Silver State Sights - The Black Rock Desert

GERLACH, Nev. (KOLO) - If you are looking for solitude in the desert, this is a place you can go.

“It’s unique because it’s so desolate. We’re so isolated from everything it’s like living on an island,” said Gerlach resident Lacey Holly.

Or at least, it’s isolated 51 weeks of the year.

“Black rock desert especially during Burning Man is a dust bowl,” said Brent Jackson of Gerlach. “But the rest the time if you’re the only one out there it’s like you’re the only one in the world.”

The Black Rock Desert is a semi-arid region in the northern Nevada section of the Great Basin with a lakebed that is a dry remnant of ancient Lake Lahontan.

Located in parts of Washoe, Pershing, and Humboldt counties, the desert is best known for the annual festival that brings upwards of 75,000 people to the area.

“Burning man has attracted, or at least made aware, of this area to so many people,” Holly explained

In addition to taking in the very unique landscapes, there are plenty of other things you can check out.

“There’s hot springs, there’s a geyser off the road, a lot of beautiful things to see out there,” said Jackson.

It’s also a place where history was made. In October of 1997, Thrust SSC which set the land speed record reaching 763 mph, which also broke the sound barrier.

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