Off the Beaten Path: Ely, Nevada

by JULIA VOROS

For fans of: Quirky rural towns, neon signs, sagebrush, trains, and nostalgia

Food: Juanita and Chava’s Taco Shop and Kerouac's

Great Basin National Park Highlights: Lehman Caves and Wheeler Peak Scenic Drive

Ely Highlights: Nevada Northern Railway, McGill Drugstore, and Garnet Hill

My partner, Bryton, always has a plan. Even when he says he doesn't, he does. After a long month of May, I suggested a trip for Memorial Day weekend. We often go on long drives, but overnighters are not as common. I was coming up short on ideas. Park City? Too close. Capitol Reef? Too far. "What do you think?," I asked him a few days mentioning I wanted a trip. "I already have a plan," he said with hotel rooms booked and itinerary inked. "How do you feel about national parks?," he asked, already knowing the answer. "How about steam engines? Museums? Bats?!"

I hadn't really heard anything about Great Basin National Park. It's comparatively small and in Nevada. Who thinks of Nevada when they think of wilderness? Not me. I've driven to Southern California one too many times to think highly of the landscape. But, put those two magic words—National Park—after anything, and I'll go. Barren Wasteland National Park? I'll pack my bags.

There is very little lodging near the park, so we opted for the cheaper option about 60 miles northwest of the park entrance, Ely, Nevada. Ely is a small town with a few casinos. It’s not much of a destination, but it's the kind of place Bryton and I love to explore. We checked into the historic Hotel Nevada just in time to head out for our Wild West train ride on the Nevada Northern Railway. It boasts "the most complete historic railroad from the early 1900s in the world." I don't know anything about trains, but this one was incredible. You can't help but feel like the lead in a western, climbing into the train car with all the antique details intact. We chose to sit in the outdoor car, on a wooden bench that ran the length of the car, in the fresh stormy air. Dark clouds hung overhead, while the passing terrain was aglow with golden light and a million shades of green. As the car rocked and swayed, the steam whistle blew and the incoming storm brought the sticky smell of sage. It was perfectly soothing. We also enjoyed the horse-thievin’, bank-robbin’ drama that unfolded around us, ending with a showdown between outlaws and a sheriff’s posse in a faux-town with a very busy undertaker.

Next on the list, food. In a town full of steakhouses, a vegetarian like myself can struggle to find a decent meal. Mexican is always a reliable choice, so we headed to Juanita and Chava’s Taco Shop, a restaurant in the Jailhouse Casino that began as a taco truck. A veggie tostada hit the spot. Nothing fancy, but definitely a great place to stop if you don't want meat and potatoes. The pickled carrots and homemade salsas at the salsa bar were a great touch.

At this point, it was decently late, so we set out to enjoy that famous Ely nightlife. On the main drag, there are several beautifully preserved vintage neon signs. We enjoyed walking under their warm electric buzz. As we walked, we went into a few bars to get a taste for the night scene. All dives, of course, but not lacking in western small-town charm. At Club Rio, the bartender bought us each a drink and pulled out an old photo album for a brief history lesson of the area. We were treated like old friends. It was wonderful.

The next day, we headed for Marie’s Cafe in the nearby town of McGill. The cafe was closed, but the drug store across the street looked open. We walked in to find a perfectly preserved drug store, frozen in the year 1979. The McGill Drugstore was open from 1915–1979 and is now a Museum managed by the White Pine Public Museum. Knowledgeable volunteers are ready and willing to answer questions and tell stories. It is a wonderland of vintage products and mid-century graphic design.

After our brief stay in McGill, we were off to Great Basin National Park. One of the biggest draws of the park are the Lehman Caves, which house all sorts of interesting geology and lots of bats. I was looking forward to this stop the most— as was every other guest of the park. You must buy tickets for a tour of the caves, and every tour was sold out in advance. Instead, we opted to take the Wheeler Peak Scenic Drive, a 12-mile road that rises 4,000 feet in elevation. According to the GBNP website, this short, easy drive passes through so many different ecological zones that it’s the equivalent of driving from Baker, Nevada to the Yukon. The drive was stunning: thick, green forests, rolling foothills, creeping fog, and gorgeous mountain peaks. We stopped at a lookout that revealed the basin below, an oasis of untamed landscape surrounded by dusty plains and tumbleweed. As we continued up the mountain pass, we found ourselves above the clouds. At this point, we were stopped by a ranger informing us of a wildfire and urging us to return to the base of the park. We have unfinished business in GBNP.

Although our national park adventure was thwarted, we ended the day with a lovely, and surprisingly sophisticated, meal atKerouac's. Expect a modern menu with an emphasis on locally sourced or crafted ingredients and creative cocktails. My burger-bandit partner was smitten with his cheeseburger.

With only one more day of our trip, we headed to Garnet Hill for some rockhounding. The area is covered with giant junipers heavy with plump berries and piles of shale hiding little red gems and fat blue lizards. It took us a while to get the hang of it, but we were soon spotting lots of little garnets.

And with that, our trip began to wind down. We thought our adventures were coming to an end, but there was one last surprise in store for us. Along the highway, Bryton spotted an old gas station sign with plenty of vintage character. We pulled off the highway to snap a few photos and were quickly surrounded by peacocks. Dozens of peacocks with no humans in sight. It was like Night of the Living Dead, but with peacocks. There’s not much information about this place online, but it’s called Lages Station. It seems that the family shut down the gas station but still lives there in a peacock paradise.

Even though we missed out on many of the wonders in Great Basin, our trip was nothing short of magical. Every stop held quirky surprises and friendly locals. Ely, NV might not be at the top of your list, but it was a perfect— and affordable —long weekend adventure.

Ely, NV is about a 3.5 hour drive from Salt Lake City (longer if you stop to take in the unusual sites along the way). Directions: drive west on I-80 until you get to Wendover, then turn left and drive south on US-93 Alt until you get to Ely.