Nevada Travel Guide

Elvises, elopement and neon-lit sin are probably the first things that come to mind when you think of Nevada. There’s good reason: the dice-rattling, coin-clinking casinos, the round-the-clock parties and the over-the-top wonders of Las Vegas are hands-down show-stoppers. But there is more hiding in the vast deserts and mountainous peaks of this sparsely populated Western frontier state. Adventure junkies have two hot-spots to choose from: glittering Lake Tahoe and undercover Reno. A mirage of green and blue, Lake Tahoe’s sunny weather creates ideal conditions for boating, swimming and hiking by summer, while its slopes fill with snow bunnies and skiers by winter. The “biggest little city on Earth,” Reno’s gaming lures a less glitzy crowd than in Vegas, as well as outdoor enthusiasts eager to raft down the Trukee River. Nevada’s desert draws artists and offbeat characters seeking a different kind of thrill with its annual Burning Man festival. And then there’s clock-less, sleepless, nearly rule-less Las Vegas, burning bright in the center of it all. What happens in Vegas may not always stay in Vegas, but it’s certain to only happen in Vegas. And only in Nevada.