In 1986, Life magazine anointed Route 50, which runs east-west through Nevada, as “The Loneliest Road in America.” It was not meant as a good thing, but the folks in eastern Nevada have worn it as a badge of honor ever since. Elko, which is north of Route 50, fancies itself as “The Heart of Northeast Nevada.” Boosters like to point out that Elko is the only city of any significant size for 130 miles in every direction.
Planning a visit? Stay at Double Dice RV Park.
Elko was founded not as a place to come to but as a place to get somewhere else. In 1868, it was an arbitrary spot on the map in Nevada’s Great Basin that was selected by surveyors as the eastern terminal where the Central Pacific Railroad would begin laying tracks for its portion of the Transcontinental Railroad. As the track builders raced away, the town stuck around and became the county seat for one of only ten counties in the United States with more than 10,000 square miles of area.
Even the town’s economic engine—gold mining—is the most solitary of professions. If the state of Nevada were a country, it would be the fifth largest gold producer in the world, and most of that precious metal is found near Elko. The Carlin Trend Mine, 20 minutes west of town, offers gold mine tours to give visitors a glimpse of this rich history. The Gold Quarry there is considered the most prolific goldfield in the Western Hemisphere by mineral experts. You will need to plan ahead because tours of the operation take place only once a month from April to October.
You can also do your own treasure hunting without the need for monster dump trucks and heavy equipment. More than 85 percent of Nevada land is public, and rockhounding is a popular activity. The Elko district office of the Bureau of Land Management offers maps and information to the hottest mineral deposits, or you can prospect on your own and maybe strike it rich.
Don’t forget the Cowboy Poetry Festival, held every year. This event features cowpokes of every strip sharing their innermost impressions of life on the range in verse.
To learn more about Elko, visit the Good Sam Camping Explore tab.
