Trans-America Trail — Eureka to Ely via the Nevada Basin and Range Desert

The Trans-America Trail’s Nevada run between Eureka and Ely puts you on forgotten two-tracks across the Basin and Range — corrugated valleys, sagebrush flats, and occasional ranching roads that see more pronghorn than people. Eureka itself is a genuine 1870s silver-mining town, still largely intact, a worthwhile poke-around before you head east into the Diamond Valley and the intervening mountain ranges that separate these two old railroad towns. The route threads through the Pancake Range and climbs briefly into pinyon-juniper stands before dropping back into the White River Valley. No single obstacle defines this segment; the challenge is the cumulative remoteness, the corrugations, and the distances between anything resembling help.

Intermediate 4WD capability is sufficient for dry conditions — a stock Tacoma or Wrangler handles this fine — but the distances demand planning. Carry at least 60 extra miles of fuel range beyond Ely, since detours happen. Water sources are scarce; treat any you find. Cell service is essentially nonexistent between the two towns. Best time is May through October; winter storms can close mountain passes without warning. There are no permits. Dispersed camping is legal on BLM land throughout and the night skies here rival anything in the continental US. This is the TAT at its most wide-open and existentially quiet.