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- Top Things To Do
- Lake Tahoe
- Ruby Mountains
The Ruby Mountains have a way of making an impression. From the nearest town, Elko, you head up a two-lane road, negotiate a curve and then, suddenly, the Rubies — a snow-draped rock wall jutting more than 11,000 feet from the rolling sagebrush basin of Spring Valley.
They are a startling sight, and spectacular representatives of Nevada’s famed basin and range topography. There are two stories of how the mountains got their name. One says that the range was named for the ruby garnets prospectors found in the mountains. A second story may be closer to the truth. In the late afternoon, the sun paints the spires a rich red color. Many locals insist it is this ruby glow that inspired the name.
The Rubies are a recreational wonderland with dozens of hiking trails stretching miles through the rugged country. Hidden in the many canyons and meadows in the range are more than a half dozen alpine lakes.
Approaching the range from Elko, and about three-quarters of the way across Spring Valley, there is a fork in the road. Signs indicate the Lamoille Canyon is east and the hamlet of Lamoille is north.
Lamoille is a small cattle and farming community that is the closest to a small midwestern town you’ll find in Nevada. It is a lush, fertile community surrounded by fields dotted with cattle or filled with rolled carpets of hay. The Presbyterian Church in Lamoille is all steeple and whitewashed wood — and somehow reinforces the image that you’ve stumbled into a rural Vermont village.
The road up into Lamoille Canyon is a special treat. (It is closed in winter by snow.) At the mouth of the canyon, you can stop to enjoy a picnic area alongside a bubbling creek fed by the snowpack.
At the end of the 13 1/2-mile road into the canyon is a parking area and the trailhead for climbing into the mountains. Signs indicate several trails for both long and short hikes. More than 100 miles of hiking trails take you through gorgeous mountain scenery and a handful of beautiful alpine lakes. Hikers can enjoy day trips or find campsites in the mountains.
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