Nevada Obscura

Take in the beauty of the Milky Way at one of the best sites for stargazing in Nevada—a state with some tough competition.

Many believe these images represent interstellar lifeforms.

The self-proclaimed gateway to the Extraterrestrial Highway.

This sign designates the road that leads to the infamous Area 51.

Mysterious meeting place for UFO hunters near Area 51.

This massive crater in the middle of nowhere was used to train astronauts for moon landings.

An eatery for UFO seekers on the Extraterrestrial Highway.

It may no longer take overnight guests, but the Martin still makes out-of-towners feel at home—just like it has for the past century.

Ghost hunters have fueled up at this diner for more than a century.

Welcome to a feel-good American drugstore, in the classic sense of the term.

From Wild West waystations to tiki bars, even the state’s smaller restaurants have big personalities.

Where cocktails and comfort food go hand-in-hand with the stuff of legends.

It all started with the Gold Rush.

A Wild West saloon that helped define a generation of psychedelic rock.

Formerly the world's largest, this Willy Wonka-esque contraption runs 24/7.

“Live hard, ride fast, eat pizza” at this joint filled with Evel Knievel memorabilia.

Back in 1952, you could get a mushroom cloud chaser with your atomic cocktail.

Get a taste of the Wild West and a glimpse into the gold rush in Goldfield's oldest continually-running business.

Once a famous outpost for purchasing saddles and spurs, this museum preserves the art, craft, and style of the American cowboy.

The state’s vast canvas is highly open to interpretation.

Francesca Berrini and Lindsey Rickert were inspired by Nevada's "unknown" on days three and four of "The Fellowship of Highway 95."

What began as a prominent Burning Man art piece is now an iconic symbol of downtown Reno.

A professional special effects makeup artist’s collection of horror creatures and one-of-a-kind recreations on display in downtown Boulder City.

Twelve plaster figures inspired by da Vinci's famed painting haunt the desert landscape above a real-life ghost town.

Brightly colored 30-foot-tall totems light up the desert sky just outside Las Vegas.

Graffiti, cars, and religion combine to create this jungle of scrap in the Nevada desert.

Nevada’s small towns offer uncanny artwork against an otherworldly backdrop.

Follow along as the land artist Paul Johnson embarks on "The Fellowship of the Loneliest Road."

These ancient trees with a survivalist spirit inspire awe.

On the last day of "The Fellowship of the Loneliest Road," Paul Johnson fulfills a lifelong dream.

Harder layers in colorful sandstone weather out as prominent “fins" and even more intricate and bizarre shapes.

Located in the remote Monitor Valley, this travertine bowl contains a scalding pool of water.

The longest living non-clonal organisms on Earth.

Singing sand that stands as the final remains of an ancient lake.

From active opal mines to mind-boggling natural sand art.

The 'Queen of the Silver Camps' is 113 acres of history preserved.

One of the best places to dig—some say on the planet—for six different types of chalcedony.

This colossal underground passage paved the way for large-scale drainage and access tunnels across the U.S., but it almost wasn’t built.

This famous Nevada gold mine, once a hotbed of Wild West shenanigans, is now open for tours.

An errant donkey ushered in a new era of mining in Nevada.

A gothic palace of endless stalagmites and pseudoscorpions waits within one of the world's most beautiful caves.

A collision of human error and natural geothermal pressure created this rainbow-colored geologic wonder.

This Nevada lake holds its titular natural pyramid and, if the legends are true, a number of dangerous spirits.

The drama of nature in full effect in this Nevada State Park.

Because ghosts were people, too.

This one-time boomtown still oozes with the spirit of the Wild West.

Eureka, Nevada is a must-see pitstop along the magnificent wide open road of Route 50, where travelers can immerse themselves in a bygone era and explore secret underground tunnels.

What once housed a private club catering to Comstock Lode elite is now considered one of the West’s most haunted spaces.

The oldest hotel in Nevada.

In the middle of a remote desert town is a surprisingly opulent hotel.

This once bustling boomtown hotel is now the hottest spot in Nevada for ghost hunters.

Oh, just a motel on the edge of the desert decorated with thousands of clowns conveniently located next to an abandoned graveyard.