For those unfamiliar with Pioche, Nevada, it can be an odd little place. The population today is only about 1,000, but it once had an outsized reputation as a dangerous western outpost. Remnants of that history remain, as you saw in this week’s “Outdoor Nevada,” hosted by Connor Fields, on Vegas PBS.
I’m not a big believer in the afterlife, but I’ve stayed in Pioche’s Overland Hotel on two occasions. Both visits led me to believe my orange-shag carpeted hotel room was haunted by ghosts of the town’s violent past.
“You get a little bit of everything up here,” said “Outdoor Nevada” host Connor Fields. “You can get some history, some mining, some Wild West, some ghosts. I'm hoping I don’t get any of those!”
Like Fields, I’m more interested in the outdoors life than the afterlife. Pioche is a gateway to several incredible Nevada landscapes — six state parks are within a short drive of the town. The parks are just out of the way enough that most passers-by will continue passing by, so they’re seldom busy. They also provide seemingly untouched environs for birds, my favorite thing to see there. And last, but not least, these parks are home to quiet, well-stocked fishing spots full of rainbow trout and largemouth bass.
Echo Canyon State Park features a 65-acre reservoir popular for boating and fishing. The park is tucked down a rural roadway near the eastern edge of the state, at the head of Dry Valley. It’s the best of both worlds — holding water from the Colorado River watershed (that eventually leads to Lake Mead) within a Great Basin ecology. The first time I saw vultures was at this park, a dozen of them circling above the main waterway. You’ll find waterfowl and shorebirds in the reservoir, and songbirds and eagles in the canyon. According to park officials, you could even — rarely — spot a trumpeter swan here.
The hike I recommend in this park is Ash Canyon. It’s a 2.5-mile loop that begins in the main campground, followed by a 300-foot climb to the valley rim, and a descent into Ash Canyon, filled with fascinating rock formations — tertiary basaltic lava flows in the canyon and badlands of volcanic ash-flow tuffs, according to park officials. For a bit, the hike follows the highway, but that isn’t a problem — in my experience, you’ll pass maybe a single vehicle. At the end of the hike, you can take in a view of the entire valley.
As Fields said, “If you’re a history buff, an outdoors enthusiast, a photographer, or a weekend explorer, you will love Pioche.”
Hike: Ash Canyon
Getting there: From Las Vegas, it’s about a three-hour drive. Take U.S. 93 north for 178 miles to State Route 322 in Pioche. Follow that for four miles, then take Echo Dam Road for eight.
Pro-tip: If you’re a visitor center nerd like me — gotta get the stickers, magnets, a state park passport stamp, and a hat, right? — you’ll find all of that at the regional visitor center at Cathedral Gorge State Park 10 miles south of Pioche.
