Nevada [Best Bets]

all the lonely roadtrippers | the pleasure of park-hopping | from reno with love | southern exposure

Roadtripping Nevada

Nevada, also known as The Silver State, shines when it comes to memorable road trips. Once you look past the bright lights of Las Vegas and turn your attention to the rest of Nevada, you are in for an unforgettable journey filled with stunning scenery, stargazing and quirky pitstops. For Canadians, Nevada offers a completely different landscape, both culturally and geographically, making it a natural choice as a Travelzoo Best Bets 2024. With myriad direct flights to Las Vegas from Vancouver, Edmonton Calgary, Toronto and Montreal (all under five hours), Canadians can easily feel like they’re in another world—whether scoping out UFOs in Area 51 or marvelling at rocky spires of Cathedral Gorge. Travel Nevada has curated ten iconic road trips for any type of cruiser, from lake lovers to free spirits in search of the weird and wonderful; here, we focus on some of our favourite routes from Reno to Las Vegas.

Cruising along Highway 50 as the road stretches out in front of you and panoramic mountain landscapes come into focus, you’ll realize just how large Nevada really is. Life Magazine named Highway 50—the 658-km stretch of road cutting across the middle of Nevada—The Loneliest Road in America in 1986, but since then it’s become one of the most famous routes in the country. Pick up your Highway 50 Survival Guide in Carson City (about a 30-minute drive south of Reno) and hit the road to collect stamps at ghost towns, natural wonders and historic sites.

Highway 50 is at the ready for adventure

Unexpected pitstops

Drive to a vacation filled with wonder

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BACK TO THE TOP

Eastern Nevada’s playground

The Great Basin Highway is a grand tour of eastern Nevada’s national and state parks. Starting in the Valley of the Fire State Park, hikers can explore the dreamy pink-hued sandstone canyons. Take a prolonged pitstop at Kershaw Ryan State Park for hiking along the overlooks and jaw-dropping scenes of the canyon walls, or go rock climbing in Rainbow Canyon. Marvel at the iconic sand castle spires at Cathedral Gorge State Park as you trek the canyon slots before finishing at the Great Basin National Park to wander through gnarled Bristlecone Pines, some of the oldest trees on earth.

Ancient pines and gobsmacking gorges await

The stunning scenery and geological wonders of the Great Basin Highway deserve a dedicated road trip of up to five days. Stretching almost a thousand kilometres along US-93 from Las Vegas to Great Basin National Park, this route showcases the best Nevada’s American West has to offer.

The Free Range Art Highway between Las Vegas and Reno on the US-95 takes the idea of an art crawl to a whole new level. Start at the Seven Magic Mountains to snap a picture in front of the brightly coloured rock sculptures just outside Las Vegas, then head to Goldfield Open Air Museum spread over eight acres to stand in awe of the huge sculptures. A visit to the weird and wonderful International Car Forest is a must-stop situation, while the Clown Motel in Tonopah is a spooky site in its own right.

Get weird in Nevada

Serenity now

The Lake Tahoe Loop encircles “the jewel of the Sierra Nevada” with its crystal-clear waters and alpine air. It’s an unforgettable road trip all year round, with beaches, hiking trails and ski resorts to enjoy. Take a swim in Lake Tahoe at Sand Harbor State Park, wander through history at the 48-stop Kit Carson Trail in Carson City or sip a Picon Punch at the 125-year-old J.T. Basque Bar & Dining Room in Gardnerville.

Artful outings and lakeside circuits

Reno is Nevada’s under-the-radar bohemian destination, and while its longstanding reputation as a premier gambling destination with great spas and buffets still stands, the city’s public art scene, eclectic local shops and an overflowing craft brewery and distillery scene make it a great place to start a relaxing road trip to Lake Tahoe or an artful one down the US-95.

The Neon to Nature road trip offers up not one but three different loops to explore, all within a few hundred kilometres of Las Vegas, making it easy to extend your Nevada vacation for a few more days of exploration. Take the Fire & Water Loop to marvel at the striped rock formations at the state’s largest park Valley of Fire and ponder the ancient petroglyphs in Gold Butte National Monument. Visit pioneer ghost towns or cycle the Red Rock Canyon Scenic Drive on the Red Rockin’ Loop, or explore the Colorado River Corridor on the third loop, which will take you past the Hoover Dam, Nelson Ghost Town and Boulder City.

Fruit(ful) loops

E.T. drive home

The two-day Extraterrestrial Highway road trip from Tonopah to Alamo is well-named; almost everything en route is alien-themed. Snag a snap for socials at the “I-come-in-peace” pose at the Extraterrestrial Highway sign, then stop at the Alien Research Center for some far-out souvenirs (and a shot of alien tequila) and take a break at ET Fresh Jerky in Hiko for a sampling of Area 51 jerky.

Aliens, cowboys and canyons, oh my!

Exploring the southern part of Nevada is an out-of-this-world experience. From top-secret science, technology and alien sightings near Area 51 to the otherworldly landscapes along the Red Rock Canyon Scenic Drives, a road trip through the wide-open belly of south Nevada’s desert is unforgettable.

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All the lonely roadtrippers

The pleasure of park-hopping

From Reno with love

Southern exposure

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Plan your trip

Cathedral Gorge

Ely, Nevada

Night sky in Nevada

Outdoor Inn in Jarbridge

Expression of the Soil by Erik Burke - mural in Reno

Lake Tahoe

ET Fresh Jerky

Reffen Street Food Market Photo credits: Lukas Bukoven (left); Reffen - Copenhagen Street Food (right)

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Wheeler Peak, Great Basin National Park

Ward Charcoal Ovens State Park

Genoa Bar & Saloon

Great Basin Highway

Valley of Fire State Park (left); Bristlecone Pines (right)

Cathedral Gorge State Park

Valley of Fire State Park

Seven Magic Mountains (left); International Car Forest (right)

Riding gear from JM Capriola, Elko (left); Alien Research Center (right)

Hoover Dam

Jarbridge Ghost Town

Petroglyphs in Gold Butte National Monument

Lake Mead

Valley of Fire State Park

Highway 50

Head east from Carson City on the Loneliest Road, which offers a plethora of pitstops along the way. Saddle up to the bar at the Genoa Bar & Saloon, the oldest of the Sagebrush Saloons (circa 1853) and famous for its Bloody Marys. Then stop to go off-roading on a sand dune just outside Fallon. For a slice of mining history, explore the beehive-shaped kilns at Ward Charcoal Ovens State Park. The last leg of the journey brings roadtrippers to Great Basin National Park, where visitors can head underground to explore the rock formations of Lehman Caves or look upwards along the Wheeler Peak Scenic Drive.

all the lonely roadtrippers | the pleasure of park-hopping | from reno with love | southern exposure

Roadtripping Nevada