Let's Go To Burning Man!"So, uh, hold on. How do I actually get to Burning Man again? It's in, like, California, right?"Mmmm, no. For quite awhile now Burning Man has been held in Black Rock City, a temporary metropolis in the Black Rock Desert of Nevada, just north of Reno (here, I made a Google Map for you). Wild guess here but as you are looking for tips on getting out there, Black Rock City is probably nowhere near where you are right now. But that doesn't mean you can't get there! You even have options! Just look, we've put them in a sexy, sexy table format:
And now for the texty, texty version of the exact same information: Drive Your Own Car!Your own car. The American Dream. With your own wheels you can easily come and go as you please, bringing your stuff along with you. But also? You have to deal with hella shitty traffic on a two-lane road for hours, having to clean a whole lotta playa dust out of your dream machine and - unless you carpool, which you should! - you’ll be leaving a hefty environmental footprint. Also we’ll probably make you take more trash home if you bring your own car.Did you mean to say “Drive Your Own Rental Car” there? Yeah, the same stuff applies, but also rentals will cost you more… And everybody in Nevada knows you aren’t renting that car to go camping. They will make you scrub that dust off if you don’t want to pay even more and may ask for a larger deposit than normal. That goes double if you are contemplating an RV (seriously, folks in Utah and Colorado are quite clear on what you want that big old rolling house for the week before Labor Day). More Melon Tips For Those With Wheels:
Fly To The Playa!Hey big spender, look at you! Yes, Black Rock City has its own airport that you can fly into. It is hella fast. But it is also hella expensive (though there are recent efforts to make it less so!). And while it is probably the least stressful way to get in (no lines!) it does come with its own headaches. Like tight (25 lb.) luggage limits. And fixed schedules. And the fear of dying in a tiny plane crash just like John John.Melon Tips For Those With Wings:
RideshareHitching a ride is as old as the open road. And you honestly are probably not going to find a safer circumstance to use that thumb of yours (though probably you won’t use it literally) than heading out to That Thing in the Desert. Burners are friendly folk who are happy to help and like to leave as little of a trace as possible: the more people in a car, the smaller the carbon footprint.Ridesharing out from the Reno airport is pretty easy - there is literally a table at the airport - and a number of Melons have done it (seriously, just ask about it on our Facebook group!). And in fact, the official Burning Man Rideshare site has folks looking to split rides from all over the country! As for hitching a ride back from the Playa? That’s super easy. You can literally just stand at the gate with your hand out and you will get a ride. Or you can bike around town with a cute sign. Just give yourself some leeway to get where you are going because you will be on somebody else’s time schedule. Melon Tips For Hitching Melons:
Burner Express Bus from Reno or San FranciscoThe Burner Express - a bus that goes directly onto and off of the playa without waiting in line (specifically the epic line of cars on the playa, it doesn't teleport through regular traffic!) - is quickly becoming one of the best ways to get out to the Playa either from Reno or from the Bay Area. It’s got a low carbon footprint, is not that pricey, is reliable and, best of all, it gets to skip the line coming and going(!!!!). Starting in 2016 Burner Express riders can even enter Black Rock CIty before the gates open on Saturday, August 27. Some of the buses even stop to let you buy groceries on the way in!Melon Tips For Your Express Pleasure:
Questions/Concerns/Fears?Feel free to reach out! If you are planning on walking in, hitching in, flying in or something in between there is a good chance that another Melon has done it before you. Ask other Melons (or the XVC) on our Facebook group and we'll all get through this together! |