Verdant Carson Valley teems with scenery, history

The lush Carson Valley invites visitors to stay and explore the scenic and historic “Cradle of Nevada.”

This agricultural area along the east fork of the Carson River in northwestern Nevada is best visited from May through October. It offers special events, a variety of attractions and many outdoor adventures, such as hiking, mountain biking, boating, and sightseeing from a glider. Neighboring towns dotting the valley include Carson City, Minden, Gardnerville and Genoa, Nevada’s oldest community. Lake Tahoe lies in the Sierras to the west. Nevada’s most famous ghost town, Virginia City, is in the mountains about 15 miles northeast of Carson City.

For Southern Nevadans, Carson Valley is a 531-mile drive, heading north on U.S. Highway 95, then west on Interstate 80 to Reno and south on U.S. Highway 395. The drive is a true Nevada experience with dramatic basin and range topography, widely spaced towns, hundred-mile views and limitless skies. Another option is to fly from Las Vegas to Reno, pick up a rental car and drive the last 30 miles to Carson Valley.

Visitors find accommodations in the valley’s hotels, motels, bed-and-breakfast inns, resorts and guest ranches. Reservations are advised. The greatest variety of lodgings can be found in Carson City, the state capital and the largest and busiest of the Carson Valley towns. Accommodations are also available not far from Carson City in Minden and Gardnerville, about 15 miles south on U.S. 395, or in Genoa, about nine miles south on U.S. 395 and then four miles west on state Route 206. The area also offers a variety of camping areas and RV parks. Rooms and campsites are also found at Topaz Lake, a popular site for fishing, boating and water sports about 20 miles south of Gardnerville near the California border.

There is no shortage of eateries in Carson Valley, everything from fast food to fine dining, as well as a few good bakeries. Options include several traditional Basque restaurants featuring cuisine introduced by immigrant sheepherders from Europe’s Pyrenees Mountains starting in the late 1800s. You will find savory Basque fare served family-style in several places in Carson City, Minden and Gardnerville.

Genoa, the first non-native settlement in Nevada, began as a seasonal trading post on the emigrant trail to California in 1850. A permanent post with blacksmith services followed in 1851, started by John Reese from Salt Lake City, soon known as Mormon Station. Genoa’s handsome restored courthouse houses a pioneer museum open during the summer. The Mormon Station State Historic Park across the street features free shaded picnic sites and museum exhibits in the reconstructed trading post. Entry costs $1 for visitors older than 12. The park frequently hosts living history programs and concerts in summer and early fall.

A trail guide available from tourism agencies in Carson Valley points out historic sites in several Carson Valley towns and on drives along Jack’s Valley Road and Foothill Road. Carson City’s historical museum, housed in the Carson City Mint building, outlines more of Nevada’s history since territorial times. The walking and driving tour guide map for Carson City will point out historical buildings and residences in the grid of streets downtown. Be sure to stop at the Nevada State Railroad Museum as you head south on U.S. 395. A ride to Virginia City and back on a vintage train on the old Virginia and Truckee line is a fun day trip from Carson City.

The same visitors guide will take you into the charming streets of Minden and nearby Gardnerville for a look at yesteryear. A latecomer in the valley, Minden was started by local rancher H.F. Dangberg in 1905 as a terminal for a spur of the V&T Railroad. Started by his father in 1857, the Dangberg Land and Livestock Company was one of the largest ranching concerns. The Dangberg Home Ranch is open to guided tours June through December for a modest cost. Reserve a spot online at dangberghomeranch.org.

Margo Bartlett Pesek’s Trip of the Week column appears on Sundays.