7 Off-The-Grid Nevada Towns To Visit In 2025
Where Are Nevada’s Off-the-Grid Towns Hiding? They’re not buried high in the mountains or hidden away in the desert. They’re out there: along highways, atop mining hills, beneath the stars, waiting for someone to stop. Nevada’s small towns don’t have neon or celebrity residencies, but they do have wild histories, haunted ruins, artsy outposts, and back-road excursions that defy tidy categorization. Some still feel unchanged from the past, while others are just weird enough never to forget. Each welcomes travelers looking for something quieter, weirder, or just more genuine. So, pick up a map, fill your tank, and see what’s still standing around Nevada’s most desolate corners.
Rachel
Tiny town, giant secrets; welcome to Rachel. Begin your cosmic adventure on Nevada State Route 375, the Extraterrestrial Highway, with a stop at ET Fresh Jerky. It’s marked by a huge alien mural and an oversized sign that sets the tone for your trip. From there, continue to Rachel, the closest town to Area 51. Snap a photo at the Alien Cowpoke, a quirky roadside gift shop just outside of town.
Next, grab the famous Alien Burger at the Little A’Le’Inn, a diner known among UFO hunters and road-trippers alike. Then swing by the Black Mailbox, a mysterious landmark that draws visitors hoping to glimpse something strange. Finish your visit by hiking to Tikaboo Peak, the only legal spot to view Area 51 from a distance, if no one’s already watching you.
Ely
Ely runs on railroads, murals, and old-world grit. Start your day at the Nevada Northern Railway Museum, where vintage locomotives still chug along the old copper mining corridor. Then follow the downtown mural trail, a self-guided route through Ely’s historic center, lined with works like the Ely Pony Express Mural and the Basque Sheepherding Mural.
Cross the street to Ely Renaissance Village, part of the Ely Historical Society, and explore a group of restored 19th-century homes that reflect the town’s immigrant past. It’s a surprising highlight on the Loneliest Road in America. As the day winds down, check in at the Jailhouse Motel & Casino to spend your evening gambling in classic Nevada style.
Austin
This small town is remote and full of Wild West stories. First, enjoy breakfast at the International Café and Bar, a cozy local joint with good food and better gossip. Then, walk it off at the Austin Historical Society Museum, which features Pony Express relics, mining tools, and stories from early Nevada pioneers. From there, drive to Stokes Castle, a three-story 1897 tower overlooking the Reese River Valley.
Later, take the scenic 60-mile drive to Berlin-Ichthyosaur State Park to explore a preserved ghost town and see fossils of prehistoric marine reptiles. On your return, make a detour to Toquima Caves, where ancient pictographs mark land considered sacred for centuries.
Pioche
Pioche was built on silver and scandal. Start your tour at the Million Dollar Courthouse, where a corruption scandal in the 1870s ballooned a $26,000 project into a near-million-dollar disaster. Then walk under the ore buckets of the Aerial Tramway, once used to haul silver and nickel down from the mountains.
Stop at the Lincoln County Museum, where mining tools, firearms, and old ledgers reveal gritty frontier life. Don’t miss the Labor Day Festival in late August, featuring shootout reenactments, mining competitions, and rowdy parades. After dark, check into the Overland Hotel & Saloon, where whispers and cold spots once made national TV on Ghost Adventures.
Tonopah
History and haunting go hand in hand in Tonopah. Begin at the Central Nevada Museum, where dusty displays of miners and outlaws introduce Tonopah’s rough beginnings. Next, head to the Tonopah Historic Mining Park to explore looming headframes and silver shafts from the 1800s. Afterward, escape the grit at Crescent Sand Dunes, a rolling patch of desert perfect for hiking and photography.
As night falls, visit Clair Blackburn Memorial Stargazing Park for incredible dark skies. Back in town, wrap things up with a creepy stroll through the Clown Motel, filled with thousands of clown dolls next to an old cemetery. Or settle in at the Mizpah Hotel, where a ghost known as the “Lady in Red” supposedly still lingers.
Goldfield
If off-the-beaten-path had a zip code, it would probably be this town. Start your morning in Goldfield’s historic downtown, where a walking tour from the Goldfield Historical Society brings you to ruins like the John S. Cook & Co. Bank and Nixon & Wingfield Block. Step inside the still-active Esmeralda County Courthouse to soak up the vintage atmosphere.
On the outskirts of town, visit the haunted Goldfield Hotel, a decaying reminder of the town’s boom-and-bust era. Back in the center, wander through the International Car Forest of the Last Church, an open-air art project of graffiti-covered vehicles buried nose-first in the sand. If you’re around in early August, join the festivities of Goldfield Days, with parades, auctions, and wild West reenactments.
Caliente
A desert town with stories written in stone and steel. Start your visit at the Caliente Railroad Depot, a Mission-style landmark from 1923 that now houses a museum and art gallery. Two miles south, Kershaw-Ryan State Park offers red cliffs, desert plants, and shaded picnic spots, perfect for a midday break.
From there, drive 17 miles west on US-93 to mile marker NY 76.3, where the Delamar Ghost Town awaits. Crumbling stone walls and dry wind are all that remain of a once-booming mining town. On your way back, stop at the Oak Springs Trilobite Area to spot fossils embedded in the rocks, leftovers from a time before even gold ruled Nevada.
This Is the Real Nevada
Still think Nevada’s just Vegas and dust? Think again. The towns shown here illustrate that Nevada’s edge doesn’t end at the Strip; if anything, it hardly begins there. It’s the run-down old jailhouses, the rusted-out ski lifts, the half-submerged art cars, and the random little diners in random places that you remember. Not the glitz and glam. Whether you’re tracking ghosts, camping under the stars, or asking locals for directions to nowhere, getting out of the magazines and ads can change you. No filters, no lines, no pretense. These are just roads that lead you somewhere different and leave you wanting to go even further. Don’t just drive through. Stop. Go for a walk. Order the Alien Burger. Let it get weird.
