DIRECTIONS TO THE DEFCON SHOOT

Got your firearms all prepped, your car all packed, your registration processed, and your lane reserved?
Then follow the directions on this page to join us at the DEFCON Shoot.

 

WHERE IT ALL GOES DOWN

The DEFCON Shoot takes place at the Lovell Group Campsite on Lovell Canyon Road, about 6 miles off of State Route 160. This spot is about 7 or 8 miles due West of Las Vegas proper as the crow flies, which translates to about 30 miles of highway time. Add on the small streets before and after, and the interwebs estimate a trip of one hour from the hotel to the range.

For specific directions to the shoot site, you can always just input "Lovell Canyon Road, Clark, NV" into Google Maps, or use this link to do so. It just so happens that the resulting marker is almost exactly on top of our designated location. For greater detail, you can drop the following Lat/Long coordinates into a GPS device... 36.09500, -115.56560

 

MORE DETAILED MAPS

The following map images should assist you in finding the exact location and helping you to ensure that you're traveling the correct way. (Click to enlarge)

 

THE SHOOT CARAVAN

Typically, many of the DC Shoot attendees rally in the DEFCON hotel early on Thursday morning and roll out to the site en masse. If you are interested in doing this, know that we try to meet up at 07:30 and get on the road no later than 08:00. We will be meeting near the "Rotunda" area of the con space, in front of the Rio Business Center. Directly outside is a very accessible and spacious curbside where organizers and staff have said we can load vehicles and such.

Parking access at the Rio appears to be totally free. So even if you're not staying at the DEFCON hotel, you should be able to be a part of the caravan without it costing you anything. There is a thread on the DEFCON Forums about ride sharing. If you have space in your vehcile, or need space in someone else's... check in there.

IMPORTANT CONSIDERATIONS

Perhaps the two most critical considerations of which drivers have to be aware are fuel and road conditions.

The last stop for gas on the way out of town is the Blue Diamond, where Route 160 and Route 159 fork apart. It can be seen on the top two maps above, with the blue fuel icon.

As far as road conditions are concerned, getting to the site isn't really all that perilous... it is a proper paved road and all. (See the first 15 seconds of the YouTube video from 2009 for a view of it) However, this is a relatively unpatroled, sparesly-maintained section of road in the wilderness. There are not always the most clear shoulders and a times the road is winding, narrow, and it could be harrowing for a large vehicle, particularly if it's a rental vehicle that you're not usually driving everyday.

The parking surface is a gravel lot. Weather can vary its conditions. Still and all, in years past the Hacker Bus (an old, semi-broken down monster of a machine) made it all the way there, parked, and successfully departed again... so if you have a midsize sedan from Hertz i think you'll still be ok, too.

Also, i should note, there are no restroom facilities or other comforts out there. It's litterally a patch of desert that acts as campground and shooting site to anyone who wants to use it. GSM and CDMA signals are very dodgy out there, assuming you can get any reception at all. We will have some shade canopies erected, and free water available at the Shoot Shop... but you're on your own for most everything else. So either find a bush, pee behind your vehicle, or hold it until we're back in civilization.