Ely
Ely is in eastern Nevada near the Utah border at the intersection of US Highways 50, 93, and 6.
Get in
By car
U.S. Routes 6, 50 and 93 converge on Ely. To the north is Highway 93, which connects to Interstate 80 at Wells, I-84 at Twin Falls and I-90 at Missoula. Highway 50 heads west from Ely, eventually making its way to Fallon and Carson City on the other end of Nevada. This highway has an alternate route between Fallon and Fernley for easy access from I-80. Highway 6 travels southwest of Ely and connects to Tonopah and the Sierra Nevada region of California. Southeast of Ely there is a concurrency of all three highways; Route 93 quickly branches off south toward Las Vegas, while Highways 6 and 50 share the road all the way to Delta in Central Utah, not far from Interstate 15.
The leg from the west of Route 50 is called the "Loneliest Road in America" because of the remote areas it goes through.
By train
There is no local train service.
By plane
- 1 Ely Airport (Yelland Field ELY IATA). No commercial air service is available from Ely Airport, but is open to general aviation.
The nearest large commercial airports are in Salt Lake City, Utah and Las Vegas, Nevada.
Get around
See
- 1 Nevada Northern Railway Museum, intersection of 11th Street and Avenue A (in East Ely), ☏ +1 775 289-2085, toll-free: +1-866-407-8326, fax: +1 775 289-6284. Su 8AM-4PM, M 8AM-5PM, Tu closed, W-Sa 8AM-5PM. Museum operating historic trains. Two train routes are run, each of which takes an hour and forty five minutes. Call to listen to recorded schedule information or visit their website. Museum admission: adults $4, children $2. Train ride: adults $23, children $15.
- 2 Ely Renaissance Society, 399 E Aultman St. Take the "Art Walk" sponsored by the Ely Renaissance Society and enjoy over twenty murals and sculptures by world famous artists. Ride the train to the Renaissance Village and step back in time as you visit the shot gun houses decorated to represent the diverse ethnic groups which came to Ely to work, and live. Participate in workshops and retreats or the yearly 4th of July activities. Visit the Farmer's Market or the Holiday Village which are all yearly activities hosted at the Ely Renaissance Village.
- 3 White Pine Public Museum, 2000 Aultman Street, ☏ +1 775-289-4710.
- 4 Ward Charcoal Ovens State Historic Park, ☏ +1 775 289-1693, wcosp@parks.nv.gov. 24 hrs. $5/vehicle, Camping $15/night.
Do
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If you win...
Chances are that, if you win it big in Ely and you are not a U.S. citizen your winnings will be subject to a 30% withholding tax from the Internal Revenue Service. That $10,000 slot winning can dwindle quite quickly if that is taken off the top. Not to worry though you can reclaim your gambling winnings tax through a 1042-S form. You should get this from the casino so don't lose it: it is your starting ticket to getting your gambling winnings back. |
Ely has several small casinos that offer slot machines if you want to try your luck, and the Hotel Nevada has live gaming with blackjack and poker tables. At the east end of the city there are a few legalized brothels that will give visitors free tours. Photographers will want to take a stroll downtown for shots of a pretty little park, old buildings and signage, and the magnificent neon prospector on the Hotel Nevada's Nevada Club. Surrounding the city are mountain ranges that offer the adventure of driving a 4-wheel drive vehicle over beautiful mountains, up canyons, and remove valleys. Mountain climbers can find many peaks over 11,000 feet in elevation.
- 1 Cave Lake State Park, ☏ +1 775 728-4467, clsp@parks.nv.gov. 24 hrs. Day use $5/vehicle, boat launch $10, camping $15/ night, camp and boat $20/night.
- 2 Garnet Hill (about 6 miles west of Ely along Hwy 50, look for BLM sign and access road on right), ☏ +1 775-289-1800, eyfoweb@blm.gov. Popular rock hounding destination for collecting garnets, although now that the secret is out, you can imagine what effect that might have. It's still a nice place to walk and explore. Free.
- 3 Ely's Central Theatre, 145 W 15th St, ☏ +1 775 289-2202.
Buy
Eat
- 1 Hometown Pizza, 2060 E Aultman, ☏ +1 775-289-3739. Su-Th 11AM-9PM, F Sa 11AM-10PM.
- 2 Racks Bar & Grill, 753 Aultman St, ☏ +1 775-289-3131, RacksNevada@gmail.com.
Drink
- 1 Shooter's Bar and Grill, 714 Aultman Street #2501, ☏ +1 775-289-3200. 2PM-2AM, daily. 2 pool tables and karaoke.
Sleep
- 1 Magnuson Park Vue, 930 Aultman St, ☏ +1 775 289-4497, fax: +1 775 289-4541. Dog-friendly.
- 2 Bristlecone Motel, 700 Ave I, ☏ +1 775-289-8838, fax: +1 775 289-4803. Offering a selection of potentially fresh packaged pastries for breakfast.
- 3 Hotel Nevada and Gambling Hall, 501 E Aultman St, ☏ +1 775 289-6665, toll-free: +1-888-406-3055. A historic hotel built in 1929.
- 4 Ramada Ely, 805 Great Basin Boulevard, ☏ +1 775-289-4884. Check-in: 2 PM, check-out: noon.
- 5 Ely KOA, 1596 S Hwy 93, ☏ +1 775-289-3413.
- 6 Prospector Hotel & Gambling Hall, 1501 E Aultman St, ☏ +1 775 289-8900, toll-free: +1-800-750-0557, prospector@mwpower.net. Check-in: 3PM, check-out: 11AM.
Go next
Ely is at the crossroads to several destinations throughout the western United States. Idaho is accessible via US 93 north, while US 50 and US 6 lead to points in California, Utah and Colorado. The section of US Highway 50 heading west out of Ely is known as "The Loneliest Road in America." Central Nevada is filled with desert valleys between sets of mountain ridges. As Highway 50 crosses each of these gently curved valleys in a perfectly straight course, you can often see 20 or 30 miles of completely empty road ahead of you. You just must make sure that you have a car in good working condition as there are basically no services for more than 50 miles at most times and summer temperatures can easily reach 110 °F (43 °C), and winter temperatures getting well below 0 °F (−18 °C).
Las Vegas is approximately four hours away on US 93 southbound, but one can take a shortcut via Nevada State Highway 318, which begins at an intersection with US 6 about 30 miles outside Ely. Taking this route shortens the trip to Vegas by about 60 miles (100 km), but the road is extremely desolate with nearly nonexistent cell phone coverage and no services to speak of apart from the small town of Lund. Don't try it unless you trust your car and you have emergency supplies.
| Routes through Ely |
| Bishop ← Tonopah ← | W  E |
→ Jct  S → Delta → Spanish Fork |
| Carson City ← Eureka ← | W  E |
→ Jct S → Delta |
| Twin Falls ← Wells ← | N  S |
→ Pioche → Las Vegas |