Winnemucca

Winnemucca is a small city in Nevada that got its start as a station on the first transcontinental railroad. It's now a hub for mining, freight traffic, and other activity in northern Nevada, and it also has enough to pique a visitor's interest: mountain landscapes, casinos, vestiges of the Old West, and a proud Basque heritage.

Orientation
Winnemucca is the county seat of Humboldt County in northern Nevada, located on the Humboldt River, about halfway across the state on Interstate 80.

The center of town is around Winnemucca Boulevard and Melarkey Street, and the downtown historic district is on Bridge Street, which has been Winnemucca's main street since the 1870s. Casinos and hotels tend to be concentrated to the west of town near Interstate 80, and the train station is to the southeast towards more residential areas.

The nominal visitor's center is in a convention center at the corner of Winnemucca Blvd and Bridge St, but its posted hours are inscrutably contradictory and in any case not followed consistently, so don't count on getting assistance there.

History
Named after Chief Winnemucca of the local Northern Paiute tribe, the city was established in 1866 and was reached by the first transcontinental railroad in 1868. Numerous Basque and Chinese immigrants found their way to the area; the Basques mostly came to work with livestock and the Chinese to work on the railroad. Winnemucca's once-flourishing Chinatown has disappeared over time (though remnants are displayed at Humboldt Museum), but a strong sense of Basque pride remains, and Basque restaurants and cultural celebrations are a prominent part of the city's identity.

Climate
The dry air means that temperatures vary considerably over the course of the day. Dress in layers.

Get in
Winnemucca is reached via Interstate-80 coming from the east (Salt Lake City) or west (Reno), and by Highway-95 coming from the north (Boise) or south (Las Vegas).

Amtrak serves Winnemucca with the California Zephyr, which runs daily between Emeryville (in the San Francisco Bay Area) and Chicago, with stops including Sacramento, Reno, Elko, Salt Lake City, and Denver. is an unstaffed platform with a simple shelter; trains arrive on the same platform going in both directions. As of 2023, the eastbound train is scheduled to arrive and depart Winnemucca at 7:08PM; going west it's a less convenient 5:40AM (though as always with Amtrak, plan for the possibility of significant delays).

Get around
The town itself is compact and reasonably walkable, presumably a legacy of its development well before the arrival of the automobile. Outside of the core downtown area, sidewalks are inconsistent, but the streets are wide so it doesn't feel too bad to walk on the shoulder when necessary.

For hiking and other activities outside of town, you'll need a car. If you're arriving by train but want a car to get around, rental cars are available at, 3305 Potato Rd.

See
The Bridge Street historic district and signage all around clearly show Winnemucca's Old West heritage, and the dry mountain landscapes form a beautiful backdrop.



Do

 * Off-road vehicles are welcome at the sand dunes just north of town on Highway-95.
 * Off-road vehicles are welcome at the sand dunes just north of town on Highway-95.
 * Off-road vehicles are welcome at the sand dunes just north of town on Highway-95.

Gambling
Winnemucca hosts several casinos, including Winners, the Model T, the Sundance, and Legends.

Buy
For souvenirs with a deeper connection to the region than a T-shirt or postcard, try the Humboldt Museum gift shop.

Winnemucca Charm Trail
This is an unusual and customized souvenir, based around a sort of scavenger hunt organized by the Humboldt County Chamber of Commerce. Start by buying a bracelet ($8 in 2023) at the Humboldt Museum, then you can get $2 charms at any of a few dozen participating stores, restaurants, and other businesses around town. Look for the purple signs that say "Winnemucca Charm Trail".

Eat
Winnemucca hosts several Basque restaurants, including traditional family-style dining at the Martin Hotel and restaurant-style dining at Ormachea's. Don't pass up the chance for some Picon Punch. Ormachea's is also a great Basque establishment with larger portions.

It's easy to find restaurants with a small-town feel. Yes there are fast-food chains (Subway at 936 W Winnemucca Blvd, Burger King at 3220 Fountain Way, Taco Bell at 3475 Construction Way, Jack in the Box at 218 W Winnemucca), but the real dining scene is at local places where the staff seem to have known each other for years and local patrons might happen to run into friends.



Drink

 * The Martin Hotel is a fun place to relax and have a few drinks. Great atmosphere.

Connect
There is no AT&T cell service in Winnemucca. T-Mobile service is fine.

If you need to get online, Sid's and Jack in the Box both have free (open) Wi-Fi.

Media

 * The Great Basin Sun prints a mix of local stories from Humboldt, Pershing, and Lander Counties; statewide news reprinted from the Nevada Independent; and an eclectic set of opinion columns. It's available for $1 at a handful of newspaper boxes around town, including one on Bridge Street and a few outside hotels and restaurants.

Go next
By car, you can take US 95 North to Boise, Lewiston, and Coeur d'Alene. Interstate 80 connects Winnemucca with Reno, Sacramento, and San Francisco to the west, and Elko, Salt Lake City, and the Rocky Mountains to the east. US 95 South goes with Interstate 80 West to south of Lovelock, where it goes down to Fallon, Las Vegas, and Yuma.

Going east, the train makes overnight stops in Elko, Salt Lake City, and Provo, then crosses the border into Colorado (Grand Junction and eventually Denver) the next morning. Going west, the next stop is Reno, then it's over the California border to Truckee and later Sacramento and the San Francisco Bay Area. See California Zephyr for more.