Arriving in Elko via Elko Regional Airport sets you up perfectly, with the Ruby Mountains, Basque country, and the open Great Basin a short drive away. Elko is a gold mining and ranching town on the Humboldt River in northeastern Nevada, where cowboy culture is real rather than themed. It is the home of the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering, the Star Hotel's Basque dinners, and a mountain range locals call the Swiss Alps of Nevada.

Standout experiences around Elko: - Drive up Lamoille Canyon in the Ruby Mountains for alpine lakes, aspen groves, and trailheads - Eat family-style at a Basque restaurant and finish with a picon punch - Catch the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering at the Western Folklife Center each winter - Walk the California Trail Interpretive Center and its full-size wagon train exhibit - Tour the Northeastern Nevada Museum for ranching, mining, and Shoshone history - Visit the stuffed polar bear in the lobby of the Commercial Casino - Join the National Basque Festival in July for dancing, weightlifting, and lamb - Fish or boat at South Fork Reservoir or Wild Horse Reservoir

Elko is surrounded by a lot of empty, beautiful country. Lamoille and its canyon are 30 minutes southeast, Wells and the trailhead for Angel Lake are about 45 minutes east, and Carlin and its gold mines are 20 minutes west. The tiny village of Jarbidge, near the Idaho line, is a rough two hours north, and Ruby Lake National Wildlife Refuge is about 90 minutes south. Winter brings helicopter skiing in the Rubies, summer brings rodeo and ranch work. Order the lamb, listen to the poets, and Elko will win you over.