Elko NV

western heritage | native american heritage | basque culture | outdoor adventure

S hoshone Tribal muralists. Competitively poetic cowboys. Traditional Basque chefs. Intrepid outdoor adventurers. You wouldn’t believe one small town houses such a cool cultural array if you didn’t book a trip to Elko to see for yourself. And even then — after attending an event that featured, say, a Native American poet laureate, a pre-teen yodeling champ and a bronco-riding free-verse slam poet — you still might not believe your eyes (or ears). Welcome to the doorstep of the Ruby Mountains, about 5,000 feet up, where the best kind of disbelief is part of the magic. Read on for some of our favorite ways to experience this peak-packed corner of northeastern Nevada.

When you think of cowboys, heart-stirring verse probably isn’t the first thing that comes to mind. But that will change forever if you visit Elko in winter for The National Cowboy Poetry Gathering — a singular event celebrating its 40th anniversary January 27-February 1, 2025. According to The New York Times, this narrative-based craft had “mostly retreated from popular view until the founding of the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering.” Now, the revived and thriving art form draws thousands to Elko from across the West, and across the world. Attendees come from as far away as the Pyrenees to visit relatives who wound up here because of the 19th-century Basque migration to Nevada’s Great Basin, where there was shepherding work to be had, but we’ll get back to the local Basque scene shortly. For now, picture almost a week’s worth of packed-house poetry performances, musical acts, writing and reciting workshops, film screenings, Western crafts classes, panel discussions, art exhibitions and, of course, virtuoso yodeling. Indeed, Yodel for Your Neighbors Day occurs during the heart of the festival: January 30.

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Hiking in Lamoille Canyon

The National Cowboy Poetry Gathering

Train in Elko

'Spirit Racer' mural by Elko-based artist Gina Holmberg

California Trail Interpretive Center

Newe Numa mural by Micqaela Jones | image courtesy of Micqaela Jones

Basque mural at Ogi Deli

Basque cuisine

The Star Hotel & Bar

Snowmobiling

Ruby Crest Trail

Copper Basin, Jarbidge Wilderness Area (left); Jarbidge (right)

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

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Cowboy Arts & Gear Museum | credit: Susan Mowers

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The Star Hotel & Bar

Lamoille Canyon

And the poetry gathering is just the tip of the iceberg of Western heritage in this ranching-rich part of the world. No matter when you visit, head to the festival’s home base — The Western Folklife Center — to check out its two theaters, art gallery and historic saloon. In addition to year-round concerts, jam sessions and dances, you'll find seasonal art exhibits, such as the current 30 Years of Contemporary Cowboy Gear — and plenty of treasure at the center’s gift shop. Another trove sits right around the corner at J.M. Capriola Co., the nearly century-old purveyor of hand-wrought Western wear and gear. Whether you’re in the market for a bespoke belt and hat — or for that matter, stirrups and reins — you’ll find a dizzying array of options at this iconic outpost. The world-famous store is also known as the home of the original Garcia Bits & Spurs first made by the award-winning 20th-century cowboy gear artisan G.S. Garcia.

For a deeper dive into Western heritage, visit the California Trail Interpretive Center, a 40-acre complex where you can learn about this lesser-known sister to the Oregon Trail through multimedia exhibits, hiking trails and historic dioramas. Along the way, you'll visit the infamous 40 Mile Desert, among other notable sections of the trail, and see how pioneers packed and prepared for the whole 2,000 mile journey. You'll also start to get a sense of how western migration affected the original inhabitants of the Great Basin Desert. In fact, just outside the center, life-sized representations of a pioneer wagon camp and Shoshone village sit steps apart. For more about the latter, read on.

This region has been the Western Shoshone ancestral home for thousands of years. Today’s Te-Moak Tribe of Western Shoshone, made up of four geographic bands, maintains its tribal council headquarters in Elko. You may be able to catch one of their cultural events when you're in town, most of which are free and open to the public. One that's drawn record numbers in recent years: The Mother’s Day Powwow, hosted by the Elko Powwow Committee. Check the Facebook page for 2025 dates to catch the amazing dancing, drumming, games and, of course, a particular emphasis on the role of women in Western Shoshone culture.

For a 21st-century take on that role, check out the work of the Elko-based artist Micqaela Jones, an enrolled member of the Te-Moak Tribe of Western Shoshone. She grew up about 100 miles northeast of town on the Duck Valley Indian Reservation of the Shoshone and Paiute Nations, where a recently installed painting of hers offers a snapshot of the painter's celebrated style: color-saturated, frequently verging on the kaleidoscopic, with traditional Shoshone imagery viewed through a contemporary lens. Her first mural, Newe Numa (“The People”), unfurls across a water tower above Elko in an epic tribute to Great Basin Indigenous communities.

Nevada’s Great Basin was, as we noted, the scene of a major Basque migration in the 1800s, when ancestral shepherding skills — among others — were eminently marketable here. So the poetry-fest is just the beginning of when you’ll find Basque reunions in Elko. In fact, for maximum Basque merrymaking, visit in July, when the National Basque Festival takes place. Having just celebrated its 60th anniversary, the festival will be back July 5-6, 2025, with two solid days of music, dance, Basque cuisine (more on that below) and traditional crafts and sports (and if you’ve never seen a Basque handball tournament, don’t miss this chance).

Other lively moments on the calendar? The 15th annual Sheepherder’s Ball on March 8, 2025, when the full Basque dinner and dance extravaganza will be open to the public, as will the Mus tournament the following day. What is Mus, you ask? Essentially, Basque poker — though some say the requisite strategizing is more like poker-meets-chess. Picture it now: cards, bets and lots of lively banter. All of these events are hosted by the Elko Euzkaldunak Club — a decades-old Basque association dedicated to preserving tradition for generations to come.

No matter when you visit, though, you’ll find Basque tradition alive and well on Elko’s menus. The quintessential Basque eatery is the Star Hotel & Bar, where the Afaria (Basque-style dinner) means that any house-special entrée — say, the lamb chops — comes with no less than homemade cabbage soup, tossed salad, fresh baked French bread, Basque beans, pasta, green beans and French fries. Be sure to arrive hungry — and in stretchy clothes. And don’t miss the signature Basque drink: Picon punch, a mix of grenadine, club soda, brandy and Amer Picon — an aperitif flavored with herbs and burnt orange peel.

For all the cultural tourism on offer in Elko, the town also serves as the perfect gateway to seemingly endless wilderness areas that beckon adventure seekers year-round. In fact, you need not stray far if you’re looking for mellow, fun beginner slopes. The community-run Elko Snobowl Ski and Bike Park sits just about five miles from the heart of town and has ski and snowboard rentals, a little warming lodge and a 99-seat lift. Cross-country skiers and snow-shoers who want to go farther into the surrounding wilderness have stunning options, none more breathtaking than Lamoille Canyon and the Ruby Mountains.

Dubbed the Swiss Alps of Nevada, the glacier-carved Rubies boast famously dry, fluffy snow that lures backcountry and heli-skiers, snowshoers and snowmobilers in winter. Set within those mountains is the stunning Lamoille Canyon: the largest valley in the range. In winter, you can snowmobile and backcountry ski there, while summer means hiking and driving along the Lamoille Canyon Scenic Byway — a route that winds around the base of the approximately 11,000-foot Ruby Dome and ascends to 8,800 feet (generally open May-October). If you’re a serious trekker in search of a long-distance summer hike, consider the Ruby Crest Trail, a 43-mile stretch of ridgeline — past a succession of glittering alpine lakes — between Harrison Pass and Lamoille Canyon. The canyon is also home to fun fishing, whether warm weather fly fishing or, if conditions permit, winter ice-fishing.

Some of the state’s most prized fishing, however, takes place in Jarbidge, the only place in Nevada where you can reel in bull trout. One of the most secluded towns in the Lower 48, this historic mining outpost about 100 miles northeast of Elko sits along a river inside a canyon. Accessible only via dirt road and surrounded by the Jarbidge Wilderness Area (picture seemingly endless forested peaks and river-cut gorges), the town is home to a dozen or so year-round residents who staff the local trading post, gas pump and of course, saloons.

is so much more than you can imagine

You can also find some of Jones's work (as well as that of her son Myles, a ledger artist) for sale at the aforementioned Western Folklife Center, where you should also wander the galleries to see works by another prominent artist from the Duck Valley Indian Reservation: R. James Shoshone, Jr. Also a renowned buckaroo, he embodies those traditions in his art, which includes pen-and-ink illustrations of bunkhouse stories and daily ranch life.

Western Folklife Center

The National Cowboy Poetry Gathering

Craftsman making a custom saddle at J.M. Capriola Co.

The Western Folklife Center

J.M. Capriola Co. sells an array of items including Garcia Bits and leather products

The Western Folklife Center

western heritage | native american heritage | basque culture | outdoor adventure