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Do we have any readers from Elko? I had never been. Never even driven through the eastern side of the state. But I finally had the opportunity—more so, the excuse—to visit.
The six-and-a-half hour drive wasn’t too bad. Just make sure you stop in Ely to stretch your legs and pump gas. The drive felt like a normal Nevada road trip, lots of desert, a couple scattered towns, cows, ranches, and agriculture, but maybe a little lonely—on the drive to Reno you often see several other cars, however on this trip we spent many stretches being the only ones on the road.
Passing by Great Basin National Park made me even more eager to plan a camping trip there. Maybe by next summer, fingers crossed!
Elko itself surprised me. All my preconceived notions were proven wrong. The town was lively, friendly, full of art, and the food was great. We were only there for 24 hours, but I’d definitely come back to see and try more places. I feel bad admitting I was expecting a small, sleepy town.
My favorite part? Stargazing in Lamoille Canyon. You just have to see it in person. The phone camera only captures a fraction of the vastness. I finally understood why stargazing tourism is a thing!
My husband’s favorite part? He said the chorizo burrito he had for breakfast at McAdoo’s was the second best he has had in his life. That means a lot coming from him—he’s not picky, he’ll eat almost anything, but has very high standards.
