The Northern Region of Nevada, also known as "Cowboy Country", has been defined, at least in part, by the culture and heritage of the cattle ranchers who settled here in the late 1800's, and by the Humbolt River, which flows 300 miles through the state along I-80. Valleys are still authentic in this vast cattle country, with grazing livestock and fields of alfalfa hay. The Lamoille Canyon Road, which is a Nevada Scenic Byway, takes visitors through the town of Elko, the Ruby Marshes (a wildlife sanctuary) and into the heart of the Ruby Mountains. Angel Lake, high amid the East Humboldt Mountains and the more-than-100,000-acre Jarbidge Wilderness Area, play a vital role in "Cowboy Country."
Ghost towns, expansive scenery, geologic wonders and historic mining towns cover the wide-open spaces of Nevada's South Central Region. This area, also known as the Pioneer Territory, is where gold and silver fortunes were once feverishly pursued during Nevada's famous era of boom and bust a century ago. Walker Lake, just north of Hawthorne, also lies within Pioneer Territory.
Open range, endless vistas, sagebrush-carpeted valleys and picturesque mining towns await travelers in the Central Region of Nevada. Also known as the Pony Express Territory, the Central Region spans the center of Nevada, straddling U.S. Hwy. 50. Its name reflects the fact that U.S. Hwy. 50 parallels the historic Pony Express route. Four-thousand-year-old bristlecone pines can be seen at Great Basin National Park, and six-thousand-year old petroglyphs reside at Grimes Point Archaeological Site.
Western Nevada borders a small section of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, where they extend a short way into the state near Lake Tahoe. From magnificent Lake Tahoe (one of the world's clearest and deepest lakes) to historic Virginia City, site of one of the West's greatest mining booms, the Western Region contains many of Nevada's most scenic and historical attractions. South of the Black Rock Desert are the cities of Reno and Sparks. The Truckee River runs from Lake Tahoe, California into primitive and saline Pyramid Lake. Carson City, the capital of Nevada, is situated in the Western Region, 30 miles south of Reno.
Southern Nevada, sometimes referred to as the Las Vegas Territory, offers a diverse landscape consisting of expansive arid desert, rough mountains and unique canyons such as Red Rock Canyon. Lake Mead (the largest man made lake in the western hemisphere) and Hoover Dam, can be found southeast of Las Vegas. The Colorado River, located at the extreme southern tip of Nevada near Laughlin, attracts hoards of water lovers.
Nevada gets less annual precipitation than any other U.S. state, so there's bright sun at most times of the year. For many years, Herb's Tavern offered "a free beer to everyone, any day the sun doesn't shine in Boulder City." With an average annual rainfall of only about 7 in., much of Nevada is an uninhabited, sagebrush-covered desert. The wettest part of the state receives about 40 in. of precipitation per year, while the driest spot has less than 4 in. per year.
Snow can be heavy in the mountains during winter months, especially in the north. In the west and south, winters range from moderate (26 to 51 deg.) to mild (33 to 58 deg.). Most of the year is pleasant for travel somewhere in the state, but travelers should beware of the midsummer heat if you're outside the mountains during July and August. Temperatures spend several weeks above 90 degrees in the north and above 100 degrees in the south. Even after very hot days, nights can be as cool as the upper 40s to low 50s in northern and western Nevada, but can remain in the 90s in southern Nevada.
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