2025's 12 Most Scenic Nevada Towns

Far from the glittering lights of the Las Vegas Strip, the often-overlooked towns of Nevada have more to offer nature lovers than you might imagine. Much more than a lonely, barren desert, this vast state boasts landscapes as diverse as they are (occasionally) extreme. If you’re looking for a home base to explore Nevada’s most scenic outdoor attractions, start with the 12 most-scenic Nevada towns for 2025 — 12 oft-overlooked towns with serious views.

Austin

The 47-resident town of Austin lies nearly in the center of Nevada, and you might not suspect some of its natural attractions at first glance. Spend a little time exploring the High Desert, though, and you’ll find more than a few worth checking out. In Austin, the desert is far more than cactus.

Admire the Hickinson Petroglyphs, carved into the dramatic red cliffs by the area’s earliest inhabitants — and frequented by a herd of wild burros. If you’re intrigued by these artistic relics of the area’s past, you can find even more in nearby Toquima Cave. Or something even older: the nearby Berlin-Icthyosaur State Park is home to the most intact icthyosaur skeleton in the United States.

Hot springs are another favorite Austin attraction. Spencer Hot Springs offers relaxing soaks with sweeping views of the Great Basin. And for hikers and bikers, Kingston Canyon preserves some of the most pristine high desert in the state.

Baker

If you’re looking to visit severely underrated Great Basin National Park, Baker is one of the best places to base yourself. Once there, you’ll have unparalleled access to everything the park has to offer. Its high desert scenery includes Mt. Wheeler, the second-highest peak in Nevada, and groves of millennia-old bristlecone pines. Lakes, rivers, mountains, flat expanses of desert, even the impressive cave system at Lehman Caves - Great Basin National Park has just about every kind of scenery that Nevada has to offer. And, on top of that, its stargazing is some of the best in the Continental United States. Staying in the town of Baker puts you in striking range of all those attractions and more.

Bunkerville

The high desert of Nevada might be the last place you’d ever expect to find a sinkhole, but that’s exactly what you’ll stumble upon if you visit Gold Butte National Monument; the sinkhole is known as Devil’s Throat. Gold Butte also includes striking red rock formations, petroglyphs, hiking trails, excellent stargazing, and some of the most striking desert scenery you’ll find anywhere in the state. The town of Bunkerville, located near the border with Arizona, is one of the best bases for accessing both Gold Butte National Monument and the more-famous nearby Valley of Fire State Park.

Carson

Nevada’s relatively unknown capital city (no, it’s not Las Vegas!) isn’t just the state’s seat of government: it’s also one of the most scenic places in the state. Avid hikers and mountain bikers will enjoy the Capital to Tahoe Trail, a newly opened 16.8-mile trail that’ll take you from the capital city to the shores of nearby Lake Tahoe. Or, if you prefer to beat the heat, the Carson River offers fishing, canoeing, and other water-based activities.

But it’s really Lake Tahoe that draws outdoor enthusiasts to Carson. Renowned nationwide as one of the most beautiful lakes in the western United States, it’s a favorite destination for skiing, watersports, and stunning mountain views.

Elko

Ski bums will find plenty to enjoy in Elko, one of Nevada’s best-loved mountain towns. The nearby Ruby Mountains offer hiking, rock climbing, camping and mountain biking in the summer, and the Lamoille Canyon is another favorite among hikers. The canyon area also offers a scenic drive for those who prefer their scenery through a window, and opportunities for off-roading in the remote high desert are abundant.

But it’s in the winter months that the town really comes to life. That’s because Elko is one of the best places in Nevada to experience backcountry winter sports. And although more conventional sports like cross-country skiing, sledding, and snowshoeing are popular, the real draw is heli-skiing. Where else will a helicopter drop you off on a remote mountain to ski down? If you like your sports a little more extreme, Elko is the place to be come wintertime.

Ely

Ely is another of the best-known gateway towns for visiting Great Basin National Park, but there’s something else here to attract nature lovers: rockhounding. If you’ve never heard of it, this outdoor hobby involves searching for unusual rocks, minerals, and fossils, and Ely happens to be a stellar place for it. Stop by Garnet Hill and you might just find semi-precious garnets.

Ely’s proximity to Great Basin National Parks also makes for a beautiful backdrop. No matter the time of year, expect clear night skies, snow-capped mountain peaks, and dramatic desert valleys.

Gardnerville

Gardnerville is best-known for its proximity to the Carson Valley, which somewhat confusingly bears no relation to Carson City. But, like Carson City, it lies near the California border and the Sierra Nevada Mountains, and it boasts all the natural allure that comes with that location. You’ll find just about every outdoor activity you could wish for in this scenic, remote valley: hiking, mountain biking, skiing, fishing, even golf — and some of the prettiest backdrops the state has to offer. You’re not too far from Lake Tahoe or the Carson River, either, making Gardnerville a true all-around destination for outdoor adventurers.

Gerlach

If your idea of an outdoor retreat requires true solitude, you’ve got to get yourself to Gerlach. With a permanent population of 130 and a catchy clogan of “Attitude Good. Population Wanted,” this remote desert village is as quiet a town as you’ll find anywhere. The scenic Black Rock Desert is home to Burning Man and the land transportation speed record, as well as stargazing, horseback riding, and the geothermal drama of Fly Geyser.

Incline Village

If you’re looking to visit Lake Tahoe from the closest possible town on the Nevada side, Incline Village is your best bet. The area’s ski resorts, campgrounds, beaches, and watersports outfitters are all easily accessible from this town, and so are the area’s requisite views of the nation’s largest alpine lake. Not for nothing is Lake Tahoe considered to be one of the most beautiful in America — enjoy all it has to offer from Incline Village.

Minden

Another Carson Valley recreation hotspot, Minden is an excellent place to try unconventional outdoor activities from hot air ballooning to off-roading. That, plus all of the more mainstream recreational activities the Carson Valley has to offer: skiing, hiking, fishing, and day trips to nearby Lake Tahoe. For a relaxed but exciting outdoor adventure with dramatic mountain views, Minden is another underrated Nevada destination.

Pahrump

Death Valley National Park is located mostly in California, but it actually crosses the border with Nevada. And if you keep driving eastwards through the park, you’ll exit through the gateway town of Pahrump. It’s a popular stopping-off point for visitors entering the park, and an even better place to base yourself for a multiple-day visit. The diverse scenery of vast Death Valley, from salt flats (Badwater Basin is the lowest point in the Continental U.S.) to sand dunes (Mesquite Sand Dunes are one of the park’s premier attractions) and otherworldly moonlike valleys, is easily accessible from Pahrump.

Panaca

One of Nevada’s oldest surviving towns is also one of its most scenic. That’s thanks to nearby Cathedral Gorge State Park, a favorite destination for hikers that boasts some of the most interesting rock formations you’ll find anywhere in the Western U.S. These volcanic features are unlike anything else in the state, and hiking and camping opportunities in the area abound. You might also take a swim at Panaca Warm Springs, hike the nearby Moon Caves Slot Canyons, and enjoy the serenity and clear night skies of this desert town.

No matter what kind of scenery you’re looking for, there’s undoubtedly a Nevada town where you’ll find it in spades if you know where to look. Camp out on the shores of a turquoise lake, scale 13,000-foot mountain peaks, or take an off-roading adventure — this unsung state makes all of those opportunities and more available to the intrepid traveler. So next time the mountains (or the desert) are calling, why not follow that call to Nevada?