Explore the journey — one trail, museum, meal, and memory at a time.
Lamoille Canyon and Wells Nevada
On a clear March morning I drove into Lamoille Canyon in the Ruby Mountains of northeastern Nevada hoping to reach the top of the scenic road at more than 8,000 feet. Snow stopped me halfway up the canyon, so I turned toward the small town of Wells and later visited the California Trail Interpretive Center along Interstate 80 to learn about the wagon routes emigrants once followed across Nevada on their long journey to California.
Cathedral Gorge and Pioche, NV
From the narrow slots of Cathedral Gorge to the silver mining scars above Pioche, this eastern Nevada road trip blends geology and Wild West history. I hiked Moon Caves and Miller Point, explored original Main Street buildings, ate at the Historic Silver Café, toured the Overland Hotel, and drove north into a storm after missing Great Basin National Park.
Valley of Fire State Park
I spent the day hiking Natural Arch Trail and Rainbow Vista Trail in Valley of Fire State Park, navigating deep sand, red rock washes, and hidden sandstone arches. In eighty-degree heat, the solitude of Natural Arch contrasted sharply with the crowds at Rainbow Vista. A bighorn sheep sighting and an evening drive toward Cathedral Gorge rounded out a long desert day.
Davis Dam and Laughlin, NV
I started the day above Lake Mohave watching sunrise, explored the history and engineering of Davis Dam, walked the Colorado River in Laughlin, drove through vast Nevada solar fields, and ended the evening on BLM land outside Valley of Fire State Park with warm desert air and an early night.
Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument Hike
I hiked to the old Victoria Mine before 8 a.m., walking four miles through saguaros, organ pipe cactus, cholla, and creosote bush in the Sonoran Desert. After signing out at the trail register, I left Arizona, stopped in Ajo for coffee, photographed a massive desert aqueduct carrying Colorado River water, and made my way toward Lake Mohave for the night.