Box store heaven and the alternate route to Black Rock City.

Ah, so you’ve decided to take the scenic route, eh? That’s cool. You won’t miss out on any of the goodies by traveling Pyramid Highway. And by the way, it’s not really a highway – at least we don’t think so.  If you are planning to camp at or utilize Pyramid Lake, be sure to get a permit. A very beautiful route to take!

Exit I-80 at Pyramid Highway and turn left. The first thing to note is John Ascuaga’s Nugget Casino. There you can find lots of restaurants, with both fine and casual dining, pool, etc. Be sure to reserve months ahead if you want to get a room here. See below for details.

Also around here:  Great Basin Brewery, a local favorite restaurant and beer haven among burners, and an In-N-Out Burger.

Travel a mile or so up Pyramid to the corner of Greenbrae.  most notably around here, on the west side of Pyramid Way is Prism Magic.  Owned and operated by burners for burners, stop in at and get your last minute costume and clothing additions on your way to the playa.  See below for further details.

Up Pyramid another couple of blocks is North McCarran Avenue. On the left is a Raleys supermarket and gas station heading up a small shopping center, with car wash, and a fairly good pizza parlor called Black Rock Pizza.

There are more shopping highlights as you continue north up Pyramid a few miles beyond McCarran Blvd. This area (known as Spanish Springs) is growing big-time, and developers are building as fast as they can to meet demand with big box shopping. You will find most notably a Home Depot and Costco, as well as  a plethora of other shops and food.

As you make your way a few more miles up Pyramid, at Spanish Springs Drive is the biggest find of all:   Save Mart will be prepared with lots of goods for the playa and a drive-thru recycling and trash center for your return trip. See below for all the details.

That’s it folks. Beyond here is just the road to Pyramid Lake and on to Black Rock City.  If you don’t have what you need at this point, you probably do not need it!

To get to the playa from here, keep heading north on Pyramid Way until you meet beautiful Pyramid Lake! Once at the lake, turn at the sign (right) for the road to Nixon, and once at Nixon, turn left on Highway 447.  You are on the way to Burning Man. All the regular warnings about bunnies and cows along the road still apply:  Please drive safely.

Groceries

Save Mart Supermarket
9750 Pyramid Lake Hwy – 775-425-2700 – map
Open 24/7 during Burning Man.

This Save Mart has seen a steadily increasing stream of Burner business for some time, and plans for our numbers by ordering certain novelty items and large quantities of water in August. Like all Save Mart supermarkets in the area, they too are going green for this year’s burn and beyond.

Other specialty products will be located inside and outside of the store, including Black Rock Bicycles and accessories, Cool Neon el-wire ready-kits, various glow toys, fun hats, masks, goggles and fun glasses, headlamps, solar chargers, tiki torches, medium and small  propane tanks and propane stoves, bicycle tubes and lighting, dry ice,vegetarian and vegan sandwich fillers, various energy bars and powders, freeze-dried backpacking foods, sushi, reusable cups and other kitchenware and storage containers, lots of canned beer and other booze, and coolers.

Like some other Save Marts and stores in the region, they also will again be part of the Exodus Trash and Recycling Network, having a convenient center to dispose of all of your recyclables and trash. Recycling is free and trash disposal is available at $3 per 35-gallon trash bag.  Just PLEASE sort and have your recyclables as clean as possible and removed from bags before depositing in the appropriate containers. Bicycles, plastics (SPI 1,2,3,4&5), plastic bags, glass, all metals (aluminum, tin, lead, steel, etc), paper, cardboard, household batteries, and non-perishable food and water are all welcome. Human and other hazardous waste is NOT permitted.  All proceeds raised from recyclables will be donated to support new local Black Rock Solar installations, and food and water will be donated to local food banks. Both the store and center will be open 24/7 from September 1 to September 5.

Raleys Supermarket
2895 North McCarran Blvd – 775-353-8818 – map
Open 6am-midnight.

Costco Wholesale
4810 Galleria Pkwy – 775-356-4400 – map
Open Mon-Fri 10am-8pm, Weekends 10am-6pm.

WalMart Supercenter
5065 Pyramid Lake Road – 775-425-9300 – map
Open 24 hours.

Random Curiosities

Prism Magic Clothing & Imports
2161 Pyramid Way – 775-356-5577 – map

Open Mon-Fri 10am-7pm, Sat. 10am-6pm. Yup! On the way to the big ole Burn on Pyramid Way. Owned and operated by burners for burners, they specialize in tie-dye but have all sorts of fun ‘Playa Wear’. Petticoats, animal bikes, costumes, sarongs, hats, vintage clothing and other unique items. Black Rock Bicycles are also available. Stop on by & have some fun c/o Lauren & Crew.

Reno-Sparks Indian Colony Smoke Shop
1962 Pyramid Way – 775-353-2140 – map
Open daily 7am-8pm.

Hardware/Camping

Home Depot
4655 Galleria Pkwy – 775-354-2245 – map
Open Mon-Sat 6am-9pm, Sun 7am-8pm. Carrying wide variety of building supplies and some camping supplies.

Liquor Stores

Ben’s Fine Wine & Spirits
2990 Sullivan Lane – 775-337-2367 - map
Open Sun-Thur 9am-9pm, Fri-Sat 9am-10pm. Good wine, spirits, and beer selection with some really good prices. Ben’s can special order anything you want for you to pick up on your way to the playa — call to find out more.

Restaurants/Bars

Great Basin Brewery & Restaurant
846 Victorian Avenue – 775-355-7711 – map
Open 10am-10pm daily. Popular spot among local burners and a big supporter of the community, with real good beer and food.

Black Rock Pizza Co.
2855 North McCarran Boulevard – 775-356-1771 – map
Open Sun-Thur 11am-9pm, Fri-Sat 11am-10pm. Aside from the name, a local favorite with really good pizza, sandwiches, and salads!

In-and-Out Burger
280 Pyramid Way – 775-786-1000 – map
Open Sun-Thu 10:30am-1am, Fri-Sat 10:30am-1:30am.

Hotels

John Ascuaga’s Nugget Casino Resort
1100 Nugget Avenue – 775-356-3300 / 800-648-1177 – map

Holiday Inn
55 East Nugget Avenue – 775-358-6900 – map

Recycling and Trash Disposal

Save Mart Supermarket
9750 Pyramid Lake Hwy – 775-425-2700 – map
This Save Mart goes out of their way for supporting our trash and recycling disposal, see description above.

RV Repairs

Connie Can Mobile RV Repair
9732 Pyramid Way # 334 – 775-846-5895 – map
Available 24/7. Connie's really flexible and will even travel to repair your RV on the playa.

Preparation