Nevada-Sierra District United Methodist Church
Bishop Leontine Kelly Campground
and
Retreat Center

View from camp looking northwest.

Location: Camp Kelly encompasses 60 acres of Central Nevada high country and is located approximately five miles east of Austin, Nevada, and one mile north of U.S. Highway 50 on State Highway 306, locally known as Grass Valley Road. It is approximately a four hour drive from the Carson City/Reno, Nevada, area and approximately a 2 hour drive from the Ely, Nevada, area.

Located in a meadow area in the northern end of the Toiyabe Mountain Range, Camp Kelly offers a serene setting in which to meet, study, play, and worship.

View from camp looking northeast.

View from camp looking southwest.

History: Camp Kelly began in 1985 when Barbara and Howard Wolf of Fallon, Nevada, donated the property for a campsite. The campground is a facility of the California-Nevada Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church, and is a special project of the Nevada-Sierra District. Through the efforts of many individuals and local congregations the campground has progressed to its present status. It was officially dedicated in July of 2000 in honor of Bishop Leontine Kelly who was the Bishop of the California-Nevada Annual Conference at the time of donation and under who’s leadership the Nevada-Sierra District was created.

Development continues every year and is following a master plan. Eventually Camp Kelly will contain a multi-purpose building with kitchen, small cabins to house approximately eight people, manager’s residence and office. The campground receives help from the Expanding Our Vision capital funds campaign and contributions from individuals such as yourself.

Current Facilities: The campground offers individual sites for tents, campers, trailers and small self-contained recreational vehicles. Also available are two small cabins with bunk beds to house approximately eight people. There are also power, water, showers and restrooms. In addition to picnic tables at individual camping sites, there is a large shaded area which provides a gathering place during the summer. The campfire circle is the center of community activities.

Also available to families and small groups for use during three seasons of the year is a mobile home with toilets and cooking facilities.

Recreation: Many opportunities exist for recreation at the campground

Relax: For those not interested in sightseeing or the other recreational activities, Camp Kelly is the perfect place to just lie back and relax. Enjoy the solitude and the presence of God.

Hiking: Vast expanses of public land surround the campground and offer many possibilities for hiking across meadows and up canyons. The old Pony Express Trail crosses the meadow just north of the campground and offers opportunities for hiking while letting your imaginations wander wondering what it must have been like to be one of the young riders carrying the mail at breakneck speeds on horseback across this terrain.

Sports: The meadow offers plenty of space for such sports as volleyball, baseball and football, as well as for other activities such as horseshoes and archery.

Swimming: Even though the campground does not have swimming facilities, there are numerous hot springs in the area. The closest of these is the Spencer Hot Springs managed by the Bureau of Land Management and is about 15 miles away. Located in the local community of Austin, Nevada, is a public swimming pool.

Sightseeing: Close by is Historical Austin, Nevada, once the largest city in Nevada. Austin is the home of Gridley Days, an annual mountain bike race and home of famous Stokes Castle.

15 miles south of U.S. Highway 50 on State Highway 376 you will find the historic town of Kingston, Nevada. Continue up Kingston Canyon approximately five miles and you will find Grimes Lake, a small reservoir where you can fish and relax.

51 miles southwest of Austin along a graded dirt road is Ione, Nevada, where you can find the State Historic Mining Site of Berlin and the Ichthyosaur State Park.

Approximately 20 miles east of the camp is Hickison Petroglyph Recreation Site managed by the Bureau of Land Management.

A tour to the Hickison Petroglyphs Recreation Site was memorable
for these individuals.

Many other opportunities for sightseeing abound within driving distance for anyone willing to travel.

Wildlife: Opportunities for viewing wildlife abound in the campground area. It is not uncommon to see golden eagles, red-tailed hawks, deer, antelope, coyotes and many forms of small animals and birds.

Stargazing: The clear dessert air contains a unique opportunity for stargazing. Amateur astronomers will thrill at being able to relax and pick out the many constellations and the Milky Way while listening to the cry of the coyotes.

Elevation, Temperatures, and Seasons: Camp Kelly is located at about a 6,700 ft. elevation. Summer days offer clear daytime skies interspersed occasionally with a brief dessert rain showers. Summer temperatures will range from lows in the 50's at night to highs in the upper 80's during the daytime. The scenic brilliance of Fall brings more moderate days and cooler nights. The camp shuts down for the Winter and hibernates. With the coming of Spring the weather changes to an unpredictable mix of scattered snow showers, sunbursts, clouds and cool days and nights.

View Camp Kelly's summer camps