The sheer scale and variety of Nevada’s National and State Parks will take your breath away.
The mesmerising, crystal clear waters, sandy beaches and mountain peaks of Lake Tahoe Nevada State Park invite relaxation and calm, whilst in Great Basin National Park you can take in the Wheeler Peak Scenic drive, all the way up to 10,000ft for unparalleled views and the last active glacier in Nevada. Splendour, adrenaline and calm come in one spectacular package in Nevada. With 24 State Parks, a National Park and an array of nature-based recreational options, you can truly make your USA holiday whatever you like. Ancient culture, dinosaur remains, dark skies, splendid isolation, and Instagrammable rock formations offer themselves up for your discovery. Nevada is a place of raw nature that is breathtaking in geological grandeur, fascinating histories and captivating wildlife, whilst also refreshingly free of crowds and remarkably accessible.
Start by letting your hair down amongst the sensory and gastronomic delights and bright lights of Las Vegas before choosing one or more of the fantastic, guided road trips that you can find on our Travelling Nevada destination guide. You’ll be spoiled for choice. From memorable experiences under neon lights to wild nature, curious roadside art and utterly open wildernesses, there is a trip and a park for everyone. Which one is yours? You might find there are several. Wide open roads beg for exploration, and with a year-round climate that invites a range of activities from adrenaline-fuelled cliff-jumping in the sparkling waters of the largest manmade lake in America to the discovery of the surprisingly diverse array of wildlife in one of Earth’s hottest, driest regions.
Nevada is sparsely populated outside the major population centres of Las Vegas and Reno. As you travel through ancient landscapes, you will also be passing through millennia of history. Some of the Bristlecone Pines of the Bristlecone-Glacier Trail in Great Basin National Park are over 50,000 years old. In Berlin-Ichthyosaur State Park, you can find the most extensive collection of Ichthyosaur remains in the world, marine dinosaurs permanently resting over 21km above the current sea level. The Bristlecones are the epitome of a survivalist species and deserve appreciation for much more than their otherworldly, twisted and tortured appearance. Their slow growth means they have the densest wood in the world, making them resistant to pests, fungi and other diseases that plague faster-growing species. Spend some time among them to ponder on the historical events that have passed under their branches and the bandits that may have taken temporary rest under their canopies.
Bristlecone Pines in Great Basin National Park
Great Basin National Park is one of the darkest, quietest places in the States, with amazingly dark, star-studded skies to camp beneath and uninterrupted daytime views stretching far into distant Utah. Visit the Lehman Caves, a labyrinth full of ancient marble and limestone stalactites and stalagmites formed by rainwater slowly filtering through the rock over time. For more off-grid remote exploration that will have you believe you are the last person on Earth, head to Beaver Dam State Park for untouched canyons, waterfalls and forests. While you’re quietly fishing in what feels like your own private trout streams, keep your eyes out for porcupines, bobcats, and beavers.
Do your passions bend in the direction of history or geology? Valley of Fire State Park is hard to beat. Multi-layered, tiger-striped rock formations display the passing of time in spectacular forms, such as the famous Fire Wave. Shaped by wind, rain and sand, blasted by the sun, this park full of smooth, ancient rocks and promontories is home to Bighorn Sheep that have been native to the area long before farming existed. The Paiute Tribe have also left their marks in the intricate petroglyphs in the Mouse’s Tank area that are both mysterious and heavy with significance.
Valley of Fire State Park
For truly isolated relaxation, you can’t beat the glorious natural beauty of Lake Tahoe Nevada State Park. On the same day, you can relax on a sandy beach with pristine waters that remind you of the South Pacific and then trek to the top of the world amongst the towering snow-capped peaks surrounding this beautiful, naturally formed basin.
Craving a taste of the Old West? Nevada’s history is full of storied characters. The famously eccentric Howard Hughes, a Diamond Magnate and a Chinchilla Baron all resided in the Red Rock Canyon of Spring Mountain Ranch State Park. Fort Churchill State Historic Park houses a 150-year-old US Army Fort, built during the days of the pioneers who headed west to protect the migrants and the Stagecoaches from bandits. The arid, desert conditions of the Nevada high country have protected this historic structure in a form of ‘Arrested Decay’.
Speaking of bandit history, the Ward Charcoal Ovens State Historic Park is home to stone-built conical structures created in the 1870s to form charcoal to power the largest silver processing plant in the state. Once the rush ended and the towns that sprang up nearby were deserted, these structures became hideouts for outlaws, those running from bounty hunters and those hiding any number of dark secrets.
Ward Charcoal Ovens State Historic Park
Nevada is a state filled with curious mysteries and achingly beautiful, majestic landscapes. Sleep under the stars or fill your days with neon lights.
Every day is up to you.
