david walleys hot springs resort genoa nevada

Winter in Nevada: Where to Warm Your Spirits

From majestic hot springs to fireside cocktails, Nevada knows how to heat up your winter.

Nevada always offers a warm welcome—especially so in the wintertime. And when it comes to warming your spirits, we know just the destinations for kicking Jack Frost to the curb. Let this list of anything-but-ordinary Silver State experiences spark wintry adventures you’ll never forget.

Historic Hot Spring Resorts

“I now leave without crutch or cane, entirely well, not only relieved from pain but gained in spirit.” —Mark Twain

If you’ve ever dipped into one of northern Nevada’s hot spring resorts, you know what blissful sanctuaries they are. If you haven’t, you owe yourself a soak in these soothing, mineral-rich waters. 

Follow in Mark Twain’s wet footprints at David Walley’s Resort in Genoa, which also houses a restaurant, saloon, and luxurious overnight accommodations. In nearby Carson City, capitalize on steamy outdoor pools and private tub rooms at the 1880-established Carson Hot Springs. And in Reno, Steamboat Hot Springs Healing Center & Spa—dating back to the 1860s—offers dreamy private tubs, steam baths, and a whole menu of massage therapy services.

Travel Nevada Pro Tip

Turn your Carson Hot Springs soak into what’s locally known as “The Triathlon.” Grab a bite at next-door Sassafras Eclectic Food Joint and raise a glass at next-next-door Shoe Tree Brewing Company to complete the three-part experience.

Fireside Lounges at Peppermill Reno & Peppermill Las Vegas

We have a thing for hot water—especially in winter, and especially when it’s heated by Mother Earth. But the gorgeous, geothermally warmed swimming pools and spa tubs (many of which are open year-round) aren’t the only reasons we love Reno’s Peppermill Resort Spa Casino

Founded as a funky, little coffee shop in the 1970s, Peppermill Reno has blossomed into a Tuscany-inspired, AAA Four Diamond-rated casino-resort. Choose from 1,600 rooms and suites, including options that come with in-room jetted tubs. Your stay will be a stroll away from the luxury Spa Toscana, offering all manner of treatments, amenities, and a co-ed caldarium.

Meanwhile, the hottest place to get your vintage vibes on is the Fireside Lounge. Peppermill Reno has one, as does Peppermill Las Vegas, an award-winning restaurant known for generous portions of delicious specialties. Settle into crushed velvet booths around your own private, indoor fire pit, groove to music videos, and slurp a signature, multi-straw, 64-ounce Scorpion cocktail.

Mountain Lodges Near Las Vegas

Although you might not guess it while relaxing in your Vegas hotel room, you’re actually about 45 minutes away from a wintertime paradise that’s nearly 7,000 feet higher in elevation than your resort. 

This winter warm-up requires you to go get colder first—via skiing, snowboarding, and tubing at 445-acre Lee Canyon or snowshoeing among the world’s oldest trees in the surrounding Spring Mountains. Afterward, unwind at the Retreat on Charleston Peak, where gourmet cuisine, exquisite drinks, and rooms with unbelievable views of snow-blanketed canyons and 11,000-foot peaks await. 

You can also head up the road to the Mt. Charleston Lodge. Classic wooden cabins sit perched on a mountain slope, offering sweeping vistas and steamy ambiance with in-room fireplaces and jetted tubs.   

Basque Dinner Houses

Even on one of Nevada’s famously sunny winter days, nighttime can get cold. Luckily, if you’re up north, you’re not far from an authentic Basque dinner house, where old-school hospitality, hearty meals, and stiff cocktails crank everything up a notch. Originally a cultural bastion for immigrants from the French/Spanish borderlands, Nevada’s Basque restaurants—like Winnemucca’s Martin HotelElko’s Star Hotel, and Gardnerville’s J.T. Basque Bar & Dining Room—offer the warm embrace of one of our most vibrant influences.

There’s nothing quite like the first spoonful of hot, garlic-heavy, onion-infused Basque soup to kick off an evening. Follow it up with braised lamb shanks, T-bone steaks, or spicy chorizo—accompanied by salad, beans, French fries, and wine—at a long table full of folks, and find out what “family style” really means. Even if you didn’t know anyone before you sat down, after a couple of Picon Punches (Nevada’s unofficial state cocktail), you may wind up friends for life.  

Must-Experience Winter Events

JANUARY

  • Fire & Ice Winter Festival: An art sculpture bonfire, fireworks launched from a moving steam train, and plenty more winter activities make this Ely party the hottest (and coolest) place to be.
  • National Cowboy Poetry Gathering: This town-wide, full-participation celebration of Western cultural arts features “six days of poetry, music, dancing, workshops, exhibits, conversations, food, and fellowship” in Elko.

FEBRUARY

  • Eagles & Agriculture: Calling all birders for a weekend of tours, tastings, and teachings in Carson Valley. Get ready for wildlife photography workshops, photo contests, historic ranch tours, guided wetland hikes, and a smorgasbord of locally grown and made food and beverages.
  • Winnemucca Ranch Hand Rodeo Weekend: Real, working buckaroos go spur-to-spur for prizes (and bragging rights) in steer stopping, wild mugging, trailer loading, ranch doctoring, and more at Nevada’s largest and most thrilling ranch hand rodeo, held in Winnemucca.

MARCH

Travel Nevada Pro Tip

To see the entire roster of gotta-be-there-to-believe-‘em Nevada events, check out our calendar.

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