Dayton State Park

We took a day trip with the boys to see the park. They enjoyed the hike that took us under Highway 50. The Carson River is close by, but difficult to access due to the brush. Restrooms are nice and are convenient when you’re passing through. Not very crowded. I would imagine you can hear road noise at night.

We came to visit the Reno area for a few days and stayed at beautiful Washoe Lake State Park. We wanted to visit the other Nevada State parks that are clustered in this area. Upon arriving at Dayton State Park, we found a dilapidated and neglected Park. We were shocked to find flower beds filled with weeds and dead flowers, empty parking lots bordered by rotting wood timbers, a hiking trail that seems to go nowhere and overgrown with bushes, weeds, and branches. There was no trail information on the Information Board next to the trail. There were only 2 Park brochures in the box. The restrooms were dirty.
We were curious about the camping area, so drove through it. There were only two trailers there—obviously broken down and in a state of being repaired. There was a large tree branch growing over the campground road. If your rig is over about 12 feet high, you will be stopped in your tracks and will be forced to turn around or back out. We saw someone in a personal truck go speeding down a road signed “Authorized Vehicles Only”. There was no ranger staff in evidence, and I wouldn’t feel safe leaving my trailer here in this setting. Don’t waste your time here. It’s a dump, with nothing to do nothing interesting.

Only 10 sites some occupied by obvious tweakers who live here. Beach has lots of feces and TP.
Nice picnic grounds and clean restroom. Dry camping. Sites will not accommodate a large RV. Right on the highway.

Nobody lives here. Stayed 4 nights and saw ranger rounds three times. The road noise from 50 is about as bad as it gets, especially at night. Camping loop is small, ten spaces, but you have room to move around. Half are shaded, half sunny. Tables and fire pits. Clean bathrooms with flush toilets. A few short trails.

Overall this one is very small for a state park. There’s a little beach area to walk to on the river. Not much else to do and very light traffic from non-campers. But the cell data service is great and it’s close to shopping needs.

I wouldn’t seek this place out but it works, and a half hour from Tahoe. If you’re a Nevada annual permit holder, it’s a decent spot to pinball the stay limits of other nearby parks.

Dayton State Park is a lovely little park with a historic background surrounding silver mining in the area. There are only 10 campsites and until Covid-19 hit, you could almost always find a spot. That’s no guarantee now but I suspect visitation will subside over winter with no hookups at the park. It does get quite cold here in the winter.

The sites are gravel and largely level. The first half of the loop is more tent-friendly sized spaces and the latter half have a bit more room for larger rigs. They are all surrounded by majestic cottonwoods that are utterly glorious in the fall. The tree cover is great for summer shade but a challenge if you’re managing a solar setup. There are some sites that are less shaded to offset that, though. There’s central water, flush toilets, and trash receptacles.

The dump station is open intermittently and I’ve yet to understand the pattern to when it is and isn’t. There are two free dump stations I’m aware of in Carson City, though -- at the Maverik (at Hwy 50 and College Ave.) and the new Golden Gate (at College Ave. and Retail Dr.)

The park is split by Hwy 50 with the stamp mill ruins on the west side and the campground and restrooms on the east side. There is a foot tunnel connecting the two bits but it’s a bit dicey from a safety standpoint so I’d recommend strolling to the aboveground crosswalk a little down the road.

Dayton State Park is a sweet little place full of potential but largely unloved and overlooked. As a former Dayton resident, I’ve gotten to witness the park’s challenges over time. In talking with the park supervisor about it, she acknowledged Dayton has its struggles, sometimes involving crime, and that the Nevada park system is underfunded and understaffed like most public lands departments. I’ve not had any issues when staying there but have witnessed some questionable activity in the day use area.

It seems the tide is turning as locals have begun to reclaim it in recent months and have been putting in substantial volunteer time to freshen it up and give it the love it deserves. I’m hopeful that effort will help Dayton SP become a destination instead of just a place to stop over for the night. We’re looking forward to joining in after our post-full-timer lives once we get our house built nearby.

A note about fires: this is a volatile wildfire area so charcoal fires and smoking outdoors are often banned much of the year. Don’t count on being able to grill in any Nevada State Park during fire seasons. Have a backup plan or support some of the local business in my little town -- Js’ Oldtown Bistro on Main Street is absolutely wonderful. It’s my absolute favorite restaurant but since it's off the main drag (US 50), you might not notice it. And for scrumptious tamales and other Mexican fare, The Lady Tamales is right by the park. The Pizza Factory has also delivered to us in the park if you’re looking for your dinner to come to you.

There are no tweakers here. It’s a small campsite. $15 for Nevada residents and $20 for others. Half the sites are by the road, with big shade trees. Road noise dies down at night. Other half is sunny with little shade. Bathrooms are near group use area, a walk from the campsites.

I have seen a ranger every day I have been here. Dump is currently closed.

We stopped here going Westbound on 50 to avoid showing up late in the day at Lake Tahoe and not finding a spot.

There are several sites that can accommodate larger than 20 foot rigs. We backed into a spot with our 25 ft trailer without unhooking and had room to spare.

Lots of trees and vegetation with some nice views and the Carson River is nearby. However the road noise is bothersome. But for one night it was fine.

Came here to just dump and get fresh water. Fee is $5 (dropbox at dump station). The dump is one lane only, but has a hole into the ground on either side, meaning you can drive in from either side. The rinse water hose is on just one side. The hole doesn't have a curb around it, which is great for those of us whose dump line is closer to the ground (can't dump uphill!).

Further ahead is a trash can and a fresh water hose. We were here end of October and fresh water was still turned on (they may shut it off for winter?). Water had good pressure. The dump station is located really close to the highway, which was great as we didn't need to drive through the campground to hunt it down.