Red Rock Vanlife Busted?

EMFR Iwrote:

With 30 seconds of google, I found this for TONIGHT:

https://www.booking.com/hotel/us/wild-wild-west-gambling-hall.html?aid=304142;label=gen173nr-1FCAMY7wcoggI4oANIM1gEaJUCiAEBmAExuAEYyAEM2AEB6AEB-AECiAIBqAIEuALU8OuPBsACAdICJDQ3NWU0MDA5LWNiY2EtNGNmZS1iYTEyLTAxOWNlMGJjYWJmN9gCBeACAQ;sid=cd71c6258cc9b92577f22ef31349867c;all_sr_blocks=5971416_246074187_2_0_0;checkin=2022-02-02;checkout=2022-02-03;dest_id=20079110;dest_type=city;dist=0;group_adults=1;group_children=0;hapos=1;highlighted_blocks=5971416_246074187_2_0_0;hpos=1;matching_block_id=5971416_246074187_2_0_0;nflt=pri%3D1%3Bht_id%3D205%3Bht_id%3D204;no_rooms=1;req_adults=1;req_children=0;room1=A;sb_price_type=total;sr_order=price;sr_pri_blocks=5971416_246074187_2_0_0__3500;srepoch=1643837644;srpvid=7ee39773d7ac0234;type=total;ucfs=1&#hotelTmpl

in case the link doesn't work, it's a Days Inn for $35 plus tax, no resort fees.

 Um, when you click through to check availability you see: Excluded: 13.38 % TAX, US$ 19.99 Resort fee per night.

It's also pay in advance and non-refundable.

You aren't reading. I debunked the myth of nice motels hotels in Vegas for cheap. Airbnb and VRBO slip in huge cleaning and other fees so aren't cheaper I've found. Yes in 2000 Vegas was cheaper. Not now.

These are the low priced places I found.

Days Inn mid week. That's not a "nice" motel. Its an average motel mid week.

Your price summary

• Today you'll pay
• $40 × 1 night$39.68
• At the property you'll pay
• Additional fees$19.99

Friday or Saturday

• $62 × 1 night$62.36
• At the property you'll pay
• Additional fees$19.99

Strat hotel mid week:

• $21 × 1 night$20.95
• At the property you'll pay
• Additional fees$37

Nicer place - Rio all suite

Friday

• Deluxe Suite, 2 Queen, Mountain View, Non-Smoking$30
• 13.38 % TAX$9.36
• Resort fee$39.95

If you split that 3-4 ways it's reasonable. Its not $50 friday-saturday for a room travelling solo for a nice hotel. Travelling solo is expensive.

EMFR Iwrote:

It's also simply untrue that the campground is "always full." I ride my mountain bike out there several times a week and I rarely see it completely full - and yes I've ridden through to verify empty spots.

The "empty" sites in the campground are often just no-shows that have been reserved and paid for and aren't available even if there's nobody in them. 

Or maybe the sites that look empty have been reserved by somebody living in a sprinter, who happens to be offsite when you pedal by.

EMFR Iwrote:

With 30 seconds of google, I found this for TONIGHT:

https://www.booking.com/hotel/us/wild-wild-west-gambling-hall.html?aid=304142;label=gen173nr-1FCAMY7wcoggI4oANIM1gEaJUCiAEBmAExuAEYyAEM2AEB6AEB-AECiAIBqAIEuALU8OuPBsACAdICJDQ3NWU0MDA5LWNiY2EtNGNmZS1iYTEyLTAxOWNlMGJjYWJmN9gCBeACAQ;sid=cd71c6258cc9b92577f22ef31349867c;all_sr_blocks=5971416_246074187_2_0_0;checkin=2022-02-02;checkout=2022-02-03;dest_id=20079110;dest_type=city;dist=0;group_adults=1;group_children=0;hapos=1;highlighted_blocks=5971416_246074187_2_0_0;hpos=1;matching_block_id=5971416_246074187_2_0_0;nflt=pri%3D1%3Bht_id%3D205%3Bht_id%3D204;no_rooms=1;req_adults=1;req_children=0;room1=A;sb_price_type=total;sr_order=price;sr_pri_blocks=5971416_246074187_2_0_0__3500;srepoch=1643837644;srpvid=7ee39773d7ac0234;type=total;ucfs=1&#hotelTmpl

in case the link doesn't work, it's a Days Inn for $35 plus tax, no resort fees. 

You're welcome. 

$35, plus $25 "taxes and charges"... so $60? That's a far cry from $35 "all in".

Sounds like you made some bad decisions

Mark E Dixonwrote:

The "empty" sites in the campground are often just no-shows that have been reserved and paid for and aren't available even if there's nobody in them. 

Or maybe the sites that look empty have been reserved by somebody living in a sprinter, who happens to be offsite when you pedal by.

With a day or two of planning, no one can seriously argue that the campground is "always full."

I stand corrected about the hotels. I have, though, paid under $70 for Vdara during the week. Yes, weekends are more expensive, and it's much more expensive if there's an event going on in town. But, Vegas is still cheap in comparison to most other major cities in the US. Is it as cheap as you're looking for? Obviously not, but that's just the way it is. I'll say it again - traveling costs money. Setting up a dirtbag camp next to an upscale neighborhood is not the answer, especially when the tiniest bit of planning to get a legal campsite closer to RR, or driving a bit further for free camping are options.  The thousands of people who drive by there every weekend know who's camping there, and it makes the rest of us look bad, especially when they start coming up with new management plans. 

Why are there no more campsites and campgrounds near Red Rock? Are there any with water within 30 minutes? Only one legal campground near the "park" climbing and it has no water? 

Is this still OK to camp off Lovell Canyond Rd.?

JT has hundreds of sites and it isn't enough near the climbing. Probably because the Nevada hotel lobby blocked more campground. Nevada and BLM and other land owners have done it to themselves. They created the problem by having one small campground with no water and showers that fills months in advance. I'm not blaming the residents.

IF you can afford it, get nice hotel/motel split many ways. Red Rock Resort is great and expensive for van lifers-$200 or more. We've shown there are no cheap motels in Vegas. Are there options to rent private residence rooms by week, not at high AirBNB prices. Vdara is $184 midweek all in on their booking site. Where are people getting these secret mystery prices exactly?

I stayed in Vegas hostels-renting one bed in a shared room. Noisy until 3 AM with lights being turned on and off (unscrew the bulb), and loud door slamming and drunks. Earplugs and eye mask required. Read the reviews and requirements.

As EMFR points out, campground availability is better than I would have thought, midweek at least. 

You might need to move from site to site, but that wouldn't be problem for a van dweller.

Not such a great deal at $20/night, but legal anyway.

Not sure what Not my name means about water- there was plenty at the Red Rocks CG. 

No showers though :-(

Back in November the campground hosts told us that construction of an expansion was planned for this summer.

There is water at the BLM campground. There are also often $10 walk-in tent spots which allow sleeping in vehicle. A camp host is on duty and can sell you the space. They are very friendly. 

I need to move to vegas, it would be so cool to live in one of the trashiest cities in the US just so I could gate keep Californians that don't want to live in a litterbox.

Wait did it rain recently? lemme get on social media.

(I'm a pleb, I go to lovell canyon road)

Anna Brownwrote:

There is water at the BLM campground. There are also often $10 walk-in tent spots which allow sleeping in vehicle. A camp host is on duty and can sell you the space. They are very friendly. 

I hadn’t looked in a while but when I was there last year, there was a sign that specifically said a walk in site permit did not allow sleeping in your vehicle in the main lot, although I’m quite sure people were still doing it. There was, however, an RV/van lot just past the walk in sites where you were allowed to park and sleep inside your vehicle, ie no tents allowed. 

PWZwrote:

Siding with cops isn't really that awesome

Triggered

I didn't even check out Freemont st.

M Mwrote:

I didn't even check out Freemont st.

Did you click on "Reserve a room" to see the details? That "$35 per night" also: Excludes: $41.95 "daily resort fee".

That $35 room actually costs $76.95. Add in tax to the base rate and you get a grand total of $81.66.

Greg Daviswrote:

I need to move to vegas, it would be so cool to live in one of the trashiest cities in the US just so I could gate keep Californians that don't want to live in a litterbox.

Wait did it rain recently? lemme get on social media.

(I'm a pleb, I go to lovell canyon road)

Edggggyyyyy.

The same people that are screaming “dirtbagging is dead! There are no more real dirt bags left, everyone is rich and entitled!” Are the same lunatics chastising people for not wanting to pay $210 for a weeks campsite to climb somewhere. I live in a van specifically to be able to travel more and live as frugally as possible in order to facilitate that. It’s not reasonable to have to pay $30+ a night for a campsite I'm just going to park my van for 8 hours during the night and leave zero trace. These options aren’t sustainable, even if there was 10,000 campsites im simply not paying that much money when there is public land. And if there isn’t public land I’ll find somewhere low key. Pick a lane, either say the you hate dirt bags everywhere and climbing/camping is for rich people now and we should continue to charge people to use their own public land daily, or don’t.

I’m not advocating for being able to pitch a tent on the side of the road and get a fire going, that would be leaving a trace obviously. But the vans aren’t going anywhere any time soon and it’s not being addressed as a legitimate option for some odd reason. I am positive no one is getting high blood pressure over professional climbers living in vans to dedicate more time to traveling and climbing, where’s the line?

Supertopo is alive and well!

Tanner Jameswrote:

The same people that are screaming “dirtbagging is dead! There are no more real dirt bags left, everyone is rich and entitled!” Are the same lunatics chastising people for not wanting to pay $210 for a weeks campsite to climb somewhere. I live in a van specifically to be able to travel more and live as frugally as possible in order to facilitate that. It’s not reasonable to have to pay $30+ a night for a campsite I'm just going to park my van for 8 hours during the night and leave zero trace. These options aren’t sustainable, even if there was 10,000 campsites im simply not paying that much money when there is public land. And if there isn’t public land I’ll find somewhere low key. Pick a lane, either say the you hate dirt bags everywhere and climbing/camping is for rich people now and we should continue to charge people to use their own public land daily, or don’t.

I’m not advocating for being able to pitch a tent on the side of the road and get a fire going, that would be leaving a trace obviously. But the vans aren’t going anywhere any time soon and it’s not being addressed as a legitimate option for some odd reason. I am positive no one is getting high blood pressure over professional climbers living in vans to dedicate more time to traveling and climbing, where’s the line?

Maybe a place down by the river is best for you.

The thing is real dirtbags know where to go on the DL, its the dirtbag posers who buy there way into dirtbaggery and skip the dirtbag apprenticeship that are screwing everything up. 

NegativeKwrote:

Edggggyyyyy.

Just a joke, kind of like living in Vegas