed week from Oregon and we are hauling a gear trailer set up for dry camping and we plan to arrive there Thursday mid day and tent camp at the Bend, but on the west side up in the sagebrush area. We've read a lot about Bonneville on this site, and plan to take all the necessary precautions for car and persons and bring a couple of pit bikes for the pit cruising around...but there is a question that came up from my son about what sort of ground is there and how long of tent stakes should we bring to hold things secure to the ground in a brisk wind, which I hear can get VERY brisk there at times. Just dont want to have a day end and come back to a house off its foundations and rolling down to the neighbors back 40, if you know what I mean. Of course any OTHER first timers tips and a list of activities that are sort of a tradition there would be appreciated...and the locations of the Honey Bucket outhouses. I think that speaks for other first timers coming this year as well who plan to tent camp. Thanks to all. Steve and Aaron in Eugene Oregon

 

Carry lots of water and stay hydrated.,,take sunscreen and put it everywhere.HRP

 

Can't tell ya much about tent camping at the bend in the road. But I do know it can be the shits when it rains. Stay on high ground if you can as it gets very, very slick and everyone gets stuck. The west side does seem to be better as there is more drainage there.
Stop by the Rolling Bones pits and say HI and make it to the parking lot party at the Nuggett for sure.
GOOD LUCK

 

The low ground can get very wet with standing water after a rain. Last year it was nice one of the first days, then came the storm & had standing water for days. Most people moved out when they could.

 

Thanks for the tip, Deuce, we'll be there for the Friday night fiasco for sure, and looking forward to finally meeting da Bones gang. Admired there work for years.

 

Outhouses will be at the bottom of the hill from where you plan to camp. Most folks leave their tents up and are ok.

 

If it has been wet, look in to camping up the hill from the new museum near the edge of town.

 

When I was there in '05 the Wendover Nugget had a parking lot show every night of speed week.

 

Even this guy

 

I don't know what the fee is now but you should be able to use the showers at the truckstop at the entrance to Bonneville for a few bucks. It was 5 bucks years ago but it no doubt has gone up a bit.

A few years ago my son and I went to Home depot and bought some long steel spikes (big nails) to hold the tent down when we couldn't drive our regular tent pegs in the ground while attending a rod trot. They work pretty well in most ground that I've used them on.

 

which edge? east or west. I am not familiar with where in Wendover it is.

 

On the Utah side...there is a sign saying "Future site of Bonneville Museum"...paved road, sidewalks, we stayed there during World of Speed last September, nothing there at the time, the owner of the property was really cool, said as long as we don't leave a mess we were fine to camp there... we made sure when we left it was cleaner than we found it.

 

Unless the pit bikes are bicycles you need to check the Bonneville Nationals website. The BLM apparently will be watching things closer this year and there is a blurb about registration of off road vehicles.......just a heads up.

 

Last year I staked my tent with the 12" ribbed plastic stakes. Don't forget a good hammer because the salt gets packed down pretty hard. On Sunday night the wind blew so hard it ripped a 3 foot hole in the seam between the floor and sides and then proceeded to snap two of the poles. The tent got flooded and destroyed, BUT the tent stakes worked great and not a single one got pulled out of the ground!

 

I bet tent camping is the best way to experience Bonneville the way it was in the early days.

 

I think everyone should try it once, but I'm not sure I'd call it the 'best'.
I've camped at the bend, in the KOA, in the KOA cabins, and in a hotel. After all that, I have a few good reasons why I am staying in a hotel this year.

 

I hope that I'm not hijacking your thread too much, let me know if I am and I'll start another... but my 17 year old son and I are also planning our first trip to speed week and I was going to ask questions here as well. We are going to be in a self contained camper on the back of my pickup.
My main question is: can we just drive the truck and camper around on the salt each day as spectators, parking where ever we choose, then leave the salt and find a camping spot each night?

Thanks, Joel

 

Yes, you can drive out to the spectator areas but not in the pits. Pits require a special pass. Many folks stake out their campsite, we had construction ribbon around our campsite to hold it during the day.

 

3/8s rebar makes good tent stakes.

 

Thanks for the info. Is that because good spots are hard to come by, or is it so you can keep a spot bye your freinds or something?

 

Just so you can keep the spot. There is lots of real estate at the bend.

 

Just to make it clear.....there is NO overnight camping on the salt itself. Bend of the road, yes, but not out on the salt. EVERYBODY has to be off the salt flats by 8:00 each night, and that means EVERYBODY.

 

Just to clarify, you need a special pass to DRIVE in the pits- anybody can walk through them to check everything out. Crews are very nice, but if they're working it's polite to stay out of the individual pits themselves. Same thing with the tech inspection area.

 

watch out for wolves at night too - they kinda sound like drunk humans

 

Bend has only a few porta johns unless that changed since 2011. Truck stop showers were much better than I had anticipated, ditto on the hydration advice, don't put too much stock in the b.s. about your family jewels getting sunburned (I'm pretty fair skinned and just sprayed on the sunscreen throughout the day-wore shorts and sneakers). You might consider bringing your own straw hat and extra strength sunglasses-they are available (and you will need them) but not worth the money. Get to the T-shirt concessions early. There is an ice truck at reasonable prices. Just a few rambling notes-I decided I was going on Wed night (from Mississippi) and just got up Thurs morning and hit the road-so not much different than most car events-except for the lack of idiots. You'll never regret having gone.

 

OK, SO HOW/WHO/WHERE on these passes?? would like one for the pit area to be able to drive SLOWLY there, and park it and cruz thru the pits with our pit bikes. Speaking of pit bikes (motorized), can somebody shed some authoritive light on whether you can or cant run pit bikes in the pits? I have one and wanna get another for my son to use, but if they have banned them this year (which is what I heard), then I dont wanna go through that expense and get no 'BANG' for my buck. Someone on hear has gotta know the answer to that one....so pipe up...PLEEEZZ

 

HAHAHAHAHAHAHA

 

Truckstop shower is $10 (or has been for the last few years). Go to the one on the west side of Wendover, they're actually nice showers.

The place that has worked best for us at the Bend has been the on the roadside that turns northwest from the bend (opposite direction of the salt). We stay roadside and it's higher ground. I've gotten stuck at the bend before, luckily there were a few guys to help push me out.

 

that must be the Salt Flats cafe I've heard so much about here. by the way, does that shower place furnish towels, or should I plan to pack a couple of my own?