Pioche is a small town, maybe 1,000 inhabitants, in eastern Nevada about 200 miles north of Las Vegas. It is the county seat of giant Lincoln County. It has its roots in mining, and later, drinking and killing. Apparently in 1867 it accounted for two-thirds of all Nevada homicides. The town is built into the Ely Mountains, right up into the hillsides, with narrow steep roads and buildings right on top of one another. Today, there's still some mining but mostly it's a service town, the county seat town, with some revenue from hunters in season. It's too far off the main interstates for it ever to be too crowded.

I like these interior Nevada towns. They are nothing like Vegas or Reno. Most are tiny, ramshackle places, looking like they went through a time warp from 120 years ago. The people tend to be very interesting. Pioche is known for its million-dollar courthouse, which ran over a million simoleans to build in the 1800s, and ironically, it's not used in that manner at all.

There's a very severe juxtaposition of cultures in these here parts of Nevada, as the western fringes of "Mormondom" extend into eastern Nevada. The town of Panaca, about 15 miles southeast of Pioche, is a very neat, orderly town of Mormon farmers and general good guys. Pioche has the saloons and graves, Panaca the families and parades. In the past Panaca was the service town, so to speak, of Pioche. The interesting Cathedral Gorge State Park is nearby.

(c) 2009 Scott Surgent. For entertainment purposes only. This report is not meant to replace maps, compass, gps and other common sense hiking/navigation items. Neither I nor the webhost can be held responsible for unfortunate situations that may arise based on these trip reports. Conditions (physical and legal) change over time! Some of these hikes are major mountaineering or backpacking endeavors that require skill, proper gear, proper fitness and general experience.