Feature

For the driest state in the U.S., Nevada’s fishing opportunities are surprisingly numerous. Lakes, creeks, rivers, streams, ponds, and reservoirs are teeming with dozens of finned wildlife species. No matter the season or style, we’ve got what you need to hook a great time. 

Clear out your memory card, reorder the missing lens caps, and try to remember how that tripod works again: it’s time to dive into two remarkably photogenic state parks. 

Welcome to the fourth-largest county in the entire nation. Elko County is home to the Ruby Mountains—one of Nevada’s most prized ranges—and some of the largest gold mines in the world. Many flock to this corner of the state for verdant alpine vistas, hearty Basque cuisine, top-notch gaming, and a dose of cowboy culture. 

In ancient Greece, King Hieron's new crown was to be made of pure gold, but to be sure, the court asked the mathematician Archimedes to determine if inexpensive metals had been used instead. To think the problem over, Archimedes took a bath. As he stepped into the tub, he noticed water spilling over the side. The answer suddenly came to him! A gold bar with the same weight as the crown should displace the same amount of water. If it didn’t, then the blacksmith had certainly cheated the king. The greatest scientist of the ancient era leapt from his tub and ran undressed toward the palace, proclaiming, “Eureka! I have found it!” More than 2,000 years later, that same exclamation was evoked by prospectors in the heart of the Great Basin Desert, and from their discovery, one of the West’s richest boomtowns was born. 

At 34 years old, Jessie Beck (born Jessie Renfro) found herself recently divorced and nearly broke. Opportunities for a single mother in 1938 were few, so she was relieved to find work at a diner in Fort Worth. A few months into the job, Beck’s sister Mabel and brother-in-law Raymond “Pappy” Smith entered the restaurant. The two had just arrived from Reno, where Pappy managed the Harolds Club casino.

Savvy travelers know that the best way to become truly acquainted with a place is through its cuisine—but which restaurants do you choose? How can you get a comprehensive sampling without a big price tag or exhausting trial and error? In southern Nevada, the answer is simple, thanks to Lip Smacking Foodie Tours.  

All Nevada is a stage, and cowpokes, artists, activists, and visionaries are the players in a drama centuries in the making. Whether born or raised, these special characters aren’t just Nevadans: they’re Legendary Nevadans.  In 1861, Samuel Clemens was living his childhood dream as a steamboat pilot on the Mississippi. The 25-year-old had established himself as a talented, respected navigator and earned a considerable salary of $70 a week (equivalent to about $2,000 today).   But that summer, Clemens knew his days as a pilot were over. The Civil War had just begun, and military blockades were undoing his livelihood. With few prospects in his home state of Missouri, a new opportunity suddenly appeared from his older brother.