Cowboy Corridor

Gear Up For the Ride of Your Life

Route Distance

400 miles on I-80 Nevada

Suggested Time

2 to 4 days

Few road trips brim with as much Western heritage as Nevada’s Cowboy Corridor. And here’s the thing: I-80 Nevada may be a highway some motorists expect to blast down on their way to somewhere else. Their loss! Speed limits hit 80 mph out here, but when you hit a town, slow down. Beyond those off-ramps, you’ll discover lively communities full of history and right-now attractions, with museums, art galleries, poetry and music festivals, and even beers highlighting the confluence of buckaroo, Basque, and American Indian traditions that have shaped the Silver State. So pack your boots, hit the Cowboy Corridor, and become part of the story.

Brush up on buckaroo culture at museums, heritage centers & Western shops
Dig into hearty, family-style Basque feasts at century-old dinner houses
Set your own land speed record at West Wendover’s Bonneville Salt Flats

Crossing Nevada on the Cowboy Corridor

Basques, Buckaroos & Ruby Mountain Views

Truckers and travelers have long been rocketing across I-80 Nevada from Reno to West Wendover. However, true Cowboy Corridor road trippers follow their temptations to a whole trove of just-off-the-interstate treasures in towns whose Western roots still proudly show. Institutions like the Western Folklife Center, Cowboy Arts & Gear Museum, and Buckaroo Hall of Fame offer a glimpse of Nevada’s rootin’-tootin’ past, while Basque restaurants, guest ranches, ghost town B&Bs can be found all around you. Along the way, discover other ways the Nevada’s West remains wild among the sky-scraping Ruby Mountains, breathtaking Angel Lake, hiking and biking trails galore, and beyond.

COMMUNITIES ON THIS TRIP

Reno, Fernley, Lovelock, Winnemucca, Battle Mountain, Elko, Wells, West Wendover

Glovebox Essentials

Prepare for Your Adventure

Get ready to come chase some horizons with this handy tool kit. Here, you’ll find all the Cowboy Corridor road trip essentials, including downloadable directions, maps, and podcasts, and tunes to complement your upcoming adventure.

Download Route

Google Maps

Featured Story

High Desert Renaissance: Elko’s Public Art Revival

Cowboy Corridor Playlist

Portraits of Nevada on the #CowboyCorridor

Embracing Wisdom & Tradition Along Nevada’s Cowboy Corridor | EP 1

Embracing Wisdom & Tradition Along Nevada’s Cowboy Corridor | EP 2

Embracing Wisdom & Tradition Along Nevada’s Cowboy Corridor | EP 3

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Time to Boot Up

Earnin’ Your Spurs on the Cowboy Corridor

It ain’t all cowboys out here. Basque and American Indian traditions also shine bright, and modern-day recreationalists have roamed northern Nevada’s wild backcountry for generations. Altogether, few routes brim with as many of Nevada’s Western cultural legacies as noticeably as the one we call the Cowboy Corridor. Chompin’ at the bit yet? Explore more.

Leg 1

Tote Your Pack Down that Dusty Winnemucca Road

Start your trip like Johnny Cash started “I’ve Been Everywhere” and wind your way from Reno to Winnemucca for buckaroo history, Basque bites, and mountain bike trails.

Leg 2

History, Heritage, Art Appeal & Hearty Meals

Next up: Elko, which serves up hefty helpings of cultural history at museums, in 50 murals, and on your plate. En route, Battle Mountain offers classic eats and unusual feats.

Leg 3

Wild Herds, Migratory Birds & Land Speed Records

Watch for bighorn and mountain goats at Angel Lake, then head to West Wendover, where the Historic Wendover Airfield, the Bonneville Salt Flats, and a 63-ft neon cowboy await.

Leg 1

Reno to Winnemucca via Lovelock

165 miles

“Lock your love” and throw away the key at Lovers Lock Plaza
Tip your hat to local legends at the Buckaroo Hall of Fame
Scarf lamb shanks, Basque burgers, and Picon Punches at the Martin Hotel

The first two towns Johnny Cash references in “I’ve Been Everywhere” are Winnemucca and Reno. (He also mentions Charleston and Dayton, but we won’t argue he meant the Nevada ones.) Crank it up, head from Reno to Lovelock, and help the town live up to its name by “locking your love” to a never-ending chain. Then scope out the #WeirdNevada wonder that is Thunder Mountain Monument on your way to Winnemucca, where the artifact-packed Humboldt Museum and Buckaroo Hall of Fame await, along with decadent meals at the Martin.

A night that’s anything but “Roughing It” awaits at the Old Pioneer Garden Country Inn on a short detour to Unionville, home of Mark Twain’s miner’s cabin.

Reno’s cowboy culture lives on at the century-old, weeklong, all-pro Reno Rodeo. Meanwhile, working ranches send their best hands to Winnemucca, a town that also celebrates bikers, horseshoe pitchers, and photographers.

Winnemucca Ranch Hand Rodeo Weekend

Reno Rodeo

Lovers Aloft Balloon Festival

Lovelock Ghost Walk

Winnemucca Basque Festival

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Leg 2

Winnemucca to Elko via Battle Mountain

125 miles

Fall in love with cowboy poetry at the Western Folklife Center
Pore over fine leatherwork and silver tack at Cowboy Arts & Gear Museum
Side-trip to Lamoille Canyon to enjoy some scenic Ruby Mountain splendor

Continue east from Winnemucca to Elko, stopping in Battle Mountain to scope out the ephemera-filled Battle Mountain Cookhouse Museum. Then cruise along the meandering Humboldt River to Elko, the heart of Nevada’s cowboy country, where western heritage thrives in four distinct museums, at legendary J.M. Capriola Co.’s leatherwork (and more) shop, on 70+ pieces of radiant public art, in traditional Basque restaurants, and beyond. Elko’s also the gateway to Alp-like Lamoille Canyon, where scenic drives and stunning hikes await.

Thanks to a mining boom, plenty of Elko hotels offer all you need. Stay steps from the action at old-school Stockmen’s or the clean, comfy Rodeway Inn. For a casino-resort feel, Maverick Casino Hotel Elko is your jam.

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Thousands of revelers turn up for wild, town-wide celebrations of ranch life through verse and song; Basque heritage with dancing and woodchopping competitions; and buckaroo skills with bull riding, bronc riding, and more.

California Trail Days

World Human Powered Speed Challenge

National Cowboy Poetry Gathering

Leg 3

Elko to West Wendover via Wells

110 to 130 miles

Hike, fish, and watch wildlife at aspen-studded, 8,378-ft Angel Lake
Tour the B-29 Enola Gay Aircraft Hangar at the Historic Wendover Airfield

This ride ain’t over, and neither are its surprises. This last leg takes you to breathtaking, wildlife-abundant Angel Lake en route to West Wendover, home to military history at Historic Wendover Airfield, the famed Bonneville Salt Flats, and big-name live entertainment. The nearby Goshute Range hosts a migratory bird station, where you can help track and release wild hawks. On your way out, be sure to wave to Wendover Will, the 63-ft-tall neon cowboy, to officially wrap up your Cowboy Corridor excursion.

Out here, it’s all about Bonneville, baby. Get ready for rocket launches and races across the salt flats with wild cars, motorcycles, and even bicycles at numerous events, held where some speedometers top out near 1000 mph.

Bonneville World Finals

Bonneville Speed Week

Bonneville Motorcycle Speed Trials

Wild West BBQ Shootout

Salty Lizard 100

Wells Fun Run Car Show & Cruise

World of Speed

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