Feature

If someone knows just one thing about Nevada, it’s probably how huge the state is, or how almost 85 percent of its land is public. What they might not know is how seriously we take off-roading around here. In fact, Nevada is home to the very first congressionally designated off-road (as in dirt) trail in the country. Another thing we're serious about? Helping you get onto the lesser-traveled backroads that traverse our landscape. 

From adventurers and gunslingers to writers and thinkers, Nevada’s history was shaped by individuals witah grit and drive. Each issue, we look at one of these notable heroes from the past. Whether born or raised, these aren’t just Nevadans: they’re Legendary Nevadans. 

As the main road for travel between Reno and Las Vegas, U.S. Route 95 sees its fair share of traffic. Millions of motorists take this 400-mile journey each year, many of them doing it more times than they can count. If that sounds like you, mix things up on your next odyssey with a ghost-town packed alternate route.

For 150 years, the Nevada State Prison—located in Carson City—housed some of the state’s most high-profile offenders. Since shuttering in 2012, community groups have worked to preserve its past. 

For 28 years, Reno has transformed into Artown for the month of July. The nationally recognized event brings hundreds of performances in dance, music, and theater, not to mention art shows. Last year, Artown held more than 600 performances across 125 venues. International performers and headliners joined regional and local artists to entertain more than 300,000 attendees.

On a quiet day in March 1926, businesses in Las Vegas shuttered their doors. Local schools closed and the federal post office was deserted. Most of the city’s residents were attending the funeral of Helen Jane Wiser Stewart. The homage paid to Stewart by the city she helped create would have surprised the unassuming woman. But the legacy of her strength, character, intelligence, and spirit was evident to all who knew her. 

This trip up Nevada’s eastern edge begins with sandstone canyons and ends at ancient bristlecone pines beneath some of the nation’s darkest skies. Along the way, explore the surreal landscapes of several state parks, visit charming communities, and hit some of the state’s best hiking and biking trails. 

In late 1928, President Coolidge signed the Boulder Canyon Project Act. Its intent was simple: the US would build the world’s then-largest dam and tame the Colorado River. The best locations for the dam were along the Nevada-Arizona border. Initially, the idea was to place it in Boulder Canyon—hence the name of the act—but surveyors later identified nearby Black Canyon as a superior site. Although the project was officially renamed Hoover Dam in 1931, people continued to call it Boulder Dam for at least another decade.