National parks in Nevada

Nevada's National Park Service units fall into two distinct worlds, each suited to a different kind of road trip. In the south, Death Valley National Park and Lake Mead National Recreation Area anchor any itinerary worth planning, drawing visitors for dramatic desert scenery, exceptional stargazing, and family camping along one of the American West's great reservoir systems. Head northeast and Great Basin National Park reveals itself as the state's quiet overachiever, a high-elevation refuge that holds its own against the famous parks for stargazing and backcountry hiking while pulling in a fraction of their crowds. Threading through all three and crisscrossing the broader state are three overlapping National Historic Trails, the California, Pony Express, and Old Spanish routes, which reward scenic drivers and history-minded families willing to read the landscape at their own pace. Nevada is a good fit for the self-directed traveler who values solitude, dark skies, and long stretches of open road between stops.