Nevada Parks and Natural Landscapes
Featured Nevada locations are listed below, and shown on the Nevada map - these are the most scenic locations in this relatively little-visted state, and include canyons, deserts, lakes, mountains, eroded rock formations and scenic drives.
Other Nevada listings: National Parks, State Parks
Nevada National and State Parks
Other Scenic Places
Other Nevada listings: National Parks, State Parks
Nevada National and State Parks
| ★★★★★ BASIN AND RANGE National Monument - large area of valleys and mountains north of Crystal Springs; typical landscapes of the Great Basin |
| ★★★★★ BEAVER DAM State Park - remote area near the Utah border, centered on a deep, forested, steep-sided canyon |
| ★★★★★ BERLIN-ICHTHYOSAUR State Historic Park - fossil exposures and a mining ghost town, in a remote location |
| ★★★★★ BIG BEND OF THE COLORADO State Recreation Area - beaches, wetlands, rocky hills and sandy desert, beside the Colorado River |
| ★★★★★ CATHEDRAL GORGE State Park - fantastic eroded rock formations with narrow ravines and caves |
| ★★★★★ CAVE LAKE State Park - reservoir in a remote valley, enclosed by limestone hills |
| ★★★★★ DAYTON State Park - short, wooded section of the Carson River, and relics from an 1860s silver mill |
| ★★★★★ DEATH VALLEY National Park - starkly beautiful desert wilderness contained within the largest NPS preserve outside Alaska (described in the California section) |
| ★★★★★ ECHO CANYON State Park - remote reservoir, in a scenic canyon lined by volcanic rocks |
| ★★★★★ FORT CHURCHILL State Historic Park - historic mail station and the remains of a US army fort, plus a section of the Carson River |
| ★★★★★ GOLD BUTTE National Monument - rugged Mojave Desert region of plains and peaks, north of Lake Mead |
| ★★★★★ GREAT BASIN National Park - isolated mountains featuring varied climate zones, limestone caverns, a glacier and far reaching views over the Great Basin Desert |
| ★★★★★ KERSHAW-RYAN State Park - short, spring-fed canyon near Caliente, cultivated in the 1870s |
| ★★★★★ LAHONTAN State Recreation Area - reservoir along the Carson River, surrounded by sandy, high desert land |
| ★★★★★ LAKE MEAD National Recreation Area - extensive desert region centered around a large lake on the Colorado River, formed by Hoover Dam (described in the Arizona section) |
| ★★★★★ LAKE TAHOE NEVADA State Park - sandy beaches on the east shore of Lake Tahoe, plus hiking trails and backcountry lakes |
| ★★★★★ MORMON STATION State Historic Park - replica of an 1850s trading post, at the foot of the Carson Range in the far west of the state |
| ★★★★★ OLD LAS VEGAS MORMON FORT State Historic Park - mostly reconstructed remains of the earliest non-native settlement in Las Vegas |
| ★★★★★ RED ROCK CANYON National Conservation Area - red cliffs and canyons in the Spring Mountains west of Las Vegas |
| ★★★★★ SLOAN CANYON National Conservation Area - volcanic peaks and rocky ravines south of Las Vegas, including many ancient petroglyphs |
| ★★★★★ SPRING MOUNTAIN RANCH State Park - collection of ranch buildings adjoining the Spring Mountains just west of Las Vegas |
| ★★★★★ SPRING VALLEY State Park - flat-floored valley, low hills, historic buildings and a reservoir, in a remote location east of Pioche |
| ★★★★★ TULE SPRINGS FOSSIL BEDS National Monument - desert washes, mud hills and creosote bush plains north of Las Vegas, site of many Ice Age fossil discoveries |
| ★★★★★ VALLEY OF FIRE State Park - weathered landscape of red, yellow and pink sandstone, close to Lake Mead. The park also has petrified dunes, narrow canyons, sheer cliffs and petroglyphs |
| ★★★★★ WARD CHARCOAL OVENS State Historic Park - six well-preserved charcoal kilns dating from 1876, in the foothills of the Egan Range south of Ely |
| ★★★★★ WASHOE LAKE State Park - dunes and wetlands beside a large lake near Carson City |
Other Scenic Places
| ★★★★★ ARROW CANYON - deep ravine through limestone strata in the northern Mojave Desert |
| ★★★★★ ASH MEADOWS National Wildlife Refuge - large springs at the edge of the Mojave Desert, including Devils Hole |
| ★★★★★ BLACK ROCK DESERT - epitome of Nevada's basin and range landscapes; a vast dry lake bed in the remote northwest, home to the Burning Man festival |
| ★★★★★ LAKE TAHOE - major center for recreation, surrounded by high granite peaks of the Sierra Nevada mountains (described in the California section) |
| ★★★★★ LAS VEGAS - the reason why most people visit Nevada |
| ★★★★★ LITTLE FINLAND - amazing, intricate formations of deep red Aztec sandstone |
| ★★★★★ LUNAR CRATER National Natural Landmark - volcanic formations in a very remote part of central Nevada |
| ★★★★★ MOUNT CHARLESTON - 11,918 foot peak in the Spring Mountains near Las Vegas, popular for hiking, camping and skiing |
| ★★★★★ PANACA KILNS - well-preserved charcoal kilns from the 1870s |
| ★★★★★ PYRAMID LAKE - saline lake in the remote deserts of the northwest, surrounded by sagebrush flats, scattered tufa formations and desolate mountains |
| ★★★★★ SCENIC DRIVES - long, scenic highways across Nevada: I-80, US 50, US 93, NV 305, NV 375 (the 'Extraterrestrial Highway') and NV 376 |
| ★★★★★ WHITNEY POCKETS - colorful desert area north of Lake Mead, featuring unusual eroded formations of deep red sandstone |
Choose from over 190 Nevada hotels in 30 towns and cities, including park hotels and interstate hotels
Locations include: Carson City,
Elko,
Fallon,
Fernley,
Henderson,
Las Vegas,
North Las Vegas,
Reno,
Sparks,
Winnemucca
Other Nevada Resources
Driving Distances - mileages between selected places
Introduction - summary of Nevada's scenic areas
Maps - state map and national park maps
Weather - forecasts for Nevada cities and parks
Introduction - summary of Nevada's scenic areas
Maps - state map and national park maps
Weather - forecasts for Nevada cities and parks
Nevada Travel Itineraries
 |
Nevada Photography
Plants of Nevada
 |
 |
All Contents © Copyright The American Southwest | Comments and Questions | Contribute | Affiliate Marketing Disclosure | Site Map