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Neon to Nature
Let’s be real: Las Vegas has so much to do it could be your annual destination and you’d still never see it all. We have no argument with that, but sometimes you might find yourself itching for something a little less neon and a little more natural. Luckily, you can have it all with this three-part road trip that will have you exploring world-famous Hoover Dam, outdoor playgrounds like Red Rock Canyon and Valley of Fire, exciting attractions, and charming towns—and still get you back in time for your dinner reservation.
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Winter Sun Fun
Few people picture T-shirts and shorts when planning their winter adventure. In southern Nevada, however, that’s the perfect wardrobe. From November through February the daytime temperatures are rarely below 60 degrees, and the great outdoors beg to be enjoyed before the return of summer’s blast-furnace temps. That said, both Big Bend of the Colorado and Spring Mountain Ranch are packed with plenty of reasons to visit any time of year.
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Snowshoe Thompson
Imagine climbing countless flights of stairs for three consecutive days with little rest and a 90-pound pack on your back. That was essentially the level of rigor Carson Valley legend John A. Thompson—better known to history as “Snowshoe” Thompson—endured on each of his 90-mile expeditions over the Sierra Nevada Mountains for nearly 20 years.
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Walk It Out
I tried to love skiing. I grew up in the mountains and signed up for the cheap ski lessons through my junior high, but I couldn’t get into it. I tried it again in my early ‘20s, thinking maybe my personality had magically changed in the ensuing years, but it’s just not my sport. Still, I couldn’t spend an entire season indoors.
Enter my first pair of snowshoes, a birthday gift I received during my first winter in Nevada. Now, 10 years—and hundreds of stomps—later, I am still using the same gear. Every time I head out, it costs me exactly zero dollars (unless you count gas and the rare occasion I pay for a cross-country course). The zero dollars is not my favorite thing about snowshoeing, but it’s a pretty awesome perk. Another bonus? Snowshoeing has almost no learning curve. If you can walk, you can snowshoe, and the cardio workout is no joke.
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Winter State-cation
Winter’s icy temps are welcomed by those who dream of bluebird powder days and snowshoe hikes through Nevada’s backcountry. There are, however, a number of people who long for the warmth of the sun and dream of tropical locales. That wish can fade when faced with the cost of an island getaway but take heart: southern Nevada offers a solution.
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Rural Wranglers: Elko
Founded in 1868, Elko began life as a station on the Union Pacific line. Thanks to its prime location near the railroad and the Humboldt River, the northeastern Nevada town became a busy community surrounded by a sprawl of farms and ranches.
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The Glory of Goldfield
On a fine spring day in the year 1900, a rancher named Jim Butler was wandering the remote hills of south-central Nevada—looking for a stray burro, as the story goes—when he came across an outcrop of black-banded rock. Ever the hobbyist prospector, Butler picked off a few samples and headed back to civilization to get them evaluated. The assayer was shocked to discover that the black bands were pure argentite. Jim Butler had discovered one of history’s richest silver deposits.
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Small Towns, Big Culture
Discover art across Nevada’s rural communities. ST. MARY’S ART CENTER Virginia City Perched above a backdrop of rolling foothills, St. Mary’s Art Center looks like it was once some Comstock silver baron’s mansion. But this stately structure has much humbler roots: It was Virginia City’s first hospital. Built in 1875, the facility operated for more […]
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Color Across Northern Nevada
What do you get when you combine wide open spaces with stunning fall foliage? There’s no punchline, and it’s no joke that the Silver State has a lot to offer leaf-peepers. With gorgeous October colors awaiting, a road trip was in order, so Senior Graphic Designer Alexandria Olivares-Wenzel and I grabbed our cameras and hit the road.
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Off-Road Adventures
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.
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Rural Wranglers: Pioche
In the mid-1860s, stories spread of a rich silver lode in Nevada. Thousands of treasure seekers arrived from all points of the compass, and by 1870, the mining camp became one of the largest cities in the West outside of San Francisco. For years, wealth poured from its surrounding hills as if from a broken tap. When the bonanza inevitably ended, the town lived on and weathered another century and a half. Today, it is a rare living artifact of the 19th century.
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The Laxalt Brothers
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.
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Ward Charcoal Ovens
Tucked back in the Egan Mountains about 30 miles south of Ely—and an hour from Great Basin National Park—is Ward Charcoal Ovens State Historic Park. As you approach, you’ll spot its six massive beehive-shaped charcoal ovens peeking over the hills, a sign you’re in for a very different state park experience.
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Go Your Own Way
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.
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Bet on Art
Las Vegas is in the middle of an urban cultural renaissance. A well-timed combination of affordable living, supportive city policies, and grassroots community planning has made the city a stronghold for creative expression. At the heart of this movement sits the Las Vegas Arts District and its 18-plus blocks of colorful shops, novel restaurants, and endless entertainment.
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Nevada State Prison
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.