Nevada

Here's another western state that could be considered Boondocking Central.

As we mentioned in the Western Guide to Snowmobiling, Nevada is one of only three states in the West that doesn't have an extensive groomed snowmobile trail system.

In Nevada's snow zones and mountainous areas, the riding is pretty unrestricted (unless, of course, it's a Wilderness), but most of the sledding takes place north and south of Elko and over near Lake Tahoe.

Near Elko sledders head to the Ruby Mountains and/or Mountain City. Near Mountain City, you'll find two of the tallest peaks in the state, the Matterhorn (10,839 feet) and Jacks Peak (10,198 feet). In the Jacks Creek/Peak area you have the Independence Mountains, which offer open riding and terrain for riders of all skill levels. Farther to the east, and near Mountain City, are Wild Horse Reservoir, Gold Creek and Merrit Mountain (elev. 8,792 feet) with its miles and miles of open country.

Keep going east and you'll ride the North Fork, Charleston and Jarbidge area, offering much of the same kinds of riding. Closer to Elko is the Adobe Summit (elev. 6,548 feet), where sledders will find big, open meadows and elevations that rise 2,000 feet. During normal snow years, the BLM says (and we can substantiate this) the Wild Horse, Gold Creek and Charleston areas have the best snow conditions.

The Ruby Mountains are just southeast of Elko and offer sledders riding from about 6,500 feet right on up to 10,000 feet. Ruby Lake (6,012 feet) gets about four feet of snow a year, but the surrounding mountains get much more.

For information on riding near Elko, contact the Elko Convention and Visitors Authority (800-248-ELKO).