What’s TecopaFest!, you ask? It’s our annual fundraising event in support of the Southern Inyo Fire Protection District — aka our volunteer fire department. And it’s right around the corner! So here’s the info on where to stay, where to camp, and where to eat while you’re here.

Everyone (yes, everyone AND their Aunt Sally!) is invited to join us on Saturday, November 2nd from 10am – 6pm for a FREE day of fun in the sun. This year we have a full roster of bands and entertainers, arts and crafts vendors, interactive activities, exhibits and food/drink options — plus a fun afterparty planned at our local pub, Death Valley Brewing, with local craft beer and woodfired pizza from the Kit Fox Café. And of course, Ross the One-Legged Miner and Wandering Jeepsy and I will be hanging out — along with more YouTubers!

Last event’s YouTube crew

The weather down here is great that time of year, so come on out! We are about 90 minutes from Las Vegas, and 45 minutes from Pahrump, so it’s an easy trip if you just want to come for the day. But if you want to spend more time here, we have you covered!

***MAKE SURE TO FILL YOUR GAS TANK BEFORE COMING OUT HERE — THERE IS NO GAS IN TECOPA!***

***ALSO, THERE IS ZERO CELL SIGNAL! Signal drops out about 20 minutes outside of town, so plug in the directions ahead of time. The event is being held at 860 Tecopa Hot Springs Rd, Tecopa, CA 92389.***

***AND REMEMBER, THIS IS THE DESERT! BRING WATER!! Some bottled water will be available, but it’s good practice to bring a bottle of your own!***

WHERE TO EAT/DRINK:

Food and drink will be available for purchase at the event (BBQ, tamales, Indian tacos and possible pastries). Steaks and Beer (at the event site) will be open for dinner (space is very limited and reservations are required). Kit Fox Cafe (about 2 miles from the event site) will be serving breakfast/coffee and pastries plus woodfired pizza all day, and Death Valley Brewing (also 2 miles from the event site) will have craft beer on tap. The Crowbar, 8 miles away in Shoshone, is a full-service restaurant that will be open all day for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

WHERE TO STAY:

Artwork by Eric Coleman, Nye County newspaper cartoonist

Though Tecopa is a very small town, there are still several options for accommodations available. Advance reservations are recommended — book now to make sure you get a spot, and confirm all details!

Amy’s Tecopa Hot Springs Resort (where the event is being held) offers cabins, motel rooms, RV campsites with hookups, tent sites/dry camping and indoor hot springs.

Tecopa Hot Springs Campground, next to the event site, offers a few rustic “glamping” cabin rentals plus RV campsites w/ hookups, tent camping and dry camping, and access to the county hot springs baths and showers.

Tecopa Palms Therapeutic Hot Springs is a short (1/2 mile) walk from the event site and offers tiny house/RV rentals, RV sites with hookups, tent camping and indoor hot spring tubs.

Delight’s Hot Springs (also known as Death Valley Hot Springs) is a short (1/2 mile) walk from the event site and offers cabins, motel rooms, trailer rentals, RV sites with hookups, tent camping, indoor hot springs tubs, and an outdoor resort-style hot spring swimming pool.

Villa Anita is about 3 miles from the event and offers guest cabins, an experiential art museum, art classes and meals. Plus dogs!

Cynthia’s is about 3 miles from the event and offers bed and breakfast accommodations as well as guided desert safaris.

The Shoshone Inn is about 8 miles from the event site and offers motel rooms and an outdoor warm spring swimming pool, plus a campground with RV sites w/ hookups and tent camping. (There is also gas available here, at Death Valley prices.)

There are also many lodging and dining options available in Pahrump, about 35 miles from the event site.

FREE CAMPING:

***YOU CAN’T JUST CAMP ANYWHERE!! People actually live here, and a lot of the land is privately owned. But for those of you who prefer to boondock — aka free camp in the desert — there is plenty of public (BLM) land in the area. I’m not listing any exact locations here for fear of getting blasted for “giving away secrets,” but iOverland and FreeCampsites.net have several listings for the area 🙂

**PLEASE LEAVE NO TRACE IF YOU FREE CAMP! I don’t want people getting mad at me because people leave trash behind! Same if you visit the “natural” hot springs.

Our last two events were huge successes and a lot of fun — but I have a feeling this is going to be our best party yet! I look forward to meeting as many of you as possible…so load the directions in your phone, fill your gas tank, grab a gallon of drinking water and head out to join us. And be sure to bring a few bucks to donate to our first responders! If you can’t attend the event in person, you can donate to the SIFPD (Southern Inyo Fire Protection District) via their PayPal here.

We would love to see you!