Nevada?

clikrf8 wrote:
A warning about rattlers and tarantulas: just be aware of where you step. Have fun.

As a geologist I spent many years hiking 5-10 miles a day for days on end in the hills and mountains of NV and saw exactly two rattlesnakes ("cuddled" together) in all those years. Now I didn't get much south of say a line through Tonopah, but still I was amazed at not seeing them. I remember as a teen hiking on the backside of Carter Lake above Loveland, CO and seeing dozens of them in one day. I don't know if northern and central NV is just too cold, dry ???

clikrf8 wrote:
A warning about rattlers and tarantulas: just be aware of where you step. Have fun.

Yeah we are rattler aware. We were rock hunting in a field in South Dakota when a local Rancher pulled up and told us that they took 6,000 pounds of Rattlers out of that field for their annual Rattlesnake roundup...heh.

Virginia City. The rv park overlooks the old cemetery and is worth an hour or two of wandering around in. The town is a historic Silver Mine town. The last time we were there we rode a stage coach. Our grandson got to ride shotgun. They took the horses on a full gallop for a short time and the adventure was worth every penny. The grandkids still get a smile when I mention it. There are mines and buildings galore to explore. A couple of days is needed.

I see your TV is a 4x4. You will need it to explore the backroads at times. There is camping at Kershaw-Ryan State Park outside of Caliente. You can leave your 5th wheel in camp and drive through Rainbow Canyon, a beautiful drive through some intetesting geology. If you are a train buff, the station in Caliente is beautiful and trains still travel through Rainbow Canyon through a series of tunnels. There is the old Elgin schoolhouse just before the end of pavement that you can look at but was closed when we were there. While in tne area, be sure to visit Pioche. It has a historical district with a courthouse you can tour. Also, a small boot hill cemetery. This is near Cathedral Valley state park also. A warning about rattlers and tarantulas: just be aware of where you step. Have fun.

Another vote for Valley of Fire State Park. There are two campgrounds, one primitive & the other with bathrooms (with showers), some sites with electric & water (which fill up quickly). Some photos from a couple of my visits here.

I'd second; Cave lake, Cathedral Gorge and Angel Lake and add kershawy-Ryan State Park. At Cave lake I'd recommend Elk Flats CG as opposed to Lakeside, Lakeside can be a bit tight for larger rigs. While there take a drive through Success Loop, fantastic scenery, Kershaw-Ryan is out of Caliente and is a gem. At Cathedral Gorge, the loop trail is an interesting walk. Gives different perspectives of the hoodoos. At Angel lake there are two campgrounds one at the lake and another about 5 miles from the lake. Depending on the size of your rig the lower CG may be the better choice. At Kershaw-Ryan a walk to the gardens is cool. Oh, both Cave Lake and Angel Lake can have great fishing.

Ed_Gee wrote:
No one mentioned Las Vegas ??!! Take in some shows and have some fun! Lots of good RV Parks in the city.

I can say that we will avoid Las Vegas at all costs...heh. It doesn't fit in our idea of vacation time. Actually we rarely visit cities at all, Boston(History), DC(National Mall) and San Antonio (Alamo) are about it.

No one mentioned Las Vegas ??!! Take in some shows and have some fun! Lots of good RV Parks in the city.

Lamoille Canyon outside of Elko and Angel Lake above Wells. You won't believe you're in NV. Plenty of ghost towns. Semi ghost towns like Belmont Tuscarora and Manhattan. Charcoal ovens in various places. At 6500' Ely is a cooler place to be in the summer. The Northern Nevada Railroad has tourist rides out of there in the summer. We like Cave Lake SP SE of Ely. For real remote and scenic, get up into the Jarbidge area in the northern part of the state.

agesilaus wrote:

clikrf8 wrote:
Our favorite state and a sub for more popular Utah. Ruby Mountains, Rainbow Canyon, ghost towns, wild horses, Valley of Fire State Park, Cathedral Gorge State Park, the new Basin and Range National Monument, rock hounding and just the fun of driving dirt roads and encountering a cattle drive. The real Wild West.

I have to say it sounds like our kind of place, we enjoy those 4WD back roads and exploring.

Definitely different from Florida. Many back roads, especially between Highways 6 and 50 in the mountain ranges and valleys. Ghost towns, antelope, wild horses, abandoned ranches, dispersed camping, beautiful lakes like Pyramid and Walker not to mention gateway to Death Valley and close to eastern Sierra range. Ely, Tonopah, Elko, Fallon, Caliente are friendly towns.