Black Rock Desert, arid region of lava beds and alkali flats, NW Nev., in Toiyabe National Forest, stretching c.70 mi (110 km) NE from Gerlach. The Jackson Mts. rise to the east; the Black Rock Range to the west. A land speed record was set there in 1983. The desert has been the site of the Burning Man festival, a self-styled temporary community and weeklong arts festival that attracts thousands, since 1991. Smoke Creek Desert, to the SW of Gerlach, is an extension of Black Rock.
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2024, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.
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