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Back to Ely

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Voykit pocket guide · United States

Ely

Ely, Nevada

Give Ely one full day and one night: the Nevada Northern Railway train ride plus Ward Charcoal Ovens. Two nights if you want Cave Lake and Garnet Hill too.

Ely is a small high-desert crossroads town in White Pine County, eastern Nevada, where US 50, 93 and 6 meet. It is a car stop, not a city break: the draw is a working heritage railway, a state park of beehive-shaped charcoal kilns, a lake, and the empty basin-and-range country around it. Most travellers pass through on the Loneliest Road in America or between Las Vegas and Salt Lake City; one night covers the core, two nights if you add the lake and rockhounding.

New YorkAberdeenAbileneAbington TownshipAbiquiuAbita SpringsAdaAdamsAdamsAddisonAdrianAdrianAftonAgoura HillsEly500 kmdots: other places in this guide
Sketch, not to navigate by: shapes follow this guide’s areas and places, not official boundaries. North is up.
Country
United States
Local name
Ely, Nevada
Best months
May–Jun, Sep–Oct
Avoid
Jul–Aug (high heat), Dec–Feb (cold, snow on mountain passes)
Stay
1–2 nights

Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.

Essentials

Currency
USD
Money
Currency is the US dollar (USD, $). Cards and phone payments work almost everywhere; carry a little cash for tips and small vendors.
Daily spend
Budget $70–110 excl. bed · Mid $110–180 excl. bed · High $180+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
SIM and data
AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile cover the country; prepaid SIMs at their stores and Walmart/Target (passport required), or an eSIM before you fly.
Emergency
Police, fire, ambulance 911 · Nevada Northern Railway Museum +1 775-289-2085 · Ward Charcoal Ovens State Historic Park +1 775-289-1693
Plugs
Types A, B · 120 V · 60 Hz · Chargers are dual-voltage; hair dryers and straighteners from 230 V countries need a converter.
Tipping
Sit-down restaurant: 18–22% of the pre-tax bill.; Bar: US$1–2 per drink or 20% of the tab.; Taxi / ride-hailing: 15–20%, in the app.; Hotel housekeeping: US$3–5 a night.; Porter / valet: US$2–5 per bag or car.; Tour guide: US$10–20 per person for a day tour.; Counter service / tablet prompts: Optional; 0–15%.
Water
Tap water is drinkable nearly everywhere; boil or treat water from streams in parks.
Toilets
Free public toilets are scarce in big cities; use cafés, department stores, libraries, stations. Rest areas on highways are free.

What things cost

ItemPrice
Coffee$3–6
Diner breakfast$10–18
Pizza or burger with a drink$15–28
Draught beer in a bar$5–8
Fuel, per US gallon$3.50–5.00
Museum or state-park entry$2–10
Motel double room, midweek$70–200

Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.

Get in

By air

ELY · Ely Airport (Yelland Field)
General aviation only; no scheduled commercial flights. Check before planning around it.
LAS · Harry Reid International, Las Vegas
About 4 h by car on US 93 south, or shorter via NV-318; no services on much of the route.
SLC · Salt Lake City International
The other large gateway; US 93 north to I-80, then east. Check current drive time.

Typical fares

Nevada Northern Railway Museum train ride
about $23 adult, $15 child; museum admission $4 adult, $2 child
Ward Charcoal Ovens day-use
about $5 per vehicle; camping about $15 per night
Cave Lake day-use
about $5 per vehicle; boat launch about $10; camping from about $15 per night
Show 7 more sections and the pocket cardHideGet around, See and do, Sleep, Phrase card, Etiquette, safety and scams, One and two days, Sources, Pocket card

Get around

You need a car. There is no local train service and no useful public transit; the sights and the state parks are spread out well beyond walking distance. Fill the tank in Ely before heading west on US 50 or south on US 93 — services are sparse for 50+ miles. Downtown is small enough to walk between the hotel strip and the murals.

See and do

Known for

  • Nevada Northern Railway Museum and its heritage train rides
  • Ward Charcoal Ovens State Historic Park
  • Cave Lake State Park
  • US 50, the Loneliest Road in America
  • Hotel Nevada and its neon prospector sign

Day trips

WhereHowTime
Ward Charcoal Ovens State Historic ParkDrive south of Ely on US 93, then the signed park roadAbout 30–40 min each way (check)
Cave Lake State ParkDrive south-east of Ely on the signed access roadAbout 20–30 min each way (check)
Garnet HillDrive about 10 km (6.2 mi) west of Ely on US 50, look for the BLM sign and access roadAbout 15 min each way (check)
Great Basin National ParkDrive east on US 50/6 toward Baker, then the park roadAbout 1.5 h each way (check)
EurekaDrive west on US 50About 1.5 h each way (check)

Sleep

Aultman Street (downtown)
The main strip: Hotel Nevada and Gambling Hall, Magnuson Park Vue, Racks Bar & Grill, Shooter's. Walkable to the murals and the Central Theatre.
East Aultman Street
Prospector Hotel & Gambling Hall and Hometown Pizza sit out this way; a car makes it easy. Area guidance: check.
Great Basin Boulevard
Ramada Ely (Copper Queen Casino) near the US 93 junction; easiest for a quick highway exit. Area guidance: check.
East Ely (11th Street and Avenue A)
Nevada Northern Railway Museum is here; quiet, best if the train is your reason for stopping. Area guidance: check.
South US 93 (Ely KOA)
Campground south of town; car needed for everything.

Phrase card

EnglishSay or show
Where is the gas station?Where's the nearest gas?gas station
Fill it up, pleaseFill it up, pleasefill it up
Is there cell service ahead?Any signal up the road?cell service
How far to the next town?How far to the next town?next town
Can I pay by card?Do you take card?card
Where is the restroom?Where's the restroom?restroom

Etiquette, safety and scams

Etiquette

  • Greeting: Handshake and 'hi, how are you?' — reply 'good, thanks'; avoid: Treating the question as a real health enquiry
  • Restaurants: Tip 18–22% and wait for the check; avoid: Leaving without tipping
  • Personal space: Keep an arm's length in queues; avoid: Standing close to strangers
  • Politics and religion: Listen more than you speak; avoid: Opening with hot-button topics
  • Smoking: Smoke only in marked areas; avoid: Smoking near doors or in parks where banned

Scams and watch-outs

  • No commercial air service at Ely Airport (ELY); the nearest big airports are Las Vegas and Salt Lake City.
  • US 50 and US 93 cross long empty stretches with no fuel, food or reliable cell coverage. Carry water, a spare and a full tank.
  • Summer highs can pass 38 °C and winter lows drop well below 0 °C; mountain passes can close with snow.
  • The NV-318 shortcut toward Las Vegas is shorter but extremely remote — no services beyond Lund and almost no phone signal.
  • Non-US visitors who win at slots or tables may have tax withheld; keep the paperwork the casino gives you.
  • Legal brothels operate at the east end of town; they are a legal, regulated local business, not a tourist attraction to wander into unannounced.

Ely itself is a quiet, low-crime small town; the real risks are the drive — heat, snow, no fuel and no cell signal on US 50 and US 93. Carry water, keep the tank above half and tell someone your route.

One and two days

No timed day plan for Ely yet. Suggested stay: 1–2 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.

  • Nevada Northern Railway Museum and its heritage train rides
  • Ward Charcoal Ovens State Historic Park
  • Cave Lake State Park
  • US 50, the Loneliest Road in America
  • Hotel Nevada and its neon prospector sign

Sources

Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.

Pocket card

Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.

ElyEly, Nevada

To this address, please

To this address, please

My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)

No consulates in Ely. The nearest are in Las Vegas and Salt Lake City; embassies are in Washington, DC. Check your country's list before travelling.

Print this card. Cell coverage is patchy outside town — save the numbers and your route offline.

Voykit · checked 2026-09

Printed from Voykit (/ely-nevada). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.