"THE RUBY MOUNTAINS" a Elko Travel Page by mtncorg

I could have placed these tips under the heading of the town of Lamoille, that being the small town closest to the range. But no one has probably heard of that town. Probably not that many have heard of Elko, either. Still, most people will come through Elko en route to the Rubies, which lie about 20 miles to the southeast. Elko is also a nice town to tarry. There is a nice museum where you can find out more about this area of the country: the old California Emigrant trail, the Basques, the local Indians, the mining and cattle industries. There are plenty of places to stay here in Elko, along with some good Basque restaurants and the obligatory gambling casinos - this being Nevada, afterall. For the non-camper, this is also the better spot to base out of. Lamoille has only one small lodge with 3 rooms. There used to be a super bed and breakfast, where I stayed the last time through, but I see that the old ranch house has gone back to being a ranch house.

The Ruby Mountains are a typical Great Basin range in that they are long, thin, gentler slopes on one side and an abrupt face on the other: 100 miles by 10 miles, west is gentler and east is abrupt. These mountains are way out there. It takes you some time to reach here. Salt Lake City is the nearest city and that is five hours away. While the range is typical, it is also spectacular. The range is a place of natural grandeur, rarely witnessed by the normal tourists roaring by on nearby I80 or the millions who are flying overhead - en route to California or cities in the east. If they notice the mountains at all, they probably look just like one more set of hills rising out of the monotonous sage. So, come with me to virtually tour some of the Rubies and see what they are missing.

Note: Everything in the Rubies are off-the-beaten-path, therefore, they are 'Must See' ;-]