Nevada
Elko

One of the few Nevada towns worth aiming for, if you’re here at the right time of year, is ELKO, a straggling highway town a hundred miles from the Utah border. The self-proclaimed last real cowtown in the West is the center of one of the largest open-range cattle ranching regions in the US, and the fitting home of the annual Cowboy Poetry Gathering, held here every January. People get together in a sort of celebration of folk culture, telling stories around campfires, singing about the lonesome life on the range, and keeping alive the dying traditions and tales of the Wild West.

Elko has perhaps the highest number of festivals per capita of any city in the West. Among them are the Cowboy Poetry Gathering in late January, the Elko Mining Expo and Golf Tournament in early June, the Basque Festival in early July, and the Silver State Stampede Rodeo in late July.

  

 

 
Gold mining, cattle, and tourism support Elko, which began as a drop-off point for miners after the railroad came through in 1868. Many settlers were Basque sheep ranchers from the Pyrenees. The Northeastern Nevada Museum (1515 Idaho St. 702-738-3418) focuses on the region's natural history and settlement. An exhibit on Halleck Bar (1869-1915) tells how some patrons met their deaths. Still working, the Barrick Goldstrike Mine (702-738-8381) offers tours on Saturdays and by appointment in summer. 

During the 72-hour party of the National Basque Festival, each Fourth of July weekend, hulking men throw huge logs at each other amid a whole lot of carousing and downing platefuls of Basque food. The food is available year-round in restaurants like the Star Hotel, two blocks south of the main drag at 246 Silver St (tel 775/738-9925). Greyhound and Amtrak both stop in Elko, and there are dozens of budget motels, such as the Holiday Motel, 1276 Idaho St (tel 775/738-7187; $30–45). Elko’s visitor center is at 1601 Idaho St (Mon–Fri 9am–5pm; tel 775/738-7135 or 1-800/428-7143).

WELLS
This spring-fed ranch and farm community began with the Central Pacific Railroad and survives as an interstate pit stop. Winter weekends are enlivened by races of horse-drawn chariots made from 50-gallon oil drums. To the south, the towering Humboldts shelter alpine Angel Creek and Angel Lake in Humboldt National Forest (Follow signs 7.5 miles S from W. Wells exit to the Angel Creek turnoff, then 3.5 miles farther to the lake. 702-752-3357. Parking fee for developed areas in summer), both offering fishing, swimming, camping, and hiking. The steep drive features spectacular views.

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