Travel in Nevada, Land of Gold, Silver, and 19th Century Ghosts

Travel in Nevada for many people conjures up ideas of bright lights, fantastic shows, the famous Las Vegas Strip, big shots, and swaggering con men. Movies like The Sting, and Ocean’s Eleven have romanticized the darker side of the city for generations. Yet there is much more to Nevada than one glittering city.

Nevada is also famous for its gold and silver deposits. Nearly 5% of the world’s gold production still comes from Nevada! If you are considering a wonderfully unique vacation beyond the lights and glitter of Las Vegas, travel in Nevada for its fascinating history can be memorable!

It is easy to reach Nevada by two superb interstates that cross the state, one in the north, and one in the south. The southern interstate passes right through Las Vegas. Las Vegas can be a comfortable and affordable base to explore from.

If you’re like a lot of people with just a few weeks for your holidays, you can maximize time for travel in Nevada by flying in. Las Vegas Airport is state-of-the-art for convenience, comfort, and all the amenities anyone would expect in a world class international airport. With 92 gates and two terminals, the world is welcome to land in Las Vegas.

It’s easy to rent a reliable vehicle that will take you to many exciting locations throughout this historic state. If you want to visit the true “Wild West” the state is famous for, consider a more rugged rental vehicle, preferably a four-wheel-drive. 

If you do a little research and plan ahead, you might also enjoy experiencing the land as they did in the days when desperadoes and prospectors traveled the land, on horseback.

Nevada is famous for its many gold and silver discoveries since the 19th century. The most famous of those was the discovery of the Comstock Lode in the 1850s.

Interestingly, many of those involved in the region where Comstock made his famous discovery, including Comstock, himself, had little idea just how rich their discovery was. Most of them died broke or close to it.

One notable man who did very well thanks to his involvement with that discovery was George Hearst, whose famous son became the head of the Hearst newspaper empire.

But there were many other prospectors and mines in Nevada other than just in the region of the Comstock lode. Prospectors and miners scoured the valleys, hills, and mountains all across Nevada. Mining continues to be a major contributor to Nevada’s economy. 

With its rich history of mining dating from the boom and bust days of the American “Wild West,” there is a great wealth of abandoned mines to discover and explore throughout the state. With more than 600 ghost towns to choose from, you might want to travel in Nevada a lot more than just once. An excellent place to start is 26 Must-See Nevada Ghost Towns & How to Find ‘Em.

One very intriguing place that should be on everyone’s list is the former ghost town of Empire, Nevada, just a short drive from Route 447. It is a former ghost town, not because it has finally crumbled into the Nevada desert, but because it has now come back to life, thanks to its purchase by a new mining company.

But with hundreds of old ghost towns to choose from and thousands of old mines and exploration shafts, travel in Nevada is a fascinating step back in time. Any wild west mining aficionado is sure to have the time of their lives! If you have ever taken the time to travel in Nevada, please share in the comments, below. Perhaps you can tell us about an interesting place you’ve found that is not on any map!