3 Best Sights in Outside Great Basin National Park, Great Basin National Park

The biggest attraction in Ely draws train aficionados from near and far. During the mining boom, the Nevada Northern Railroad connected East Ely, Ruth, and McGill to the transcontinental rail line in the northeast corner of the state. The whole operation is now a museum open year-round and watched over by its famed cat mascot, Dirt, who receives food and gifts from fans across the country. You can tour the depot, offices, warehouses, yard, engine houses, and repair shops. Catch a ride on one of the vintage locomotives, and get history lessons from enthusiastic guides along the way (check website for times). You can even stay overnight in a caboose or bunkhouse.

This is an idyllic spot 7,350 feet above sea level in the pine and juniper forest of the big Schell Creek Range that borders Ely to the east. You can spend a day fishing for rainbow and brown trout in the reservoir and a night sleeping under the stars. Arrive early; it gets crowded. Access may be restricted in winter.

In the quiet desert south of Ely, this row of six beehive-shaped, 30-foot-tall ovens used to process 35 cords of wood at once. From 1876 to 1879, the ovens turned vast forests of pinyon, juniper, and mountain mahogany into charcoal, which was used for refining local silver and copper ore. It's a well-preserved piece of unique mining history, and the park includes a campground, hiking trails, and a creek good for fishing.