Nevada, known as the United States' seventh most extensive state with the highest share of federal public land, provides numerous opportunities for road trips and exploration. Several destinations across its wide-open spaces offer distinct attractions for visitors in 2026.
In northeastern Nevada, Elko serves as a gateway to the Ruby Mountains, referred to as "The Swiss Alps of Nevada." The town highlights its "Old West cowboy" spirit. The Western Folklife Center hosts the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering every January and remains open year-round for traditional American Western art and live music. Nearby, the Cowboy Arts and Gear Museum, housed in a former saddle shop, displays vintage saddles and gear. Visitors can also take a scenic drive to the Ruby Mountains Wilderness, a roughly 90,000-acre area featuring snow-capped peaks, sapphire lakes, and glacial valleys. Shutters Hotel Elko offers newly renovated guest rooms with modern amenities like new mattresses, Keurig coffee, HDTVs, and complimentary Wi-Fi, located conveniently near the I-80 freeway and downtown.
Moving to Northern Nevada, Virginia City, about 26 miles southeast of Reno in the Virginia Range, offers a historical look into the "Wild West" era of prospectors. The Way It Was Museum provides insights into the Comstock Lode and its role in transforming Storey County into a 19th-century silver mining hub. For further exploration, the Chollar Mine offers tours into the 1859 mine, which yielded significant amounts of gold and silver. The Historic Fourth Ward School Museum preserves an 1876 schoolhouse, potentially the last four-story, Victorian-era wooden school building of its type. The B Street House Inn offers a convenient stay near the town's center, with guest quarters featuring private bathrooms, central heating and air, smart TVs, and complimentary snacks and beverages.
On the north shore of Lake Tahoe, approximately 37 miles southwest of Reno, Incline Village provides access to snow sports and scenic views. Sand Harbor State Park is open year-round for hiking along the shoreline and offers a peaceful setting for snowshoeing in winter. Diamond Peak, set to reopen early in December, is a resort with about 30 trails serviced by seven lifts, offering a balance of easy and challenging runs. Tahoe Meadows provides opportunities for cross-country skiing, sledding, and snowshoeing within its high-elevation wetlands and meadows preserve. The Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe Resort, located by the lakeshore, features refreshed rooms and suites with premium bedding, HDTVs, individual climate control, iHome stereos, and mini-fridges. The resort also includes the full-service Stillwater Spa with a year-round heated pool and dining options like Cutthroat's Saloon.
On the south shore of Lake Tahoe, Stateline, about 27 miles southwest of Carson City, presents options for adventure. Heavenly Mountain Resort, straddling the California-Nevada state line, reopens November 20 for the winter season, offering skiers and snowboarders access to 97 trails across 4,800 acres with a vertical drop of up to 3,500 feet. Zephyr Cove Resort offers two-hour guided snowmobile rides through mountain terrain, reaching elevations of up to 9,000 feet above sea level. The Tahoe Rim Trail is open year-round for hiking and is suitable for winter snowshoeing. Edgewood Tahoe, located by the Tahoe shore, offers accommodations with amenities such as deluxe soaking tubs, separate walk-in showers, premium bedding, Nespresso coffee, and gas fireplaces, alongside a full-service spa and on-site restaurants.
For those venturing south, Beatty, about a 120-mile drive from Las Vegas, is considered the "Gateway to Death Valley." It offers access to Death Valley National Park, the largest national park in the contiguous United States at approximately 3.4 million acres. The park features diverse landscapes, including Badwater Basin, North America's lowest point at 282 feet below sea level, and a freshwater spring in Titus Canyon where bighorn sheep rest. Closer to town, the Goldwell Open Air Museum protects seven sculpture installations created by Belgian artists in the Mojave Desert. Beyond the museum, the Rhyolite Ghost Town, an early 20th-century gold mining outpost, provides an assortment of ghost town ruins. El Portal Motel offers clean, comfortable rooms for travelers.
In Southern Nevada’s Virgin River Valley, Mesquite sits near public lands and golf courses. It is a short drive from Southern Utah’s national parks and monuments and is closer to Gold Butte National Monument. This 296,937-acre area features sandstone red rock formations, indigenous petroglyphs like the famed Falling Man, the 110-foot-deep Devil's Throat sinkhole, and serves as critical habitat for wildlife such as the Mojave desert tortoise and desert bighorn sheep. Mesquite also offers golf courses, including the Wolf Creek Golf Club, a par-72 course, and the Gary Panks-designed Conestoga Golf Club, also a par 72. The Eureka Casino Resort includes a casino floor, contemporary rooms and suites, and multiple on-site restaurants.
Finally, a 42-mile journey from Las Vegas leads to Mount Charleston, an alpine oasis in the Spring Mountains. Lee Canyon reopens late in November for ski season, featuring 30 trails across 195 acres at the closest ski resort to the Las Vegas Valley. For quieter outdoor experiences, the Fletcher Canyon Trail provides a path into a canyon, while the Cathedral Rock Trail offers a challenging ascent to scenic viewpoints. Visitors are advised to check in advance for potential avalanche risks in winter.