Nevada Family Vacation
Nevada Family Vacation Ideas #1:For a family vacation idea in the true spirit of the Old West, head for Nevada Silver Trails, a large area of Utah between Las Vegas and Reno. It’s also called The Pioneer Territory but by either name, this is a landscape of small friendly western towns and wide open spaces; just right for an outdoors family vacation in.
This is the real Nevada, far away from the glitz and showboating of the famous gambling vacation spots to the north and south. It doesn’t matter how old (or young) you are, Nevada Silver Trails will serve up a Western-style adventure vacation for you. Here are 6 vacation ideas located in the Nevada Silver Trails Area.
Nevada Family Vacation Ideas #2:Walker Lake State Recreation Area, home of Walker Lake and its population of Lahontan cutthroat trout, is an oasis for visitors who enjoy fishing, boating, water skiing, canoeing and kayaking, as well as camping, hiking and bird watching. Located 11 miles north of Hawthorne on U.S. 95, the park is open all year.
Family Vacations in Nevada #3:Berlin-Ichthyosaur State Park is home to nearly 40 preserved ichthyosaur fossils as well as the turn-of-the-century mining town of Berlin. An interpretive trail winds through the ghost town of Berlin and leads to the Fossil House where the fossils of the giant marine reptiles that swam in a warm ocean 225 million years ago are located. The 1,540-acre park has a visitors center, 14 well-spaced camp sites ideal for individuals or groups and numerous of hiking trails. It’s located in western Nevada, just 23 miles east of Gabbs via state Route 844
Nevada Family Vacation #4:Cathedral Gorge State Park is a long, narrow valley with cave-like formations and cathedral-like spires. Miller Point, a scenic overlook just north of the park entrance on U.S. 93, offers unsurpassed views of the scenic canyon. The tree-shaded campground area is open all year offering hiking, nature study and ranger programs. It’s located in eastern Nevada, just 20 miles west of the Utah border,
Nevada Family Vacation #5:Beaver Dam State Park is Eastern Nevada’s most remote park, and is a popular area for hikers and nature enthusiasts who enjoy its deep canyons, pinion and juniper forests, a flowing stream with fishable trout and numerous beaver dams. The park offers fishing, camping, picnicking, hiking, photography and nature study along with campgrounds, hiking and interpretive trails. Beaver Dam is open year-round, weather permitting, but travel is not advised during winter months.
Nevada Family Vacation Ideas #6:Echo Canyon State Park features a 65-acre reservoir with a campground, group use facilities and boat launch. Filled with abundant wildlife, a variety of native plans and unique rock formations provide a playground for camping, hiking and fishing for rainbow trout, largemouth bass and white crappie. Echo Canyon is located 12 miles east of Pioche via state Routes 322 and 323.
Nevada Family Vacation #7:The Tonopah Mining Park was named “Best Museum in Rural Nevada” by Nevada magazine. Here you can explore the rich history of an important turn-of-the-century Nevada silver mining with restored buildings and mining exhibits and a mining tour. Tonopah Mining Park is located in the city of Tonopah, once called the Queen of Silver Camps. The park features a variety of mining equipment and interesting displays but the most exciting part is the Underground Tour. Here visitors walk into the old mine and are able to gaze down a 160m / 500ft tunnel shaft.
Queen City of the Northern Hills
Nevada City was originally called Deer Creek Dry Diggins when it was just a mining camp. In the fall of 1849 Dr. A.B. Caldwell opened a general store and the mining camp started resembling a town. The town became Caldwell’s Upper Store. In 1850, the town was looking more like a city, with a cities’ problems. The citizens, under Mexican law, elected a mayor, or “Alcalde,” to establish and keep order.
The new city needed an official name, so, in a canvas hotel at Main and Commercial streets, ballots were taken. The choice of “Nevada” which is Spanish for “Snow Covered” seemed appropriate to the crowd. On September 9, 1850 California was the 31st state to join the Union. In 1851, Nevada City became the County Seat when Nevada County was formed from a section of Yuba County. By 1856, 2081 votes were cast in the City of Nevada, only Sacramento and San Francisco polled more. In 1859, Silver was discovered in the Utah Territory. The first samples were assayed (weighed and assessed for value) at Ott’s Assay Office in Nevada (City). Many of Nevada’s residents headed over the Sierra to search for silver in what became known as the Comstock Silver Rush. Later, in 1864, that part of the Utah Territory was formed into the State of Nevada. In that year, the word “City” was added to Nevada, to distinguish the two for the benifit of all (particularly the Postal Service.)
After the initial gold rush, merchants, bankers and the like came to Nevada City and built homes in the style of the day. This was during the reign of Queen Victoria, and that style of architecture became known as “Victorian”. Colonial, Greek Revival, and “California Gothic” styles of architecture are well represented here as well.
Most of Nevada City burned to the ground on several occasions. Two of the most interesting buildings in the downtown area are fire houses that were built with more than utilitarian style. This also accounts for the prevalance of brick buildings featuring iron shutters.
What accounts for the preservation of Nevada City is the economic downturn it faced when the gold started petering out. By World War II, when the mines in Grass Valley closed, there was not much reason for building or refurbishing of old buildings, and the architecture of the period was spared urban renewal.
WPA projects in the post-war period gave Nevada City the art deco facades of the city hall and court house. In the late 1960s the residents and visitors of the area started recognizing the remarkable charm of the town. City ordinances were revised to disallow the historically inaccurate and downright tacky new storefronts and signage, and the city buried all the power lines littering the downtown area. Gas lights made from original 1800s molds were placed along Broad Street, and the Nevada Theatre was restored. Private restorations followed, and the result is the beautiful little city of Nevada City.
Nevada City is not a museum, it is a hub of activity. Business, arts, sports, and entertainment of every variety occur on and around the streets of the town. There are lots of places to stay, first rate restaurants, and events that draw visitors from far and near. Whether it is for a weekend getaway or a two week vacation, Nevada City is a destination of choice.
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