Where to stay in Elko

Who Elko suits

Elko suits Ruby Mountains hikers and backcountry skiers (Lamoille Canyon is 20 minutes south and rivals any drive in the state), Interstate 80 road-trippers, National Cowboy Poetry Gathering attendees (last full week of January, book six months out), and anyone visiting for the Basque heritage. The Star Hotel and the Nevada Dinner House still serve family-style Basque dinners — picon punches, oxtail, and sheepherders' bread — that are the reason many people specifically stop here. Barrick and Nevada Gold Mines drive a steady business-travel market, keeping mid-range chain hotels well maintained but sometimes booked out midweek.

Who should skip it

Skip Elko if you want scenic-town charm; the downtown is functional rather than picturesque, and the Idaho Street strip is dominated by chain motels and casino-hotels of the utilitarian sort. Skip it during Cowboy Poetry Gathering week if you have not booked well ahead — every room in town sells out and rates triple. Skip it as a day-trip base for anywhere except the Rubies and Jarbidge Wilderness; the next real destination in any direction is 100+ miles away. Winters are cold (single-digit lows are normal in January) and the elevation is 5,000 feet.

What's within walking distance

From downtown properties along Idaho Street (Stockmen's, the Red Lion, the historic Commercial Hotel) you can walk to the Northeastern Nevada Museum (excellent for Shoshone, Basque and mining history), the Western Folklife Center (Cowboy Poetry Gathering headquarters), the Basque restaurants, and the compact downtown bar strip. From the airport-side chains along Mountain City Highway, almost nothing is walkable. Lamoille Canyon Scenic Byway starts 20 minutes south — the road climbs to 8,800 feet and is one of the most under-visited alpine drives in the western US. Wild Horse Reservoir is 65 miles north.