Nevada: The Silver State. Road Trips & Gaming. Desert Adventures & Mountain Getaways.

West Wendover - Bonneville Salt Flats

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The incredible landscape of the Bonneville Salt Flats near West Wendover, Nevada.

Valley of Fire

Nevada: The Silver State. Road Trips & Gaming. Desert Adventures & Mountain Getaways.

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A picturesque stretch of White Domes Road in Valley of Fire State Park.

South Lake Tahoe - Van Sickle State Park

Nevada: The Silver State. Road Trips & Gaming. Desert Adventures & Mountain Getaways.

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A hiking trail in Van Sickle Bi-State Park on the California-Nevada border near South Lake Tahoe.

Nevada has a couple of nicknames (The Battle-born state, The Sagebrush State), but we like “The Silver State” because Nevada truly is a gem for travelers. Self-proclaimed “Road Trip Capitol of the World,” we don’t disagree that Nevada is suited to hopping in the car and exploring. From the quirky (roadside technicolor boulder towers, anyone?) to the truly mysterious (we’re looking at you, Area 51), from the solitude of the desert to the serenity of mountain lakes, Nevada begs to be explored.

Nevada is home to two national parks and two national recreation areas. Did you know that Lake Mead National Recreation Area is the nation’s first and biggest national recreation area? Whether it’s on the water, in the air, or in the mountains and canyons, you’ll have a “dam” good time. Great Basin National Park may not have the size of Lake Mead National Recreation Area, but it has just as much depth. Explore the subterranean Lehman Caves or spend a night stargazing without light pollution, and find much more in between!

You may be surprised to learn that a triangle of Death Valley National Park is in Nevada. This park of superlatives (lowest, hottest, driest, biggest in the lower 48) is also a park of contrasts and surprises. Your entrance from the Nevada side may afford you unique perspectives as you gaze down to below sea level, and your gateway town will be uniquely Nevada.

Finally, we all know Las Vegas for being “exotic,” but just north of where the city now stands there were once wetlands where the likes of camels, mammoths, and lions sashayed. This area is preserved as the Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument, and is directly adjacent to the Desert National Wildlife Refuge.

Facts & Stats

Though Nevada is known as The Silver State and California’s nickname is The Golden State, most U.S. gold comes from Nevada.

Nevada, in Spanish, translates to “snow capped.” But most locals don’t pronounce it like the Spanish word (Nev-AH-da). Instead, they pronounce it Nev-ADD-a.

At 726.4 feet, Hoover Dam was once the tallest dam in the world, and is still the second tallest.

Although the state of California lies west of Nevada, the city of Reno is actually farther west than Los Angeles.