Great Basin Highway

Take short hikes to Elephant Rock and Fire Wave and gaze at prehistoric rock carvings on Atlatl Rock in Valley of Fire State Park. Learn about the Ancestral Puebloan people at Lost City Museum. Or detour to Gold Butte.

Savor breakfast, lunch, and pizza at Las Vegas illusionist Criss Angel’s Overton restaurant Cablp, followed by dessert at The Inside Scoop. Or fuel up your next leg with out-of-this-world snacks from E.T. Fresh Jerky.

Pop in for an ode to the region’s favorite tart fruit at the Pomegranate Arts & Crafts Festival, a family-friendly, old-fashioned country fair that features more ways to consume pomegranates than you ever imagined.

Leg 2 is all about scenic drives and dirt trails. Swing by Pahranagat National Wildlife Refuge to spot migratory birds, then mountain bike Barnes Canyon or hike Kershaw-Ryan. For a sweet side trip, search for half-a-billion-year-old fossils at Oak Springs Trilobite Area.

Cool off with a cold one at the Side Track Restaurant and Side Car Speakeasy or cozy up in a booth and dig into hearty chicken-fried steaks and other classic American faves at Knotty Pine Restaurant.

Caliente = cycling. Long-haulers can grind it down to Beaver Dam S.P. or roll their roadies through multiple state parks each October. Meanwhile, MTB-ers can tackle 50 miles of singletrack and party each September.

Plunge into Nevada’s countryside with a choose-your-own combo of five Nevada state parks. Then cruise to Pioche, “Nevada’s Liveliest Ghost Town,” to check out the Million Dollar Courthouse, Boot Hill Cemetery, and the Lincoln Country Museum.

Chow down on comfort-food classics at the Historic Silver Café, then wash it all down at an old-school sagebrush saloon, like the period-perfect Overland Hotel & Saloon or the 120-year-old Alamo Club.

Whether it’s via cooking competitions among hoodoos and spires or multi-day townwide celebrations, Lincoln County can help you let loose your inner pioneer.

En route to Ely, explore a historic site and splash in a turquoise-hued lake. Ely itself packs a ton of curiosities into city limits, including colorful murals and railroad museums. For a pretty rich side trip, try treasure hunting at Garnet Hill.

There’s a lot to eat in Ely. From one of Nevada’s best Basque chorizo burgers at Racks to shakes, malts, and olden-days ambiance at Economy Drug, check out this menu of some of our favorite places to fill our bellies.

From on-the-ice sculpting, fishing, and bowling contests to cranking the pedals in bike races up mountains or against steam locomotives, Ely’s no stranger to exciting events.

From investigating intricate, water-carved rock formations in Lehman Caves to hiking among ancient forests and towering peaks to fishing backcountry lakes, mostly crowdless Great Basin National Park offers your pick of passions to pursue.

Baker: small town, big flavors. Gorge on gourmet breakfast and dinner—plus mixologist-quality cocktails at Kerouac’s Restaurant & Bar—to-go burgers and burritos at 487 Grill, and heftier plates at Sugar, Salt & Malt.

Literally scope out galaxies with astro pros under the darkest skies in the Lower 48, get down at a baaaad-ass party with Great Basin sheepherders, or celebrate an intriguing community’s local heritage.