Abert Rim — BLM Dispersed Camping Along Lake Abert East Shore

The east shore of Lake Abert along US-395 is open BLM land where overlanders have long pulled off to camp beneath the sheer 2,500-foot wall of Abert Rim. No facilities, no fee, no sign telling you it’s a campground — just dry alkali flats, a hypersaline lake packed with migratory birds, and a geological feature that will genuinely stop you in your tracks. Bring everything in and pack everything out. Wind is relentless here; stake your shelter accordingly. Nights are cold even in summer.

Access is dead simple — US-395 runs the length of the west shore and the BLM pullouts are obvious. The road is paved; access to the rim itself requires a rougher drive north toward the Abert Rim Access Road. Cell service is spotty to none along the lakeshore. Best in spring for bird migration and fall for cooler temps; midsummer heat off the alkali flats is punishing.

Camp beneath the tallest fault scarp in the West.