Lamoille Canyon
Lamoille Canyon Rd
Lamoille, NV
Sheer glacier-carved walls, hanging waterfalls, and alpine meadows that earn the Rubies their nickname, the Yosemite of Nevada.
Lamoille Canyon is the crown jewel of the Ruby Mountains, a steep, glacier-carved gorge that rises out of the northeastern Nevada desert into a world of granite walls, alpine meadows, and hanging waterfalls. Locals call the Rubies the Yosemite of Nevada, and once you drive up into the classic U-shaped canyon, flanked by peaks and threaded with snowmelt streams, the comparison feels earned.
A paved scenic byway climbs about twelve miles up the canyon, gaining thousands of feet as it goes, with pullouts, picnic spots, and trailheads all along the way. It is one of the most spectacular and least crowded mountain drives in the state, ending at a trailhead that opens onto the high country of the Ruby Crest.
What Guests Love
- The sheer U-shaped walls and hanging side canyons carved by Ice Age glaciers
- The paved scenic byway that climbs deep into the mountains for easy access
- Summer meadows exploding with wildflowers below the peaks
- Trailheads to alpine lakes and the high Ruby Crest at the road's end
Worth Knowing
- The road is generally open only May through October, closed by snow the rest of the year
- Afternoon thunderstorms build fast in summer, so plan hikes for the morning
- It is a high canyon, so pace yourself if you are coming from lower elevations
- Services are back in Lamoille and Elko; bring water and supplies before you drive up
Details
Lamoille, NV
Learn about Lamoille Canyon
How the canyon was carved
Lamoille Canyon owes its shape to ice. During the last Ice Age, glaciers ground down out of the Ruby Mountains, gouging the canyon into the broad, flat-bottomed, steep-walled U that distinguishes glacial valleys from the V-shaped canyons rivers cut. The glaciers left behind hanging side valleys, polished rock, and moraines of piled debris, and interpretive panels along the byway point out these features as you climb.
The Ruby Mountains rise like an island of alpine country out of the surrounding Great Basin desert, tall enough to catch heavy winter snow and hold year-round snowfields near the crest. That snow feeds the streams and waterfalls that lace the canyon and keep its meadows green well into summer.
The drive and the trails
The Lamoille Canyon Scenic Byway winds around the base of towering Ruby Dome and climbs through the glacier-carved canyon to roughly 8,800 feet at its upper end. Even without leaving the car, the drive is a marvel of cliffs, cascades, and avalanche chutes, and it is generally open from about May through October, depending on the snow.
At the road's end, the Road's End Trailhead marks the northern start of the Ruby Crest National Recreation Trail, a long, high route into some of the finest backcountry in Nevada, dotted with alpine lakes. Shorter trails lead to spots like Island Lake and Lamoille Lake, giving day hikers a taste of the high country without a full expedition.
Wildflowers and wildlife
In early and midsummer the canyon's meadows blaze with wildflowers, and the mix of habitats supports a rich array of animals. Mule deer are common, and the Ruby Mountains are famous among naturalists as one of the few places in the interior West to see the Himalayan snowcock, a large game bird introduced to these peaks decades ago and now living wild only here.
Mountain goats, pikas, and marmots inhabit the higher rocks, golden eagles ride the ridgeline updrafts, and trout hold in the cold streams and lakes. Fall brings golden aspen and the first dusting of snow on the peaks, while winter closes the upper road and turns the canyon into backcountry ski and snowshoe terrain.
Closest Boutels
The closest Boutel™ stays, so you can turn this stop into an overnight. Each is an independently owned, editorially selected place to stay.
Things to Do Near Lamoille
Lamoille
At the canyon mouth
A tiny, picturesque ranching community with a much-photographed little church at the foot of the Ruby Mountains.
Elko
About 20 miles northwest
The lively regional hub, home to the Western Folklife Center and the annual Cowboy Poetry Gathering, with dining and lodging.
Ruby Lake National Wildlife Refuge
About 60 miles south
A vast spring-fed marsh at the foot of the Rubies, a key stop for migrating waterfowl and one of the West's great birding spots.