Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area is a stunning 200000-acre Mojave Desert landscape 17 miles west of Las Vegas Nevada featuring dramatic sandstone formations ancient rock art diverse wildlife and world-class hiking and climbing opportunities for all abilities.
Nevada: Hawthorne – Ordnance Museum
🏚️ Hawthorne Army Depot — The World’s Largest, and They’re Not Shy About It
The Naval Ammunition Depot at Hawthorne was established in September 1930, out in the Nevada desert where nobody much minded having several hundred thousand acres of explosives sitting about. It was the sort of place the government likes to put things it doesn’t particularly want near people — remote, dusty, and reassuringly far from anywhere you might actually want to be.
It ticked along quietly as a naval facility for the best part of half a century, until 1977, when the whole operation was transferred to Army control and redesignated the Hawthorne Army Ammunition Plant. This came as part of something called the Single Manager for Conventional Ammunition programme — a wonderfully bureaucratic title that essentially meant someone in Washington had decided the Army should be in charge of blowing things up, rather than the Navy. Fair enough, really.
Then in 1994, the depot wound down its production mission altogether and became what it is today: Hawthorne Army Depot, or HWAD as it’s known to the people who work there and the handful of locals who’ve learned to live alongside 2,427 bunkers full of reserve ammunition.
And those numbers are genuinely staggering. The depot covers 147,000 acres — that’s 59,000 hectares, or roughly 226 square miles if you prefer something you can actually picture. It has 600,000 square feet of storage space, spread across those thousands of bunkers that dot the landscape like a very aggressive game of Minesweeper. HWAD holds the distinction of being the World’s Largest Depot, which is the sort of claim that sounds impressive right up until you think about what’s actually stored there.
The purpose of all this is fairly straightforward, in a Cold War sort of way. Hawthorne holds reserve ammunition intended for use after the first 30 days of a major conflict. The logic being, presumably, that if things are still going badly after a month, you’ll want something left to throw at the problem. During peacetime, the place runs on a skeleton staff — quietly maintained, partially manned, with detailed plans in place to rapidly expand operations should the need arise. The whole thing is managed not by the military directly, but by an independent contractor operating under a government agreement. Which is very modern, very sensible, and probably saves an enormous amount of paperwork.
Now, you genuinely cannot miss this place. It is absolutely enormous. You drive through the Nevada desert, which already feels like the surface of the moon on a bad day, and suddenly there it is — bunker after bunker stretching off towards the horizon in every direction. It is, by any measure, a significant amount of explosive ordnance stored in one location.
But here’s the bit that made me do a proper double-take. There’s a big sign. A proud, enthusiastic, look-at-us sign, cheerfully announcing to anyone passing through that this is, indeed, the World’s Largest Army Depot. I stood there for a moment genuinely baffled. Why on earth would you advertise that? What’s the thinking? “Come and blow us up — we’ve got loads”? In an age when governments spend billions on intelligence services, satellite surveillance, and cyber security, the Americans have apparently decided the most efficient approach is simply to put a sign up on the road. Who needs spies when you can just follow the directions? I half expected a gift shop.
🏛️ Hawthorne — Blink and You’ll Miss It (But Don’t Blink Near the Ammunition)
Just down the road from all those bunkers sits the small town of Hawthorne, home to around 2,700 people whose livelihoods depend almost entirely on the depot. Without it, there wouldn’t be much of a town at all — just a petrol station and some tumbleweed. But this being Nevada, there is of course a casino, because apparently no settlement in the state is legally permitted to exist without one. Beyond that, Hawthorne doesn’t exactly overflow with things to do. It is, to put it kindly, a town that knows its purpose.
We hadn’t actually planned to stop. Hawthorne wasn’t on the itinerary — we were simply passing through on the long drive south from Reno to Las Vegas, which is the sort of journey where you spend a lot of time looking at the horizon and wondering if it’s getting any closer. It isn’t. But as we rolled slowly through what passes for the high street, something outside a storefront caught my eye. Military hardware. Actual, proper, sit-on-the-pavement military hardware. Bombs. Shells. Things with fins on. We pulled over immediately, because what else do you do?
💣 Hawthorne Ordnance Museum
This turned out to be the Hawthorne Ordnance Museum, and I’ll be honest — I got quite giddy about it, which is either a sign of genuine enthusiasm for military history or a worrying reflection on my character. Probably both.
The outside exhibits alone were worth stopping for. There was an impressive array of bombs, torpedoes and artillery shells arranged along the pavement with the kind of casual confidence that would cause absolute pandemonium in central London. Alongside those sat some rather handsome artillery pieces, and the undisputed star of the show — a fully restored M47 Patton tank, squatting there on the kerb like it owned the place. The M47 Patton, for those who weren’t paying attention in history class, was the US Army’s main battle tank through much of the 1950s, a direct descendant of the Second World War armour programmes and named after General George S. Patton himself. Seeing one up close, even parked peacefully on a Nevada pavement, is a properly imposing experience. It is an enormous lump of steel and menace.
Sadly — and this is where the British whinging becomes entirely justified — we had arrived on a Sunday. The one day of the week the museum is closed. Of course we had. We stood there on the pavement, peering through the windows like disappointed children outside a sweet shop, which is more or less exactly what we were. You’d think a museum in a town with precious little else going on might consider opening seven days a week, but apparently not.
Still, it was an opportunistic discovery rather than a planned stop, so we couldn’t be too aggrieved. And as consolations go, we did rather well — there was a decent little coffee stand just across the way, which softened the blow considerably. A good coffee and a tank to look at. There are worse ways to spend a Sunday morning.
I wouldn’t recommend making a special trip to Hawthorne purely for the Ordnance Museum, unless you are very specifically passionate about mid-century American military hardware and have very few other commitments. But if you happen to be passing through on the Reno to Las Vegas run — and it’s a perfectly logical route — it makes for a very agreeable pit stop. Park up, have a wander around the outdoor exhibits, get a coffee, admire the tank, and feel briefly glad that nobody appears to have armed it.
Planning Your Visit to the Ordnance Museum
💣 Hawthorne Ordnance Museum
| 📍 Location | 925 E Street, Hawthorne, Nevada 89415 | 🕖 Opening Times | Mon, Wed, Fri & Sat, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM |
| 🌐 Website | hawthorneordnancemuseum.com | 📞 Phone | (775) 945-5400 |
🎟️ Entry Fees
| Admission | Outdoor Displays |
|---|---|
| Free | Free & accessible at any time |
ℹ️ Operated by a local non-profit. Visitors are advised to confirm opening times before travelling, as hours may vary.
🚗 Getting There
Hawthorne is a remote small town in western Nevada and is best reached by car. There is no public transport directly serving the town, and no commercial flights to the local Hawthorne Industrial Airport (HTH).
| 🛣️ From Reno | South on US-95, approx. 140 miles — around 2.5 hours | 🛣️ From Las Vegas | North on US-95, approx. 300 miles — around 4.5 hours |
| 🛣️ From Carson City | South on US-395 then US-95, approx. 110 miles — around 2 hours | 🛣️ From Bishop, CA | North-east on US-6 then US-95, approx. 75 miles — around 1.5 hours |
| ✈️ Nearest Airport | Mammoth Yosemite Airport (MMH), approx. 93 miles | ✈️ Nearest Major Airport | Reno-Tahoe International (RNO), approx. 136 miles — then drive south on US-95 |
ℹ️ Hawthorne sits directly on US-95, Nevada’s main north–south highway, and makes a natural stop on a Reno–Las Vegas road trip. Fuel up before leaving the main highway as services along this route are limited. The museum is signposted in the town centre.
The Best Time to Visit Nevada
🌸 Spring (March to May)
Spring is widely regarded as one of the finest times to explore Nevada, particularly for those drawn to the outdoors. Temperatures across the desert regions climb to a pleasant 15–25°C, making hiking, cycling, and sightseeing comfortable and enjoyable. The Mojave Desert and the Valley of Fire see mild, golden days with crisp evenings, and wildflowers — lupines, desert marigolds, and brittlebush — bring vivid colour to the landscape. Red Rock Canyon and Great Basin National Park are especially rewarding in spring, with manageable crowds and ideal trail conditions.
Las Vegas enjoys busy but not overwhelming visitor numbers during spring, and hotel rates remain reasonable outside of major events such as March Madness, which draws large crowds. Easter weekend and spring break periods (mid-March to mid-April) bring a spike in visitors, so booking ahead is advisable. Overall, spring offers an excellent balance of good weather, relative affordability, and natural beauty.
What to pack: Lightweight layers, a breathable waterproof jacket, comfortable walking shoes or trail boots, sunscreen (factor 50+), sunglasses, a wide-brimmed hat, a reusable water bottle, and a light fleece for cool evenings.
☀️ Summer (June to August)
Summer in Nevada is intense. Temperatures in Las Vegas and the southern desert regularly exceed 40°C, and in Death Valley — just over the Californian border — they can surpass 50°C. The heat is not merely uncomfortable; it can be genuinely dangerous for the unprepared. That said, summer is Nevada’s busiest tourist season, driven largely by school holidays and the irresistible pull of Las Vegas, which thrums with energy, poolside parties, and headline entertainers.
If you are visiting Las Vegas, summer is manageable provided you stay close to air-conditioned casinos, hotels, and indoor attractions during the peak heat of midday and venture out in the early morning or evening. For outdoor enthusiasts, the higher elevations of northern Nevada — Reno, Lake Tahoe, and the Ruby Mountains — offer a far more temperate escape, with temperatures in the mid-20s°C and spectacular scenery. The Tahoe basin is superb for watersports, hiking, and mountain biking in summer.
Be aware that July and August bring Nevada’s monsoon season, with brief but powerful afternoon thunderstorms that can cause flash flooding in canyons and desert washes. Always check forecasts before venturing into the backcountry.
What to pack: Ultra-lightweight, light-coloured breathable clothing, a wide-brimmed hat, high-factor sunscreen applied frequently, UV-protection sunglasses, insulated water bottles (carry far more water than you think you need), sandals and trainers, a compact umbrella for monsoon showers, and electrolyte tablets to guard against heat exhaustion.
🍂 Autumn (September to November)
Autumn is arguably Nevada’s best-kept secret. As summer visitors depart and temperatures begin to ease, the state settles into a deeply pleasant rhythm. September still carries warmth — often reaching 30°C in Las Vegas — but without summer’s brutal excess. By October, daytime highs drop to a wonderful 20–25°C across much of the state, and the desert air takes on a clarity that makes photography a particular pleasure.
The scenery in autumn is stunning. Aspen groves in the mountains around Reno and in the Great Basin blaze gold and amber from late September through October, offering some of the most photogenic landscapes in the American West. Hotel rates in Las Vegas drop considerably after the busy summer season, and while major conventions (including the colossal Consumer Electronics Show, which begins in early January and affects autumn bookings) can temporarily inflate prices, autumn is generally excellent value.
Outdoor activities — hiking, rock climbing, mountain biking — are at their finest in autumn. Zion National Park in neighbouring Utah is often visited on Nevada road trips at this time of year, and the combination of mild temperatures and autumn colour makes it breathtaking. This season suits almost every type of traveller.
What to pack: A mix of light daytime clothing and warmer layers for evenings, a mid-weight jacket, comfortable walking and hiking shoes, sunscreen (the desert sun remains strong even in autumn), a camera or high-quality smartphone, and a light scarf for cooler nights in higher elevations.
❄️ Winter (December to February)
Winter in Nevada divides sharply by geography. In Las Vegas and the southern Mojave Desert, winters are mild and largely sunny, with daytime temperatures hovering between 10–15°C — not warm by any means, but refreshingly cool and far more comfortable for sightseeing on foot than the summer heat. The famous Las Vegas Strip is at its most walkable in winter, and the city buzzes with festive energy in December. New Year’s Eve on the Strip is one of the world’s great celebrations, though it comes with enormous crowds and premium pricing.
Northern Nevada and the Sierra Nevada mountains tell an entirely different story. Lake Tahoe transforms into one of North America’s premier ski destinations, with resorts including Heavenly, Northstar, and Squaw Valley (now called Palisades Tahoe) attracting skiers and snowboarders from across the country. Snowfall can be heavy and dependably excellent from December through March. Reno, meanwhile, enjoys crisp, clear winter days and serves as a gateway to the ski fields.
Winter is the low season for Nevada’s national parks and outdoor areas south of Las Vegas, meaning visitor numbers are minimal and accommodation is cheaper. However, some roads into higher-elevation parks such as Great Basin National Park may be closed due to snow. Always check conditions before setting out.
What to pack: For Las Vegas and the south — a warm coat, jumpers, jeans, and comfortable walking shoes with grip. For the mountains and ski resorts — full ski or snowboard gear (or hire on arrival), thermal base layers, waterproof outer layers, insulated boots, gloves, a neck gaiter, and goggles.
🗓️ The Overall Best Time to Visit Nevada
If you can only choose one season, autumn — specifically October — stands out as the single best time to visit Nevada for most travellers. The heat has relented, the crowds have thinned, hotel prices are attractive, and the natural landscape is at its most spectacular. Whether you are drawn to the electrifying pace of Las Vegas, the golden aspen trails of the Great Basin, or the rust-red rock formations of the south, October offers a version of Nevada that is accessible, affordable, and genuinely beautiful. Spring runs it a close second, particularly for hikers and nature lovers. Summer is best reserved for those committed to the Las Vegas experience or heading north to Lake Tahoe, while winter suits skiers and those who prefer the quiet magic of the desert in the cool season.
Nevada rewards visitors in every month of the year — but come in autumn, and it will likely exceed every expectation.
More to Explore
