Rubies Route

#RubiesRoute TravelNevada.com/Rubies-Route

Start: Elko Suggested Duration: 2-5 days Distance: 30 to 375 mi

With Elko as your hub for this perfect jewel of a road trip, you’ll have the choice of three main spokes that lead to scenic slices of recreation-packed paradise. Chase trails in stunning Lamoille Canyon, wildlife at Ruby Lake and Angel Lake, or wind your way through wild country toward Jarbidge, one of the West’s last true frontier towns.

Called Nevada’s Alps, the Ruby Mountains’ craggy peaks— capped by Ruby Dome at 11,387 feet—rise nearly a mile above the valley floor. A 45-minute drive puts you at the top of Lamoille Canyon Scenic Byway, where scenic trails offer everything from afternoon jaunts to multiday thru-hikes on the Ruby

Trail. Whichever you choose, you’re never far from beautiful, trout-packed alpine lakes. In winter, the byway closes to cars and becomes a snowmobile superhighway with around 300 inches of annual snowfall. Elko’s hotels and motels offer all the amenities, but closer to the mountains are the rustic Hotel Lamoille and two swanky wilderness yurts—one on top of a Ruby Mountain ridge, another tucked back in the woods on a babbling brook.

If mostly-unpaved Harrison Pass is open, stop at remote Jiggs Bar for a cold one on your way to Ruby Valley. If it’s not, take paved Secret Pass/NV-229.

offers a 370,000-acre panorama of watery grandeur, home to 220 species of birds and plenty of fish. Embark JIGGS BAR on the wildly photogenic Angel Lake Scenic Drive, an aspenladen gem where wildlife abound, hidden just 12 miles up from I-80. If you don’t already have a comfy bed waiting for you in Elko, Wells has you covered. Spring for an

teepee glamping at a wild horse refuge or a luxurious lodge on a working ranch.

It doesn’t get much more offthe-grid than Jarbidge. Site of the last American gold rush and stagecoach robbery, this Wild Western town (seasonal population: 11 to 100) draws anglers, off-roaders, shutterbugs, and nature-lovers. The pictureperfect Jarbidge Wilderness

Area is one of the most remote corners of the lower 48. The dirt roads from Elko only get plowed once a year (around July 4) and get snowed in as early as October. Alternatively, there’s a paved route via Jackpot into Idaho and back down to Jarbidge. With all the effort to get there and all the splendor waiting at the end of the trail, we recommend an overnighter at the Outdoor Inn.