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.
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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.
LAS VEGAS (KSNV) — A string of deadly crashes in and around Pahrump has prompted Nye County Sheriff Joe McGill to push for more safety measures along dark, sidewalk-free roads.
“The worst penalty is death, if you consider that,” McGill said.
The recent deaths include a single-vehicle rollover on State Route 160 during the morning hours of the last Wednesday in January that killed one person and injured another.
Then, into February, two pedestrians were killed in less than three days.
The first was a 7 p.m. crash on Quarter Horse Avenue. Investigators believe a 2006 Jeep Liberty was driving on the street when it hit a pedestrian, who was pronounced dead at the scene.
A few days later, this last Saturday, state troopers responded to a crash just after sundown at Charleston Park Avenue. A sedan hit a pedestrian, who was also pronounced dead at the scene.
Nevada State Police investigators are still investigating both pedestrian cases before more details are released.
McGill said the recent crashes were enough to spur action.
“When the third one came out, I was sitting at home and watching TV. I looked at my wife and I said, ‘We got to do something about this,’” McGill said.
McGill is responding with a reflective vest giveaway, pointing to limited infrastructure as a possible factor. He noted a lack of street lights off State Route 160 and no sidewalks inside the community.
“The only light that you have is the ambient light from houses and cars so it is really dark,” McGill said.
John Treanor of AAA Nevada said poor visibility can quickly turn dangerous for both drivers and pedestrians.
“It is very easy to be confronted with a situation that you cannot see coming because the visibility might be bad,” Treanor said.
Treanor encouraged pedestrians to carry lights and drivers to be prepared if they end up outside their vehicles in dark conditions.
“Having lights on you. Even carrying a flashlight allows something where a driver can see it,” Treanor said. “If you are a driver, make sure you have the right stuff in your car, in case you do get in a situation where you are on the side of the road and now you are in dark. Make sure you have a kit with some reflectors, some lights. Anything the trunk of your car in case you need it.”
McGill said vigilance is important even in daylight.
“Any time of the day, you have got to be vigilant. You have to keep aware of your surroundings if you are a walker or on a bicycle or if you are the driver,” he said.
Authorities also urged caution as more people may pull off roads in rocky areas along the route toward Death Valley National Park during springtime blooms, increasing the need for drivers and pedestrians to stay alert.
A waterfront mansion on the Nevada side of Lake Tahoe just sold for $46 million, less than three weeks after hitting the market.
The speedy deal marks a departure from the typical U.S. market.
Nationwide, homes took a median 78 days to land a buyer in January, five more than the same time last year and the 22nd straight month of homes taking longer to sell on a year-over-year basis, according to data from Realtor.com.
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The lavish log cabin-like residence, in Incline Village, listed on Jan. 24 for $47.5 million. It sold 20 days later, on Feb. 13, listing records show.
The more than 7,000-square-foot residence was built in 2014, and has double-height living spaces, walls of windows, beamed ceilings, fireplaces, and plenty of rustic exposed stone and wood, listing images show.
There’s also a gym, a wet bar, a spa, a wine room, an office, two separate game rooms, seven bedrooms and dramatic Lake Tahoe views. Outside, there’s a private sandy beach, multiple decks, a heated driveway and two exterior fireplaces, according to listing information.
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The seller and the buyer are both limited liability companies, according to property records. Both parties were represented by Jeff Brown of Tahoe Mountain Realty, who declined to comment on the deal.
The median home price in Incline Village was $1.595 million as of December, a fall of 3.3% from a year earlier, according to data from Realtor.com. Listings, meanwhile, spent an average of 130 days on the market.
Updated February 26, 2026 – 8:28 pm
click to expand photos
Green Valley’s softball team claimed an 8-6 win at Liberty on Thursday on the first day of high school spring sports competition in Nevada.
Green Valley next hosts Silverado at 3 p.m. Friday. Liberty plays at Bishop Gorman at 3 p.m. Friday.
Contact Alex Wright at awright@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AlexWright1028 on X.
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