Desert filming

Although I have never filmed there I do know weather extremes and poisonous snakes are well-known desert hazards common to that area. You might want to look into workers comp/equip insurance.

If I'm thinking correctly, Apple Valley is in California. Come to Nevada during winter, the Reno, Carson area. It's usually safer than during the summer because there are no snakes or spiders. But there is sometimes snow.

Depends on the feel of your picture and filming demands. Nevada Film Office is a big help. There are many sites with an 'old town' feel. Amargosa, near Death Valley, offers some very interesting landscape. The winter sneaks up on you. I spent a weekend just a couple hours north of Vegas in May and awoke to snow! If you need to shoot before June, staying south is your best bet. However, July to August you are looking a blistering temps. So you may want to look at northern cities. It depends on how 'desert-y' you want it.

95 N goes through a lot of 'Highway 66" like towns with small town gas stations and diners. Nevada is fairly accommodating for filming. Not a plug, per se, but it does have a lot of ghost towns, old mining towns, etc. The NFO's web site is: http://nevadafilm.com/. I don't film but many of the sites have inspired some story ideas.

In my opinion, if you don't have a big budget, avoid the NFO. They've screwed me twice, and were never helpful to me. I now just go straight to the Police department. It takes longer but it's nicer, and easier to get approval for guns in some cases. Sometimes it's easier to go through the NFO if you're out of town and have insurance. All they really do is check that you have insurance. But there are a few production companies in Reno that are openly non-compliant with the NFO, and they shouldn't be a problem. Unless you need a road closed.