Nevada
10 Ways to Get (Way) Out There in Nevada
Who needs a conventional vacation when you can have adventure with a side of quirky? Like a-forest-of-cars-turned-into-art kind of curious? For that, you have to visit Nevada. The Silver State welcomes the bizarre, celebrates the off-kilter, and nurtures the outrageous—from the sea-level sand beaches of the Colorado River to the towering peaks of Great Basin National Park. And all of it is happily served with some of the wildest adventures in the country. Here are ten ways to get a little out there in Nevada.
The Extraterrestrial Highway
With the U.S. government officially investigating unexplained sightings, the world has gone crazy for UFOs. Nevada? It’s been ground zero for the phenomenon for decades. Driving Nevada State Route 375 puts you in the heart of the mystery, passing as close as allowed to the Nevada National Security Site and the top-secret military base Area 51. You’ll also have the chance to snack on alien-themed jerky, take photos with out-of-this-world murals, and grab a burger at the UFO-themed Little A’Le’Inn. Just leave time to shop for souvenirs at the Alien Research Center, where a two-story silver alien welcomes you at the front door. The truth is right here.
Plan It: The Extraterrestrial Highway
Massacre Rim Dark Sky Sanctuary
Nothing gets the imagination going like a sky painted with stars. Is there life beyond our planet? Was that a meteor cruising across the sky—or something else? Nevada is home to some of the darkest skies in the lower 48, particularly at the Massacre Rim Dark Sky Sanctuary. In fact, this remote area located 150 miles north of Reno is so dark that it’s been designated one of the darkest places on Earth by DarkSky International. The rim is a 1,200-foot-tall escarpment that rises dramatically above a broad valley, giving you the perfect perch for spotting the show. Bring a telescope, or just your naked eye, and you’ll be able to see constellations like Orion’s Belt and gasp at the Milky Way, which on clear nights looks like an angel spilled fairy dust across the sky. There’s no bad time to see the stars, but for a real spectacle, show up on a moonless night in July or August when the Perseid meteor shower is at its most active. Camping? This is an extremely remote area with no services; BYO everything, and be prepared to be self-sufficient.
Plan It: Massacre Rim Dark Sky Sanctuary
Out There in Nevada
So many people think that Nevada is just the Strip and then a vast expanse of nothingness. They couldn’t be more wrong. Nevada is filled with hidden gems if you dare to explore. —Paulina Dao, photographer and adventurer
International Car Forest of the Last Church
Have you ever looked across a desert expanse and thought, “You know what this field needs? A bunch of junk cars sticking out of the ground.” Not likely. But that’s the inspiration that struck local artist Mark Rippie, who broke the Guinness world record for the largest car forest—a title he still holds. Located outside Goldfield, the International Car Forest of the Last Church boasts more than 40 cars, trucks, and buses sticking out of the ground. Walking through the car forest is a surreal stroll through the desert on a dusty path, which features sprouted vehicles fantastically decorated by artists from around the world. After exploring the art, take a stroll through Goldfield, a living ghost town (population around 250), which in the early 1900s was Nevada’s largest and richest city (population around 20,000).
Plan It: International Car Forest of the Last Church
Jarbidge
One of Nevada’s quirkiest charms? The remote outposts where modern pioneers are putting old mining towns back on the map. To experience one of the best, make the trek to Jarbidge, considered the most remote town in the lower 48, with a permanent population in the low double digits and no paved roads within 20 miles. Located at the bottom of a canyon, the historic town is the site of the last gold rush in America—and the last stage-coach robbery. Grab a drink in one (or both!) of the town’s two historic saloons. The Red Dog Saloon still sports the original bar top, while the Outdoor Inn has a full menu, as well as ten rooms and occasional musical performances on the front porch. You’ll also find working craftsmen like glassblowers and woodworkers operating studios on Main Street. Bonus: Jarbidge Wilderness Area is nearby and boasts 150 miles of hiking trails that traverse wildflower meadows and 11,000-foot peaks.
Plan It: Jarbidge
The Clown Motel
Clowns. They’re either a source of joy or the cause of great anxiety, depending on your perspective. Either way, you can lean into the wacky world of these colorful entertainers in Tonopah at the Clown Motel, which the owners call “America’s scariest motel.” Each room is decorated in wild circus colors, while the themed rooms go a bit further with decor evoking classic horror films like The Exorcist, IT, and Friday the 13th. It’s not all scares, though: There’s also a collection of more than 5,000 different clowns.
Plan It: The Clown Motel
Great Basin National Park
Here’s something really unusual: a gorgeous national park with near-zero crowds. While many national parks are busier than ever, Great Basin National Park, in eastern Nevada’s high desert, is one of the least visited units in the entire system. The 77,180-acre playground is packed with unusual finds, like the state’s only glacier, some of the oldest trees in the world, and an expansive cave system where scientists are still discovering new species of life.
Plan It: Great Basin National Park
Amargosa Big Dune Recreation Area
Nature puts on its own strange show in southwestern Nevada, where the sand sings to you. This rare phenomenon—which happens at only a few dozen places around the world—occurs when strong winds cause the sand to shift, creating a high-pitch singing sound. Amargosa Big Dune Recreation Area encompasses five square miles of shifting sand dunes, some of which are 500 feet tall. Located along the Free-Range Art Highway, Amargosa serves up the closest dunes to Las Vegas and is a popular destination for off-road enthusiasts, but it’s worth showing up just for the sweet song of mother nature.
Plan It: Amargosa Big Dune Recreation Area
Gold Butte National Monument
A trip here is about as close to time travel as most of us will get. At the 300,000-acre Gold Butte National Monument, petroglyphs transport visitors back 12,000 years to when Indigenous cultures created the area’s many paintings and carvings. And the rock art is just part of the attraction at Gold Butte, as the landscape is an otherworldly, Mars-like collection of red and tan sandstone outcroppings rising from the desert floor. Head to Little Finland, an area within the monument that boasts multiple panels of these pictures into the past, as well as surreal, goblin-shaped rock formations.
Plan It: Gold Butte National Monument
Guru Road and Black Rock Desert
The Black Rock Desert is totally unique: a 800,000–acre expanse of dry lake beds, hot springs, and canyons. Skirting it, the mile-long Guru Road accesses a series of open-air art exhibitions, from inspirational sayings painted onto stone to a larger-than-life tribute to Aphrodite. All of the art was created by artist DeWayne “Doobie” Williams, who found a creative way to stay busy during retirement. Wander this eclectic road and you’ll find stone tablets etched with aphorisms, a tribute to Elvis, and maybe strangest of all, the Desert Broadcasting System, which includes several TV frames, each offering panoramic views of the desert. After touring the artscape, explore the landscape. Off-road travel is popular in the adjacent Black Rock Desert, as is soaking in hot water. Head to Soldier Meadows Hot Springs for a hot tub with a desert view.
Plan It: Guru Road
Plan It: Black Rock Desert
Big Bend of the Colorado
A sandy swimming beach in the middle of the desert? Yeah, that’s a surprise. It’s also beautiful. And oh-so refreshing on a hot day. Big Bend of the Colorado State Recreation Area protects two miles of sandy beach along the Colorado River where the water is Caribbean clear. Before you take a dip, make a detour into the nearby resort town of Laughlin to take a contemplative stroll through the famous Laughlin Labyrinths.
Plan It: Big Bend of the Colorado
We’re Travel Nevada—your official resource for exploring the Silver State’s sometimes surprising, always exciting towns, cities, and public lands. With travel tips and inspiration straight from the heart of Nevada, we’ve got you covered. All you need to do is get a little out there.
The son of a former Nevada State senator was murdered in a shooting at a Las Vegas-area casino before the alleged teen killer carjacked several drivers and led police on a chase through the streets of Sin City.
Na’Onche Osborne, 23, was mortally wounded inside a garage at the Aliante Casino & Hotel in North Las Vegas, 18 miles north of the famed Las Vegas Strip, early Thursday.
Osborne, the adopted son of former Democrat Senator Pat Spearman, died from multiple gunshot wounds, the Clark County Coroner’s Office announced Saturday, according to KTNV.
“It is with profound sadness that we share the news of the passing of Senator Spearman’s beloved son. This is an unimaginable loss for the Senator and their family, and they are heartbroken,” Spearman’s family said in a statement to the outlet.
“During this difficult time, the Senator and their family ask for privacy as they grieve and support one another. They are deeply grateful for the outpouring of love, prayers, and condolences from friends, colleagues, and the community.”
The suspected killer, identified as Aerion Warmsley, fled the resort before he crashed his car near Interstate 15 and Spring Mountain Road, close to Trump International Hotel Las Vegas.
The 19-year-old allegedly carjacked three vehicles on the roadway and led police on a chase around the city, reaching speeds up to 105 mph, the outlet reported.
During the chase, Warmsley crashed into a bus stop, critically injuring a mother of four.
He also allegedly struck at least one other pedestrian during the crash.
Warmsley was arrested and charged with felony murder with a deadly weapon and robbery, according to court records viewed by The Post.
He is being held at the North Las Vegas Community Correction Center, jail records show.
Police did not provide a motive behind the deadly shooting.
North Las Vegas Mayor Pamela Goynes-Brown gave her annual State of the City address at the Aliante hours after the murder.
Spearman was defeated by Goynes-Brown during the 2022 mayoral race despite being endorsed by former Vice President Kamala Harris.
The 70-year-old former politician says she adopted Osborne as a teen to “show him a better life.”
“I knew raising him would be a challenge because he was a child who had witnessed violence early in his life, and he would need a strong, loving and supportive home to grow up in,” Spearman said in 2022 after Osborne shot her nephew during a dispute inside the senator’s home.
Osborne shot and wounded his cousin after being confronted for blowing marijuana smoke into the face of a child, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported.
The then-21-year-old was charged with attempted murder and battery in the shooting of his cousin.
He pleaded guilty to battery with a deadly weapon and carrying a concealed weapon, court records indicate.
Spearman says she was left “rattled to the core” by the shooting.
“Na’Onche made a very poor decision and he’ll have to face the consequences,” Spearman told reporters during the height of her failed mayoral campaign. “As a mother, I support the justice system and my son. It is with a heavy heart that my family is impacted by gun violence.”
Spearman was first elected to the state senate in 2012, successfully running for reelection twice before she reached her term limit in February.
In her final term, which began on Feb. 6, 2023, Spearman served as the president pro tempore of the legislative body.
She ran a failed campaign for a US Congress seat in 2020.
Spearman served 29 years in the Military Police Corps of the US Army, retiring in 2007 as a lieutenant colonel.
With Post wires
Prediction market Kalshi filed a lawsuit against the Nevada Gaming Control Board and the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement after both state regulators sent cease and desist orders for the firm to pause all sports-related contracts in the states.
Kalshi’s legal team argued that the contracts fall under the jurisdiction of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) and, therefore, cannot be regulated by state-level authorities.
The team also contends that the cease and desist orders fail to recognize that Kalshi’s event contracts are two-sided markets that trade as swaps as opposed to the sports-betting book model where the house controls the market. Kalshi co-founder Tarek Mansour said:
“Prediction markets are a critical innovation of the 21st century, and like all innovations, they are initially misunderstood. We are proud to be the company that has pioneered this technology and stand ready to defend it once again in a court of law.”
Additionally, the Nevada Gaming Control Board sent Kalshi a cease and desist order for its election contracts, which a United States judge ruled were legal in September 2024 — allowing the contracts to trade freely in the US.
Kalshi lawsuit against Nevada Gaming Control Board. Source: Kalshi
Massachusetts subpoenas Robinhood over sports prediction markets
CFTC commits to ending regulation by enforcement
On Feb. 4, acting CFTC director Caroline Pham issued a notice signaling a major regulatory pivot at the CFTC and ending regulation through enforcement actions, choosing to focus on fraud instead.
“The CFTC is strengthening its enforcement program to focus on victims of fraud, as well as remaining vigilant for other violations of law,” Pham said
This major change at the CFTC was welcomed by industry firms as a breath of fresh air following a torrent of regulatory lawsuits and enforcement actions under the Biden administration.
The regulator also initiated a probe into Super Bowl event contracts offered by Kalshi and Crypto.Com on the same day the notice was sent out.
The goal of the CFTC’s probe was to ensure that the Super Bowl event contracts complied with existing derivatives laws in the US, and the CFTC ultimately took no action to ban the contracts.
Magazine: Train AI agents to make better predictions… for token rewards
Nevada
How Nevada programs are faring the wake of Trump admin's cuts, cancellations – The Nevada Independent
Nevadans are learning that unlike Las Vegas, what happens in Washington (and Mar-a-Lago) doesn’t stay in Washington.
After more than two months into the Trump administration, we’re starting to see the impacts of the funding cuts, cancellations and rescissions pursued by Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
As my colleagues Tabitha Mueller and Eric Neugeboren reported, nearly 50 state health employees were let go after the sudden cancellation of pandemic-era federal grants.
Between cuts to two programs, Nevada food banks are facing 10 percent budget holes and seeing deliveries cancelled.
And though some fired federal employees (including at Great Basin National Park) are back to work thanks to a judicial order, the massive layoffs expected across federal agencies means there’s more to come.
The Walker River Paiute Tribe is one group in Nevada that’s been left in limbo by the torrent of executive action. A $20 million grant to the tribe for climate resiliency projects, including much-needed upgrades to the reservation’s water infrastructure, has been suspended by the Environmental Protection Agency.
Ostensibly ensnared in the Trump administration’s crusade against diversity, equity and inclusion — the grant program has “environmental justice” in the name — the tribe and its partners are trying to leverage relationships in Congress, including with Rep. Mark Amodei (R-NV), to get the funding reinstated.
The federal government’s war on DEI goes beyond academia or corporate culture — and things such as the Walker River Paiute Tribe’s new water storage tank hang in the balance. Read more here.
Around the Capitol
🏛️Effectiveness ratings are in — Three Nevadans landed in the top 10 for their caucuses in the Center for Effective Lawmaking’s biannual scorecard, which attempts to quantify how effective members of Congress based on how many bills they get passed, and how substantive those bills are.
Rep. Dina Titus (D-NV) finished third among all House Democrats. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) was seventh among Senate Democrats and Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-NV) was eighth. Titus’ influence was greatest on international affairs policy, Cortez Masto’s on Native Americans and Rosen’s on education.
📵Rosen sends a Signal — Rosen led a group of 15 Senate Democrats in a Thursday letter calling for hearings into top Trump administration figures’ handling of classified information after a bombshell story in The Atlantic revealed that Cabinet officials were discussing specific war plans in a Signal group chat that inadvertently included a journalist.
Rosen’s letter goes right to the top, calling for Vice President JD Vance, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and National Security Advisor Michael Waltz, among others in the group chat, to testify.
💊Cortez Masto, Horsford go after drugmakers — Cortez Masto and Rep. Steven Horsford (D-NV) introduced bicameral legislation Thursday to expand a prescription drug policy created by the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA).
The IRA included a provision that fines pharmaceutical companies for increasing prices at a rate faster than inflation for prescription drugs covered by Medicare. The Nevadans’ bill would expand that to private insurance.
What I’m Reading
Las Vegas Review-Journal: Sheriff rejects requests to use Las Vegas officers for immigration enforcement
Sheriff Kevin McMahill has been quite consistent about this — but it hasn’t stopped the feds from asking.
The Nevada Independent: Poll: Nevada voters oppose Medicaid cuts, Department of Education elimination
Trump’s Nevada poll number: +1. Trump’s 2024 margin of victory: +3.
The Associated Press: Man accused of setting fire to Tesla vehicles in Las Vegas arrested, police say
Attacks on Tesla have been reported around the country.
Notable and Quotable
“I don’t know what happened there or why or whatever, but if I ever suspect that I’m on a group whatever, I’m getting out of it.”
— Rep. Mark Amodei (R-NV), in an interview on Wednesday, on the Signal group chat
Vote of the Week
H.R.1048 — On Passage: DETERRENT Act
This Republican-sponsored bill tightens the standards for universities to receive foreign gifts, lowering the reporting threshold and prohibiting higher education from entering contracts with foreign countries of concern.
AMODEI: Not voting
HORSFORD: Yes
LEE: Yes
TITUS: No
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