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Back to Panaca

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Voykit pocket guide · United States

Panaca

Give Panaca one night as a base for Cathedral Gorge, not a day of its own: two sights in town, one food truck, no alcohol sold.

Panaca is a farm town of about 960 people in Lincoln County, founded as a Mormon settlement in 1864 and the oldest town in southern Nevada. It bans gambling and alcohol, so it works as a quiet bed for Cathedral Gorge State Park a mile north and as a stop on US-93 between Las Vegas and Great Basin country. The town itself is two historic buildings and a market.

New YorkAberdeenAbileneAbington TownshipAbiquiuAbita SpringsAdaAdamsAdamsAddisonAdrianAftonAgoura HillsAkronPanaca500 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
Best months
Apr–May, Sep–Oct
Avoid
Jul–Aug (desert heat, 35 °C (95 °F)+ afternoons)
Stay
1 night

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 $60–90 excl. bed · Mid $90–150 excl. bed · High $150+ 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 · Lincoln County Sheriff (non-emergency) 775-962-5151 · State parks office 775-728-8101
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 or a cold drink at Panaca Market$2–5
Mexican plate at the food truck$10–16
Camping firewood$5 per armload
Cathedral Gorge or Beaver Dam day use$5 per vehicle
Camping, state park$15 per night
Fuel, per gallon$4–5
eSIM or data SIM, about a week$10–25

Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.

Get in

By air

LAS · Harry Reid International, Las Vegas
About 166 mi / 3 h by car via US-93 and NV-319; the usual arrival airport
CDC · Cedar City Regional, Utah
About 81 mi / 1 h 30 min west via UT-56 and NV-319

Typical fares

Las Vegas → Panaca by car
about 166 mi, 3 h via US-93 and NV-319 (check)
Cedar City → Panaca by car
about 81 mi, 1 h 30 min via UT-56 and NV-319 (check)
Panaca → Pioche by car
about 12 mi, 20 min
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. Panaca sits at the junction of US-93 and NV-319, and the park, the market and the B&Bs are 1–3 mi apart with no transit. Fill up in Caliente or Pioche; fuel in town is limited.

See and do

Known for

  • Cathedral Gorge State Park
  • Oldest settlement in southern Nevada
  • Nevada's no-gambling, no-alcohol rule
  • Panaca Ward Chapel, 1867–68

Day trips

WhereHowTime
Cathedral Gorge State ParkDrive 1 mi north on US-93, then west on the park road10 min
PiocheNV-319 north, then US-93 and SR-321About 20 min
Beaver Dam State ParkSouth on US-93, then east on Beaver Dam RoadAbout 1 h
Rachel and the Extraterrestrial HighwayNV-319 west, US-93, then SR-375About 2 h
Great Basin National Park area via ElyNV-319 north, US-93, then US-50About 2 h to Ely

Sleep

Panaca town centre (Main St / Third St)
Two small B&Bs, walkable to the chapel and Court Rock; book ahead, capacity is tiny.
Cathedral Gorge campground
22 sites in the park, 1 mi north; RV-oriented but tents fit. Showers and flush toilets.

Phrase card

EnglishSay or show
Where is the nearest gas station?Where is the nearest gas station?
Do you sell alcohol here?Do you sell alcohol here?
Is the park road open?Is the park road open?
Can I pay by card?Can I pay by card?
How far to the next town?How far to the next town?

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 alcohol is sold in Panaca, and gambling is banned — buy drinks in Pioche or Caliente.
  • Cell reception is patchy outside town; the campground wifi is paid and unreliable.
  • Summer afternoons top 35 °C; hike Cathedral Gorge before 10:00 or after 17:00.
  • Food options are one truck and a market: arrive with supplies or plan to eat in Pioche, 12 mi north.
  • Fire restrictions can close campfires; check the park's current warning level before you buy wood.

Very low crime; the real risks are desert driving distances, summer heat and no alcohol or fuel after dark. Carry water, keep the tank above half and tell someone your route.

One and two days

No timed day plan for Panaca yet. Suggested stay: 1 night. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.

  • Cathedral Gorge State Park
  • Oldest settlement in southern Nevada
  • Nevada's no-gambling, no-alcohol rule
  • Panaca Ward Chapel, 1867–68

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.

Panaca

To this address, please

To this address, please

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

No consulates in Panaca; the nearest are in Las Vegas. US embassies and consulates handle foreign nationals; US citizens abroad contact the nearest US embassy.

Panaca is dry: no alcohol sold in town, and gambling is banned. Stock up in Pioche or Caliente.

Voykit · checked 2026-09

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