Margo Bartlett Pesek writes about day trips from Las Vegas and information about the surrounding areas. Her column appears Sunday in Travel/Living.
Once infamous for its lawlessness, old Pioche now espouses family fun and old-fashioned American activities during holidays and special events. The historic mining boomtown born of silver discoveries in 1864 once boasted a population of 10,000. Just 900 people call Pioche home today, but they work together to produce the town’s busy Labor Day schedule, an annual event for the past 103 years.
With its picturesque mountain setting and abundance of 19th century buildings, historic Virginia City offers visitors plenty of charm and a busy schedule of special events. Its fabulous Comstock Lode glory days gone, Nevada’s most famous mining boomtown survives today on tourist dollars.
Nevada’s State Railroad Museum in Carson City brings to life the colorful era of railroading that helped shape the Silver State. The railroads once knitted together the fabric of civilization covering settled places across vast distances in Nevada. The museum preserves and restores vintage locomotives, self-powered rail cars and varied rolling stock from 19th century railroads in Nevada, especially the Virginia and Truckee Railroad.
Travelers on Nevada’s highways parallel historic trails established by explorers and frontiersmen and followed by emigrant trains and commercial traffic as the west was settled. Part of 93 north of Ely and all of US 50 across the middle of the state follows the 402-mile route of the Pony Express, the shortest route cross the vast territory that would become Nevada.
Located enough off the beaten tourist path to discourage many park users, Great Basin National Park in Eastern Nevada remains a largely undiscovered wonderland. It appeals to visitors who prefer to enjoy their outdoor pursuits in relative solitude. The park offers many superlatives, including Nevada’s only glacier, the state’s second-highest mountain peak, some of the oldest trees on the planet and caves filled with rare natural decorations.
A dethroned Central Nevada mining queen, Tonopah preserves her past and regains prestige as a prime location for stargazing. Often considered just a fuel or snack stop along U.S. 95 between Las Vegas and Reno, the old town deserves a closer look. Located 200 miles from Las Vegas at the junction of U.S. 95 and U.S. 6, Tonopah offers overnighters a variety of motels and restaurants.
Williams, Ariz., thrives on tourism. The small Northern Arizona town enlarges on its frontier beginnings and its enviable location close to scenic and recreational attractions. It sits along Interstate 40, Historic Route 66 and Highway 64, a major access route to the Grand Canyon’s South Rim. Railroad connections include Amtrak’s Southwest Chief along the Burlington Northern and Santa Fe tracks and the historic Grand Canyon Railway, which begins its daily scenic trip to the South Rim from the restored depot in Williams.
