Things to do in Elko
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Elko
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
National Cowboy Poetry Gathering in late January, the defining and coldest week, with every room booked.
Heli ski season and Snobowl weekends, with Lamoille Canyon road closed and brutally cold nights.
Shoulder season: snowmelt waterfalls as the canyon road reopens, South Fork fishing, and value room rates.
Silver State Stampede rodeo in mid to late June and the start of prime Lamoille Canyon season.
National Basque Festival over the Fourth of July weekend, plus peak canyon hiking and hot valley afternoons.
Prime Ruby Crest backpacking, with monsoon afternoon thunderstorms in the mountains, so hike early.
County Fair at Labor Day and the Balloon Festival in mid to late September, the connoisseur's month.
Gold aspens in Lamoille Canyon in early October and crisp, empty trails before winter closes in.
What's on
- National Cowboy Poetry Gathering late January, six days
Ranch poetry, Western music, dances and workshops produced by the Western Folklife Center since 1985.
- Silver State Stampede mid to late June
Nevada's oldest rodeo, a PRCA event at the Elko County Fairgrounds with the Ring of Fear.
- National Basque Festival Fourth of July weekend
Basque dancing, wood chopping, weightlifting, a parade and a closing Basque picnic run by the Elko Basque Club.
- Elko County Fair Labor Day weekend
Horse racing, stock shows, home arts and fair food at the county fairgrounds, running for over a century.
- Ruby Mountain Balloon Festival mid to late September
Dawn balloon launches, a night glow and the Elko Skyfair at the airport.
Best things to do in Elko
Western Folklife Center
Home of the Cowboy Poetry Gathering, with Western art, ranch fieldwork films and the historic Pioneer Saloon.
California Trail Interpretive Center
Free, superb museum of the 2000 mile emigrant trek, with life size dioramas and a walk through wagon camp.
Northeastern Nevada Museum
The region in one building: pioneer history, Ansel Adams and Will James art, and a 200 animal wildlife wing.
Cowboy Arts & Gear Museum
Free museum in G.S. Garcia's original saddle shop, showing the saddles, bits and spurs of Great Basin buckaroos.
J.M. Capriola Co.
A working saddlery since 1929 where ranch hands still buy gear and visitors watch saddle makers upstairs.
Sherman Station Visitor's Center
A whole historic ranch moved log by log to town, now a visitor centre beside the Northeastern Nevada Museum.
Mural Alley
The densest cluster of Elko's 100 plus downtown murals, best walked in daylight on the self guided artwalk.
National Cowboy Poetry Gathering
Six January days of ranch poetry, Western music, dances and workshops that fill the whole town each winter.
Where to stay in Elko
Downtown and Commercial Street core
Gathering week, Basque dining and walking
Walk to the Folklife Center, Capriola's, the Star Hotel and the murals, in older casino hotels and motels.
East Idaho Street and I-80 Exit 303 corridor
road trippers, families and newest rooms
The modern chain cluster with indoor pools and easy freeway, canyon and South Fork access, driving to dinner.
Spring Creek and Lamoille
a Ruby Mountains hiking base, self catering
No hotels, only rentals and campgrounds, anchored by Thomas Canyon inside Lamoille Canyon itself.
Think twice about
- Unreviewed older motels on the Idaho Street strip
Ageing, partly extended stay properties vary wildly and the strip is built for cars. Book the reviewed properties and drive after dark.
Best restaurants in Elko
The Star Hotel Basque Dining
The essential Elko meal since 1910: one entree plus a family style Basque procession of soup, sides and fries.
Luciano's
Elko's special occasion Italian, handmade pastas and grilled ribeye with a full bar, closed Sundays and Mondays.
Toki Ona
Basque set meals and American breakfasts in huge portions from 6am daily, the people's Basque house since 1990.
Himiko Sushi and Steak House
Sushi, steakhouse plates, ramen and smashburgers in one polished room, the variety pick for mixed groups.
Odeh's Mediterranean Restaurant
A family run Mediterranean room for lamb kebabs, falafel and baklava, and Elko's best vegetarian friendly dinner.
Dreez
A locally owned brunch bistro for pistachio waffles, Benedicts, churro French toast, mimosas and Bloody Marys.
Ogi Deli
Basque in sandwich form: tri tip and jamon sandwiches on house baked bread, weekdays only, the best cheap lunch.
Coffee Mug
The diner breakfast locals defend, biscuits and gravy and country fried steak from 6am daily on Commercial Street.
Outdoor things to do in Elko
Lamoille Canyon Scenic Byway
A 12 mile paved climb through a glacial U shaped valley of waterfalls, beaver ponds and aspen groves.
Ruby Crest National Recreation Trail
The signature Ruby Mountains hike, past Dollar Lakes to Lamoille Lake and on to Liberty Pass for strong hikers.
Ruby View Golf Course
Elko's walkable municipal 18, an affordable high desert round playing toward views of the Ruby Mountains.
Spring Creek Golf Course
The quieter, more scenic local 18, playing through the Spring Creek valley under the Ruby Mountains.
Ruby Mountain Heli-Ski
Nevada's only heli skiing, flying into 200000 acres of Ruby Mountains terrain since 1977, priced in thousands.
Elko Snobowl Ski and Bike Park
A volunteer run community ski hill with one chairlift and very cheap tickets, flipping to bike park in summer.
South Fork State Recreation Area
Elko's own lake: boating, a campground and trophy trout and bass fishing about 25 minutes south of town.
Angel Lake
A glacial alpine lake at 8378 feet reached by a paved scenic road, for trout fishing, paddling and picnics.
Best hotels in Elko
TownePlace Suites by Marriott Elko
Elko's top rated all round stay, an extended stay Marriott with kitchens in the east hotel corridor.
Hampton Inn Elko
A reliable Hampton near the airport side of town, with hot breakfast, pool and no surprises.
Holiday Inn Express & Suites Elko
The highest rated chain hotel in Elko on a smaller sample, a modern Express with an indoor pool.
Maverick Hotel & Casino Elko
Elko's largest casino hotel, with restaurants, a bar and the main gaming floor in the same building.
Gold Country Inn and Casino by Red Lion Hotels
A 150 room western themed casino motel with an outdoor pool and a loyal road trip following.
Best Western Elko Inn
Elko's most reviewed hotel, a dependable pair of hands with an indoor pool and hot tub.
Esquire Inn
The beloved independent motel, punching above the budget tier on cleanliness and a personal welcome.
Thunderbird Motel
A 1960s motel two minutes walk from the Western Folklife Center, ideal for Gathering week on foot.
Is Elko expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | $75 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | $145 a person |
| Splurge | $260 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- National Cowboy Poetry Gathering: months ahead
- Ruby View Golf Course: a few days ahead
- Spring Creek Golf Course: a few days ahead
- Ruby Mountain Heli-Ski: months ahead
- Thomas Canyon Campground: weeks ahead
- The Star Hotel Basque Dining: a few days ahead
- Luciano's: a few days ahead
- Himiko Sushi and Steak House: a few days ahead
- Book rooms and headline shows months ahead for the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering in late January.
- Book ahead for the Basque Festival in July, the County Fair at Labor Day and peak Ruby Mountain Heli-Ski weeks.
- Reserve Forest Service campgrounds for summer weekends and the Star Hotel for parties over eight.
Is Elko safe?
- The real risks are environmental: altitude, sun, afternoon thunderstorms on Ruby Crest, winter roads and patchy mobile coverage.
- Walk the downtown murals and alleys in daylight; downtown is very quiet after business hours outside event weeks.
- Carry water in the car year round, in town at 5060 feet and on trails near 10000 feet.
Elko travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Do not oversell the casino floors as a destination; Wendover and Reno do gaming at larger scale.
- The cheapest unreviewed Idaho Street motel is rarely worth the saving over the Esquire Inn or Thunderbird Motel.
- Do not treat the Rubies as summer only; gold aspens make early October arguably the best canyon week.
Getting around Elko: public transport and more
- You need a car: Lamoille Canyon is about 25 miles, South Fork about 16 miles and the California Trail Center about 8 miles from downtown.
- Downtown is compact and walkable in daylight; the Idaho Street hotel corridor is a straight arterial drive.
- Amtrak's California Zephyr stops in Elko in the small hours, so check the timetable before planning around it.
- Winter driving on I-80 can mean chain controls and closures, so build slack into January and February trips.
Who Elko suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Good |
| Couples | Good |
| Bachelor parties | OK |
| Families | Great |
| Bachelorette parties | Not ideal |
Make Elko your trip
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