Nevada

beauty underfoot & overhead | ghost towns & rockhounds | out-of-this-world encounters | culture in remote corners

Nevada

Sure, Las Vegas will always have a few tricks up its sleeve — after all, every blockbuster magician on earth takes up residence there or passes through. Still, you’ve got a pretty solid idea of what the city’s got in store for visitors. The rest of the state, though? Not so much. Odds are, if you’ve never been to Nevada (or you’ve only ever been to Vegas), everything else is a bit of a mystery. And actually, that’s not a bad take. Mystery defines a lot of the state’s top travel experiences in the best possible ways, whether you’re into ghost towns, aliens or just the mysteries of the universe (the local astro-tourism scene is, well, stellar). Then again, the wild beauty of the terrestrial landscapes is enough to make you wonder at the power of nature. And the adventures that these environments foster can be truly transformative. So by all means, spend some time on the Strip, but consider that just the starting point of an epic journey. The rest of Nevada beckons — and here’s how to heed that call.

Other newly discovered lodes across the state were birthing their own mining towns, but the subsequent boom and bust cycles proved unsustainable — especially after WWI. Any mining towns that hadn’t already given up the ghost by then were on the verge of becoming ghost towns. Today, there are hundreds of ghost towns in Nevada — and they handily outnumber those populated by the alive-and-well set.

The Techatticup gold mine about 45 miles southeast of Vegas was once the richest and most famous of the southern Nevada gold mines, where Civil War deserters founded what’s now known as Nelson Ghost Town — a fun intro to the genre. A few evocative historic structures remain, as do props from various shoots that have taken place here over the years, so don’t be surprised to find the likes of a “crashed” plane (leftover from 3,000 Miles to Graceland) among ruins of an earlier era. (Note: You can tour the mine here.) About 125 miles in the opposite direction from Vegas, you’ll find another ghost town that’s been enhanced by modern accents: the art installations at the Goldwell Open Air Museum, which only add to the surrealism of Rhyolite.

Closer to Reno (well, about 130 miles to the northeast) lies Unionville, where relics of the 19th-century hamlet include the remains of a cabin Mark Twain once lived in, then wrote about in Roughing It. Because there are actually around 20 flesh-and-blood inhabitants of the area — along with a functioning B&B — this is what’s known as a “living ghost town.” Also within a half day's drive from Reno are the frequently paired ghost towns of Belmont and Manhattan, the former beloved for its 100-foot tower, beautifully preserved courthouse and functioning Dirty Dick’s Saloon — the latter for a turn-of-the-century vault, a sweet little wooden church (reportedly stolen from Belmont) and naturally, another saloon.

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But in 2021, the state passed legislation that aims to widen the swath of dark skies over Nevada: The law established a voluntary, locally-led “Dark Sky Designation” program to help protect and promote what so many already come here looking for: “Nevada is home to some of the most beautiful night skies on the planet,” Lt. Governor Kate Marshall said on the occasion of the signing, adding that the “implementation of the Dark Skies Bill celebrates this uniquely Nevadan asset…while also sharing it with visitors to our state.”

To take in the views from the tallest mountain in the state, head to Boundary Peak Wilderness at the northern end of the gorgeous White Mountains. To reach what will likely become your favorite new vantage point — 13,140 feet up with views of Nevada and California on a clear day — you’ll do an advanced, 8-mile roundtrip hike that passes through everything from an ancient Bristlecone forest to an expansive scree field (basically, your final mile before the summit). Just make sure to acclimate to the high altitude before you do the trek. Of course, some of the state’s most beautiful landscapes involve no soaring peaks, but high drama of different kinds. Take Valley of Fire State Park, for example. Just 45 minutes northeast of Las Vegas, you'll find the famously swirling, stripey Fire Wave on a 1.5-mile roundtrip hike through 40,000 acres of bright red Aztec sandstone. And while that’s probably the most ‘grammed spot here, stick around to explore other rock formations, plus petrified trees and ancient petroglyphs.

Depending on how you measure and whom you ask, Nevada is the nation’s most mountainous state — with more than 300 named ranges. “Among them are scores of summits exceeding 10,000 feet elevation, many from 11,000 to 12,000 feet, and two that top 13,000 feet,” according to the American Alpine Club. In fact, let’s start in “the Alps of Nevada,” the Ruby Mountains. Picture jagged peaks, conifer forests, flower meadows, aspen groves, alpine lakes, mountain goats, bighorn sheep, pronghorn antelope, various raptors — and the state’s largest herds of mule deer. And that barely scratches the surface of what you’ll find as you explore Lamoille Canyon Road — a National Forest Scenic Byway — plus the Ruby Crest National Recreation Trail and Ruby Mountains Wilderness, where there are hundreds of miles of hiking and horseback riding trails (nearby Elko is cowboy central, after all).

A military outpost that was so top-secret, the government didn’t even officially acknowledge it until relatively recently, Area 51 opened as a U-2 test site in the mid '50s, when reports of UFO sightings in the area immediately, well…skyrocketed. Even when declassified reports started to come out about the onsite activities, some true believers never bought in, preferring to hold onto any of the more interesting theories that have swirled around the spot for decades. It has been said to house everything from aliens to the wreckage of the Roswell crash to a hangar where the 1969 moon landing was staged. Once you’ve soaked up the vibes (from a legal distance, very clearly established by all manner of do-not-enter messaging), blast off once again.

Get provisions and some essential snaps at E.T. Fresh Jerky (look out for the “drop your toxic waste in the cleanest restrooms in Area 51” sign) before driving a mile west to capture another roadside icon: the Extraterrestrial Highway sign. Once you’re on Route 375, stop at the Alien Research Center for gear, the fabled Black Mailbox for a potential encounter and the Little A’Le’Inn — if not for an overnight, then at least for a look around. Here in Rachel, aka the UFO Capital of the World, you’re about as close as you can get to the fabled Area 51.

From an actual Extraterrestrial Highway — which we’ll get to momentarily — to landscapes that merely look alien, Nevada has a way of making you feel like you’ve left not only your home state, but also, your home planet. So if you seek the kind of getaway that makes you feel truly transported, this is the state that’s going to take you at your word, never more literally than on the ET Highway. Drive about 95 miles north from Vegas on US-93, and you’ll come to a town called Alamo, the unofficial gateway to the extraterrestrial zone, though the highway you really want (Route 375) doesn’t start for another 14 or so miles at Crystal Springs. Fill up in Alamo, and if you have time for a few earthbound pleasures before blasting off, explore the oasis that is the Pahranagat National Wildlife Refuge, as well as the ancient rock art of the Mt. Irish Archaeological District, the White River Narrows Historic District and the Shooting Gallery petroglyph site.

Of course, the visual arts represent only one aspect of the cultural scene. And the state is no less blessed with middle-of-nowhere musical, culinary and literary riches — all of them rather shocking to the uninitiated. Take, for example, the strong showing of Basque culture in and around the remote northern Nevada town of Winnemucca, where waves of Basque immigrants — fleeing strife and seeking opportunity — settled in the 1800s. Today, various clubs, restaurants, parades and festivals help keep tradition alive, from Jota dancing to Picon Punch drinking. If you can make the summer festival at the Winnemucca Convention Center park, you’ll feel transported to another century and continent. But whenever you go, be sure to stop into the historic Martin Hotel restaurant for a full, multicourse Basque dinner (from beans to bread pudding), all paired with house Burgundy.

But the big news in secluded art is the opening of City — a monumental desert installation about three hours north of Vegas, where the renowned land artist Michael Heizer has been at work on this project for decades. Over the years, the hotly anticipated work-in-progress had been covered everywhere from the New Yorker to the LA Times, the latter noting in 2015 that then President Obama had just declared the 704,000 surrounding acres a national monument— specifically, the Basin and Range National Monument—“a move that will protect the majestic mountain-ringed desert as well as the massive sculpture.” Massive, in this case, means 1.5 miles long and .5 miles wide. More than 50 years in the making, this series of mounds and depressions opened in late 2022 to instant global fanfare — and to only six people at a time. While there's no more availability for 2023, the Triple Aught Foundation will start taking 2024 reservation requests on a first come, first served basis from January 2, 2024 at 12:01 pm ET until January 31, 2024.

Ghost towns like Rhyolite are just the start of where you’ll find arresting art among Nevada’s vast, open spaces. The most iconic example sits in — or more accurately, rises from — the Mojave Desert 10 miles south of Vegas: Seven Magic Mountains, created as a site-specific installation by the celebrated Swiss artist Ugo Rondinone. Originally scheduled to come down two years after their 2016 debut, these fluorescent boulder towers have proven so beloved, they’ve undergone multiple restorations over the years and are staying onsite indefinitely.

Nelson

Lamoille Canyon Road

Ghost towns & rockhounds

Beauty underfoot & overhead

Out-of-this-world encounters

Culture in remote corners

Rhyolite

Ruby Crest National Recreation Trail

Liberty Lake in the Ruby Mountains

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Of course, miners — both living and spectral — aren’t the only ones on the hunt for Nevada’s wealth of gems and minerals. Rockhounding attracts loads of enthusiasts, and even if you’re unfamiliar with the pastime on arrival here, you may well find yourself an avid practitioner by the time you leave. In short, this is the pursuit of whatever you deem cool rocks and minerals, and Nevada makes it easy for you with a guide to the state’s best rockhounding ops. The turquoise hunting is particularly productive at Otteson Brothers Turquoise Mine in Tonopah, but arguably the most hallucinatory rockhounding you’ll do is between Denio and the Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge, where there’s wood that’s both petrified and opalized (and copious opal mining). Don’t leave the area without catching sight of a Virgin Valley black fire opal — the official state gemstone.

Though 375 officially ends about 60 miles north of Rachel in a place called Warm Springs, you can’t miss the most otherworldly of add-ons: Take the 6 about 30 miles northeast of Crystal Springs, and you’ll reach the Lunar Crater National Landmark. Part of an immense volcanic field adorned with cinder cones, basalt flows, lava beds and craters, this area looks so convincingly lunar, it was deemed an official “Terrestrial Analogue Site” where astronauts once trained. After exploring the mind-blowing landscapes, go in for a landing in nearby Tonopah, where aliens give way to ghosts — you’re back on the mining town trail, having arrived at the "Queen of the Silver Camps," but also home to the aforementioned Otteson Bros. Turquoise, to the delight of your inner rockhound.

Nelson home to Techatticup gold mine

Little A'Le'Inn

Another pocket of northern Nevada culture? The cowboy literary scene out of Elko, where the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering draws enthralled crowds every winter (January 29-February 3, 2024 will mark the 39th edition). Picture not only cowboy poets, but also singer-songwriters, bands and craft workshops — for starters. But wherever you find culture in the wilds of the state, odds are, there’s a nearby sagebrush saloon where you can rehash your experience among friends and family (or just fun strangers) — and toast to your next Nevada getaway, which you’ll no doubt be plotting before you even leave.

Boundary Peak

Valley of Fire State Park

Fire Wave

In a state where you might have vibrant whirls of naturally-occurring color underfoot — or maybe surrealist salt flats — looking up isn’t always your instinct. But you’ll be rewarded mightily when you do, especially if you head to one of the state’s dark sky-designated areas. The International Dark Sky Association recognizes two dark sky sanctuaries in Nevada: Great Basin National Park in the east and the Massacre Rim Wilderness Area in the northwest. Both are super secluded — which, of course, helps the cause — and wildly rewarding for anyone who has the time and inclination to go the extra mile.

Nevada is known as the Silver State, but the discovery of gold in a stream near Dayton is credited with kicking off the modern mining era here in 1849. Then, a decade later and approximately 10 miles away, the discovery of a gold and silver jackpot that came to be known as the Comstock Lode proved “one of the most significant mining discoveries in American history,” says the Bureau of Land Management, adding that “the town of Virginia City was created almost overnight” to accommodate the resulting influx of fortune-seekers from across the country.

Basin and Range National Monument | photo credit: BLM Nevada

beauty underfoot & overhead | ghost towns & rockhounds | out-of-this-world encounters | culture in remote corners