Elko Travel Guide

  Midway up the only paved road in - at...
by agricola
 
  • Midway up the only paved road in - at 8000 ft.
      Midway up the only paved road in - at...
    by agricola
  • Hispanic Club dancers, Fourth of July parade
      Hispanic Club dancers, Fourth of July...
    by agricola
  • Eastside of the Rubies from lonely NV229
      Eastside of the Rubies from lonely NV229
    by mtncorg
  • Walking up through the Ruby Mtn tundra on Wines Pk
      Walking up through the Ruby Mtn tundra...
    by mtncorg
  • Ruby Dome and N Furlong Lk from Wines Pk
      Ruby Dome and N Furlong Lk from Wines Pk
    by mtncorg
 

Explore Elko

Things to Do  

EAST SIDE OF THE RUBY MOUNTAINS

EAST SIDE OF THE RUBY MOUNTAINS, Elko

 mtncorg Says:  On the east side of the Ruby Mountains, the country gets lonelier yet. You won't find a lot of traffic on NV229 offering access to this region. A gravel road goes south off the highway, paralleling the mountain range and takes you to the vast wetlands of the Ruby Marshes.... 

LAMOILLE

LAMOILLE, Elko

 mtncorg Says:  At the western base of the Ruby Mountains is the little town of Lamoille - 545 people, 5700 feet/1727 meters high. It dates back to 1865 when the first settlers arrived. The main Californian Emigrant trail stuck closer to the Humboldt River near Elko, but with the large... 

LAMOILLE CANYON

LAMOILLE CANYON, Elko

 mtncorg Says:  Local boosters liken the Ruby Mountains as the 'Alps of Nevada'. Thus, Lamoille Canyon is the 'Yosemite of Nevada'. The canyons are glacial in origin, but that is where I would draw the line. Lamoille Canyon is a very pretty canyon, classical u-shaped by glaciers long gone.... 

HORSEMEN

HORSEMEN, Elko

 mtncorg Says:  This part of the Wild West, so it is only appropriate, that you come across horsemen who are heading into the wilderness for some unknown reason. Within the Great Basin, there are many wild horses and wild burros - descendants of the many that trod these paths in the past.... 

RUBY CREST SOUTH FROM WINES PEAK

RUBY CREST SOUTH FROM WINES PEAK, Elko

 mtncorg Says:  The Ruby Crest trail continues further south from Wines Peak, atop the Ruby range for another 36 miles. You will need another car at the other end and keep a constant look out for possible water. It is a lonely trail of great grandeur in a lonely grandeurous land. 

RUBY DOME

RUBY DOME, Elko

 mtncorg Says:  This is the highest point in the Ruby Mountains, 11387 feet/3451 meters. There is no trail and the peak lies west of the main crest. To get here you have to do some complicated crosscountry bushwacking. This is truly off-the-beaten-path in the land of off-the-beaten-paths. 

WINES PEAK VIEWS

WINES PEAK VIEWS, Elko

 mtncorg Says:  Off the west headwall of Wines Peak, 10893 feet/3301 meters high, you can over towards the Ruby Dome, 11387 feet/3451 meters high. Far below, the waters of North Furlong lake glisten. Stay awhile and observe. You might not get this way again. 

RUBY MOUNTAIN TUNDRA

RUBY MOUNTAIN TUNDRA, Elko

 mtncorg Says:  Absolute tundra occurs around 11000 feet/3333 meters in the Great Basin ranges, though it can occur slightly lower in the more northerly ranges. Here, you find rock and a carpet of ground-hugging highly specialized plants. Eleven of the Great Basin ranges rise into the... 

WINES PEAK

WINES PEAK, Elko

 mtncorg Says:  A few more hills, a few more lakes and you will come to Wines Peak. It is about seven miles out and a good destination for a dayhike. This is one of the grandest viewpoints in the range, where you can truly witness the Basin-like nature of the range - gentler slopes to the... 

RUBY CREST TRAIL

RUBY CREST TRAIL, Elko

 mtncorg Says:  From the roadend in Lamoille Canyon, the Ruby Crest trail start out to the south, going for 43, mostly, lonely miles. for a mile-by-mile description see John Hart's Sierra Club offerring "Hiking in the Great Basin" or the website mentioned below. You walk past a couple of... 

Hotels  

Holiday Inn Express Elko

 1 Review and 62 Opinions  THIS HOTEL IS NOT THE PLACE TO STAY IF YOU HAVE PETS OR ARE NOT YOUNG AND GAMBLER! Treated me with... 

Hilton Garden Inn Elko

 48 Opinions

See all 19 Hotels in Elko

Restaurants  

Most Fast Food Restaurants: Terrible Service in Elko!

Most Fast Food Restaurants: Terrible Service in Elko!, Elko

 shiningstarI Says:  The service in Elko is for the birds. The people are so incredibly rude. Even the manager's seem to not care if you go back or not. They always forget something, and you are lucky if they greet you with a hello, or even a thank you. Next time I am just passing by. 

Star: want Steak? eat Basque!

Star: want Steak? eat Basque!, Elko

 agricola Says:  Basque food (ample, homestyle, meat and veggies) and plenty of it in a traditional, 'family style' Basque hotel. Enter through the bar and bring an appetite! Dinner steak.At any of the Basque restaurants, one orders the entree - and everything else just arrives: first,... 

Misty's Restaurant: Skip Red Lion's Misty's

Misty's Restaurant: Skip Red Lion's Misty's, Elko

 mcpangie Says:  Wasn't that impressed. In fact, I was far from impressed. I had to ask for water. There was something wrong with all three dinners. I had to ask for bread. Then I had to ask for butter. The later came when I was half-way through dinner. The manager got really bugged because... 

JR's Grill: Best Western's Casino Has Great Food

JR's Grill: Best Western's Casino Has Great Food, Elko

 mcpangie Says:  The best part about eating at JR's is, while I was waiting for my breakfast I sat at a machine and won enough money to buy breakfast... ah, if that was how casinos always worked! All 3 of us were happy with our breakfast. Mmm... Best biscuits I've had in a long time. 

The Place

Plan a Elko vacation with reviews, tips and photos posted by real travelers and Elko locals

Experience Elko
  •   16 Tips and Reviews
  •  16 Photos
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The People

25 Members Live Here
 
Advice from the Locals
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 Elko - Elko - the city of festivals. About ten years ago, Elko was named 'the Best Small Town in the US': by the time the book was out, Elko was already too large to qualify. I've lived here over 25 years,... 

25 members live in Elko

 

Questions and Answers

chipanpas profile photo

Q:  Hello ! We're a french family on vacation in the USA. Would you please give us tips and advices on family friendly restaurants... 

RBCal profile photo

A: Is this your first time to Elko? There are less than 20,000 people and it is in the middle of nowhere. Most people drive past on I-80 going at least 80 miles per... 

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Top 2 Elko Writers

1

THE RUBY MOUNTAINS

mtncorg profile photo

 I could have placed these tips under the heading of the town of Lamoille, that being the small town closest to the range. But no one has probably heard of that town. Probably not that many have heard... 

2

Elko

agricola profile photo

 Elko - the city of festivals. About ten years ago, Elko was named 'the Best Small Town in the US': by the time the book was out, Elko was already too large to qualify. I've lived here over 25 years,... 

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