Make extraordinary Elko the site of your next camping trip.
Halfway between Reno and Salt Lake City sits the town of Elko, Nevada, the perfect place to plan your next RV destination. With a great small town feel, where locals call each other by name and visitors are treated like friends, you won’t want to miss this stop. Full of history, nature and year-round fun no matter what activities excite you, here are some tips on how to enjoy the many adventures of Elko.
Photo: ELKO CONVENTION & VISITORS AUTHORITY
Outdoors
Spend a day in the mountains or take a trip into America’s pioneer past — Breathe in some fresh air and take a hike along one of the trails in the Ruby Mountains, where you can view wildlife like deer, elk and a variety of birds. Walk part of the original trail that the pioneers took on their 2,000-mile journey west, or visit the California Trail Center where you can get-up-close-and-personal with the pioneers of the past. See what this part of the country looked like to some of its first inhabitants.
A glimpse of mountains and farmland between branches of a tree. Photo: ELKO CONVENTION & VISITORS AUTHORITY
In Town
Shop and eat in Historic Downtown Elko — In the center of town, you can enjoy all the fun of a small town with a big personality. You’ll notice the unique architecture as you step into the locally owned shops that line the street. With art galleries showing off the local talent, quaint niche stores to add beauty to your home or RV, restaurants with homemade menu items and gourmet desserts, you might just leave your heart in the heart of Elko. For your evening entertainment, grab a glass of wine and listen to live jazz musicians or local poets reciting their own work.
Walk the City
Explore the city on foot. Back in 2017, Elko celebrated its centennial, and as a part of the celebration, they placed 33 unique cowboy boots throughout the city to show off their artistic flair and their cowboy spirit. So pull on your own boots, or lace up your walking shoes and see if you can’t find all 33 of these cowboy boots as you embark on a walking tour of Elko.
A Nevada ghost town. Photo: RJA 1988.
Ghost Town Delights
Walk through Ghost Towns — With numerous ghost towns surrounding Elko, you’ll get your fill on this trip. Explore old mining towns that were thriving in the 1800s, only to be destroyed by fire, floods and droughts. Some have become popular recreation or ranching areas, while others are only marked by a concrete sidewalk or extensive cemetery.
Gold Mining
Watch the evolution of Gold Mining — Since Elko County is the largest gold mining region in the country, you can see firsthand just how far modern day mining has come along versus 150 years ago. The days of discovering gold nuggets may be gone, but with the massive shovels, trucks and technology of today’s gold miners, millions of ounces of gold dust not even visible to the naked eye have been refined in this corner of Nevada.
Elko Past
Immerse yourself in History — Spend a day or two in the heart of Historic Downtown Elko. Take in all the unique architecture of the buildings, dine in one of the Basque restaurants, and learn about how this great city came to be. Take a walk around Sherman Station Visitor’s center, tour a one-room schoolhouse, stables from the 1800s, and an old blacksmith’s shop and see first hand what it was like to live during that century.
Make your reservation now and choose from a variety of Good Sam Parks in Elko and start planning your next memorable RV vacation. Click here to start your Elko search.