My Nevada Travel Video Playlist
The word Nevada is Spanish for “snow covered”; unknown to most people, most of the state is mountainous, and is definitely snow covered in the winter months. Nevada has the 7th larget land mass, is the 35th in population, and the 9th least densely populated of the 50 states. Nearly three-quarters of Nevada’s population lives in Clark County, where the Las Vegas metropolitan area is. Nevada is officially known as the “Silver State” due to the importance of silver mining to its economy and history. Nevada is the fourth largest producer of gold in the world. Nevada is also known as the “Battle Born State”, because it achieved statehood during the Civil War, and as the “Sage-brush State”, since most of Nevada is a high desert, sagebrush landscape.
Nearly 86% of the state is managed by various jurisdictions of the U.S. federal government, both civilian and military. Large swathes of BLM controlled land, as well as Forest Service, makes Nevada a hidden gem for the RVer and camper. There are many free and low cost areas to camp, weather permitting. One thing to note, large areas of the state do not receive any cell phone coverage, and you can travel some roads for 100 miles or more, with no services of any kind available.
Nevada is the driest state in the United States. It is mostly desert and semi-arid climate regions. While winters in northern Nevada are long and fairly cold, the winter in the southern part of the state, Clark county, is of short duration and mild. Most parts of Nevada receive little precipitation, with the heaviest rain on the east and northeast slopes of the Sierra Nevada, near Tahoe. The landscapes vary from dramatic red rock deserts, to the high desert sagebrush, pinyon, and cedar, to high alpine forests, with aspens and pine.
Nevada State Parks
Big Bend of the Colorado State Recreation Area
Fort Churchill State Historic Park
Lahontan State Recreation Area
Lake Tahoe – Nevada State Park
Rye Patch State Recreation Area
South Fork State Recreation Area
Spring Mountain Ranch State Park
Ward Charcoal Ovens State Historic Park
Wild Horse State Recreation Area
Recreation areas maintained by the federal government
Northern Nevada
California National Historic Trail
Humboldt National Forest
Great Basin National Park
Old Spanish National Historic Trail
Pony Express National Historic Trail
Southern Nevada
Ash Meadows National Wildlife Preserve
Toiyabe National Forest
Inyo National Forest
Mount Charleston and the Mount Charleston Wilderness
Spring Mountains and the Spring Mountains National Recreation Area
Lake Mead National Recreation Area
Death Valley National Park