Driving Directions

• Directions
  
• Alturas, CA
  
• Cedarville, CA
  
• Gerlach, NV
  
• Klamath Falls, OR
  
• Summer Lake Hot Springs
  
• Driving Tips
  
• Renting a truck
  

These directions are to help people find the best route from Eugene, Oregon to Gerlach, Nevada and point out interesting things to do along the way and be a helpful guide for those that make the journey.. People coming from Oregon, Idaho, Washington Northern California or Canada undertake a journey that nobody from the Bay Area, Utah or Reno and parts south, east and west gets to experience. The majority of the people attending the event come from Interstate 80 and turn off at Fernley, NV and drive along a fairly desolate road to Gerlach, NV. For people in the Northwest, the nearest Interstate is Interstate is I-5 and you leave that back in Eugene, Oregon. For the next 300 miles, you get to drive on old state highways and roads that most people forgot.

It is an interesting journey.

We attempt to do our best in explain what type of environment you will be facing. In general, you will only find gas stations in the towns mentioned. There are very few stores or retail establishments along the way. Remember when we say a town closes at 6:00 PM, we mean that all the stores in town lock their doors at 6:00 PM. When we say that there is nothing there, we mean there is literally no retail establishments of any kind.

Driving Directions

The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step. Since there is 1000 different people coming from different directions, we are going to start this leg of the journey in Seattle, Washington. If Seattle is not a landmark you visit on your journey, pick up the route where it might be the closest to you. For instance, if you are coming from Spokane, make your way to Klamath Falls and pick up from there.

According to the driving experts at AAA, If we start our journey at the Powerhouse, the home of the Fremont Arts Council and drive to Bruno's, the journey will be 660 miles and take 14 hours of driving time. We find that generally, it takes 17 hours when you add in stops at the grocery store, gas, food, going back to the rest stop to pick up your wallet that fell on the floor when you got out money for the free coffee, and so on.

We have tried to give the accurate mileage from one point to the next at the end of each point in the directions. They may not be exact, but they can give you a general idea of the distance.

Seattle to Eugene, Oregon
  Distance: 288 mi.
  Driving time: 5 hours

From Seattle to Eugene, you will be on I-5 and most services you expect to find along an interstate corridor.

• Follow I-5 south to I-205. This is exit #7 (165 mi).
• You will pass through Tacoma (30 mi).
• You will pass through Olympia (30 mi).
• You will pass through Centralia/Chehalis (27 mi).
• You will pass through Kelso (41 mi).
• You will reach Exit #7 just north of Vancouver, WA (37 mi).
• Take I-205 to detour around freeway construction in Portland. The construction can easily add 1 hour to your trip. I-205 rejoins I-5 again around Tualatin.The exit is #288 when heading north (32 mi).
• Merge from I-205 to I-5 heading south (95 mi).
• You will pass through Salem (46 mi).
• You will pass through Albany (22 mi).
• Welcome to Eugene.

Eugene to Klamath Falls, Oregon
  Distance: 168 mi.
  Driving time: 4 hours

From Eugene you will pass through the Willamette National Forest with breathtaking views and wonderful Douglas Firs. This is the last time on the journey you will see trees like this. From here on out the land becomes more arid as you go.

• Just south of Eugene, take exit #188 to OR-58.
• Take OR-58 to US-97 (82 mi).
• You will pass through Oakridge (36 mi).
• You will cross the Willamette Pass (5,128 ft)(34 mi).
• After the pass, merge to US-97 (17 mi).
• Take US-97 to Klamath Falls (78 mi).
• You will pass through Chemult (11 mi).
• You will pass thorough Beaver Marsh (18 mi).
• You will pass by Modoc Point (50 mi).
• At Modoc, you will follow the shoes of Upper Klamath Lake into Klamath Falls (20 mi).
• You will pass through Algoma (21 mi).
• Welcome to Klamath Falls.

Klamath Falls to Alturas, CA
  Distance: 100 mi.
  Driving time: 2.5 hours

• Continue south on US-97 to OR-39. Follow this road to California (24 mi).
• You will pass through Merrill (12 mi).
• In California, OR-39 becomes CA-139. Head south to CA-299 (56 mi).
• You will pass through Tule Lake (8 mi).
• You will pass through Newell (7 mi).
• You pass through a California Agricultural Station (think of it as a border crossing). You will be asked pointed questions about certain fruits and vegetables you might be carrying (16 mi).
• Continue to the intersection of CA-139 and CA-299 (28 mi).
• Take a left at CA-299 and head East to Alturas, CA (19 mi).
• Just past the interchange, you will pass through Canby (1 mi).
• Welcome to Alturas, CA.

Alturas, CA to Cedarville, CA
  Distance: 23 mi.
  Driving time: 32 minutes

• CA-299 becomes US-395 outside of Alturas. I think right at Main Street. Continue past the California Agricultural Station to the turn off for CA-299 to Cedarville (6 mi).
• You will take CA-299 to Cedarville. Along the way you cross the Cedar Pass (6,305 ft) (17 mi).
• The grade of the road heading up is steep, but it is far steeper heading down. It is also a very windy road. We recommend you downshift and keep an eye out of a herd of cows that tends to congregate on the road about 1/2 way down. If you are driving a truck, be careful when riding your brakes. They can overheat and catch fire.
• Welcome to Cedarville, CA.

Cedarville, CA to Gerlach, NV
  Distance: 82 mi.
  Driving time: 2 hours

This is the most desolate stretch of the journey. The only business along the way between Cedarville and Gerlach is a pottery store a few miles outside of Gerlach. There is almost no houses and I do not know if the ones along the route are occupied or not.

• Turn right at the gas station (after gassing up) and continue south to Gerlach on CA-447 (82 mi).
• The road is actually called Surprise Valley RD.
• You will pass through Eagleville (15 mi).
• In the distance to the left, you will see Middle Alkali and Lower Alkali Lake.
• You will notice the road completely changing. Welcome to Nevada (15 mi).
• You will notice the lack of anything except hills and scrub bushes (67 mi).
• Welcome to Gerlach.

Gerlach, to Burningman
  Distance: 11 mi.
  Driving time: 20 minutes

We can't emphasize this enough, when in Gerlach and the surrounding suburbs, drive below the speed limit. Be courteous to the locals and participants alike. Remember, anything you do reflects on the festival as a whole.

• Head north from Gerlach to the fork in the road (1 mi).
• Veer right and continue on NV-34 (11 mi).
• On the right side of the road you should see the entrance of the festival. Follow the signs posted by Burningman staff to conclude the journey.

There will be directions on how to get to the festival from here. Follow the posted signs, drive below the speed limit and if you for some reason cannot find your way, stop at a bar and ask for directions. I highly recommend that you top off your tank before heading out to the festival.

If you are expecting to leave the event on Sunday, forget it. If you are dumb enough to leave on Sunday (and there is no other word that fits, be ready for a minimum wait of 3 to 5 hours. On Monday, the wait will drop to maybe 30 minutes.

The problem is that over 20,000 people will try to leave and the roadway simply cannot accommodate this kind of traffic. The majority of those 20,000 people will be heading down 447 to Reno and the roadway will be a traffic jam most of that route. My best suggestion is to relax and leave on Monday or Tuesday. You will find less traffic and meet some very wonderful people. The gas station is on the south end of town.

Some final thoughts
If you are like me, you will find a way to lose your tickets and your directions. These directions at least can be printed out so you can take them with you. My advice is to tape them to the inside of the glove box in an envelope and leave them there.

When entering the festival, remember that all of the people you see working are volunteers. It might seem like they enjoy hassling you, but the truth is they are doing a miserable thankless task. If you were a really nice person (and we know you are) you would hand them a nice cold frosty beverage, a barter item or something to help break up the monotony of their job. It doesn't matter what time of day you come in the gates, think of the Greeters and the Gate people when you arrive and treat them the way you like to be treated. It is a good way to kick off the event.

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