Things to do in Ely
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Ely
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Best window. Mild summer days, scenic drive and high trails open, full train slate running.
Best single month. Astronomy Festival, Race the Rails, gold aspens and cooler nights.
Shoulder months. May race and reopening high country, October faire, pumpkin trains and fall colour.
Winter. Very cold and quiet, worth it for Polar Express in December and Fire and Ice in January.
Worst window for a general visit. Cold and windy, high park still closed and the event calendar thin.
What's on
- Fire and Ice Winter Festival 16 to 18 January
Ice sculpture at Cave Lake, downtown events and fireworks fired from a moving steam train.
- Silver State Classic Challenge May and September runnings
A 90 mile open road race on NV 318, recognised as the fastest open road race in the world.
- Fears, Tears and Beers June
An enduro mountain bike race on the Ward Mountain trails.
- White Pine County Fair and Horse Races August
The county fair and horse races, the biggest local month in Ely.
- Great Basin Astronomy Festival September, new moon weekend
Rangers and amateur astronomers under Gold Tier dark skies in Great Basin National Park.
- Race the Rails 12 September
Mountain bikers race a Nevada Northern steam train back to Ely.
- Ely Renaissance Faire and Pumpkin Festival 16 to 17 October
A medieval faire and pumpkin festival at Broadbent Park, drawing about 2800 people in 2025.
- Nevada Northern Polar Express Late November through December
Themed holiday trains with Santa and hot chocolate, the highest demand trains of the year.
Best things to do in Ely
Nevada Northern Railway Museum
A complete working steam railroad preserved as a landmark, with yard, shops and a 90 minute excursion train.
East Ely Railroad Depot Museum
The 1907 depot museum that explains the offices and copper railroad story behind the working yard next door.
Ely Renaissance Village
Restored houses furnished for the immigrant communities that built the mines and railroad of Ely.
White Pine Public Museum
The county museum with mining history, a cave bear, a relocated depot, a schoolhouse and Ely first mural.
Ely Murals
A free self guided walk past large downtown murals telling the mining, railroad and sheepherding story of Ely.
Central Theatre
A restored historic single screen theatre on Aultman Street, and the best in town evening option.
Ward Charcoal Ovens State Historic Park
Six huge beehive stone ovens from 1876 alone in the sagebrush, the best preserved of their kind in Nevada.
Where to stay in Ely
Downtown / Aultman Street historic core
character and walking to dinner
The Hotel Nevada, Jailhouse, murals, theatre and soda fountain are here, on a working truck highway.
East Ely / depot side
railway first trips
Closest to the Nevada Northern yard and depot, with easier parking and quieter nights.
East Aultman / Great Basin Boulevard
road trips and Great Basin days
The newest chain and casino hotel rooms, with the easiest early starts toward Baker and the park.
Think twice about
- Aultman Street highway frontage rooms
Not a safety issue. Aultman is a truck route, so front rooms are noisy for light sleepers. Ask for a back or high room, or base on the east side.
Best restaurants in Ely
Cell Block Steak House
Ely occasion dinner, good steaks served in a private barred cell inside the Jailhouse Casino.
Margaritas
The most reviewed restaurant in Ely, a big reliable Mexican kitchen inside the Prospector Hotel.
Racks Bar and Grill
The Aultman Street bar and grill where locals hang out, for burgers, steaks and the liveliest room in town.
La Fiesta
A quieter family run Mexican restaurant loved for enchiladas and chile rellenos, good for groups.
Mr. Gino's Restaurant & Bar
The town Italian and pub kitchen near the Hotel Nevada, with pasta, delivery and a full bar.
Economy Drug and Soda Fountain
A working 1950s soda fountain for sandwiches, malts and hand pressed lime rickeys at counter prices.
Rolberto's
A small cheap Mexican counter with fresh salsas, big portions and the highest rating among small Ely kitchens.
Flower Basket & Espresso Depot
Part flower shop, part espresso depot, and the best supported coffee and breakfast stop in Ely.
Outdoor things to do in Ely
Lehman Caves
Ranger led tours into Nevada longest cave, famous for rare shield formations including the Parachute Shield.
Bristlecone Pine Trail
A 2.8 mile trail to a grove of bristlecone pines thousands of years old, high above the cave road.
Wheeler Peak
An 8.6 mile strenuous summit hike to 13063 feet, the second highest point in Nevada, for acclimatised hikers.
Nevada Northern Star Train
An evening train beyond the town lights, stopping for telescope stargazing with astronomy rangers.
Be the Engineer - Nevada Northern Railway
Take the throttle of a 1909 steam locomotive or a heritage diesel on the original copper ore line.
Cave Lake State Park
A 32 acre mountain reservoir for trout fishing, boating and hiking, 15 minutes southeast of Ely.
Garnet Hill
A free BLM hillside where dark red garnets weather out of the rock and can be found loose in the dirt.
White Pine Golf Course
An 18 hole par 73 course at altitude with mountain views, friendly play and very good value green fees.
Best hotels in Ely
Holiday Inn Express & Suites Ely by IHG
The newest and best kept full service hotel in Ely, with indoor pool, hot breakfast and modern rooms.
La Quinta Inn & Suites by Wyndham Ely
A modern pet friendly hotel with indoor pool, hot tub and free breakfast on Great Basin Boulevard.
Prospector Hotel & Gambling Hall
A western themed hotel and gambling hall with remodelled rooms, a pool and Margaritas restaurant inside.
Hotel Nevada and Gambling Hall
The landmark 1929 hotel and casino anchoring downtown, with remodelled rooms and classic Nevada character.
Jailhouse Motel & Casino
A simple good value jail themed motel whose best asset is the Cell Block Steak House downstairs.
Bristlecone Motel
A classic independent budget motel with free parking, among the cheapest clean rooms in town.
All Aboard Cafe & Inn
A small cafe and inn near the railway yard, the closest thing Ely has to a bed and breakfast.
Is Ely expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | $70 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | $140 a person |
| Splurge | $260 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Nevada Northern Railway Museum: weeks ahead
- Lehman Caves: weeks ahead
- Nevada Northern Star Train: weeks ahead
- Be the Engineer - Nevada Northern Railway: months ahead
- White Pine Golf Course: a few days ahead
- Cell Block Steak House: a few days ahead
- Book Star Train, Polar Express and Fireworks Express trains the week you fix your dates. They sell out.
- Book Lehman Caves on Recreation.gov weeks ahead in summer. Tours cap at 20 and walk ups sell out fast.
- Book Be the Engineer months ahead for steam, and hotels early for Astronomy Festival, fair and race weekends.
Is Ely safe?
- Altitude is the main risk. Ely is at about 6437 feet and Wheeler Peak tops 13000, so hydrate and start hikes early.
- Watch for rattlesnakes around rock piles at Garnet Hill and on rocky trails.
- Winter highs hover near freezing and passes exceed 6000 feet in every direction. Carry winter gear and check road conditions.
Ely travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Do not eat at the highway fast food chains, the weakest rated kitchens in town, with this list in hand.
- Follow BLM signs to Garnet Hill, not the Google Maps pin, which has misdirected visitors.
- Do not plan Ely as a one night fuel stop. The second night, for stars or caves done properly, is the trip.
- The Stardust Ranch in some listings is a legal brothel outside town, not general lodging or a bar.
Getting around Ely: public transport and more
- You need a car. Great Basin is about an hour east, with sparse fuel and long gaps in cell service, so download offline maps.
- Fuel up in Ely before any excursion and treat a quarter tank as empty outside town.
- Watch for deer, pronghorn and open range cattle at dawn, dusk and night.
Who Ely suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Good |
| Couples | Good |
| Bachelor parties | Not ideal |
| Families | Great |
| Bachelorette parties | Not ideal |
Make Ely your trip
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