Ely, Nevada, is a town full of history, charm, and culture.

It also continues to define itself, and it's got a ton of outdoor recreational activities.

So I reached out to Kyle, a local and the Director of Tourism for White Pine County.

He's mapped out an entire adventure for me, and I can't wait to get started.

This is Outdoor Nevada.

♪♪♪ I'm Connor Fields, your new host for my favorite show, Outdoor Nevada.

♪♪♪ Ely is a charming small town surrounded by picturesque desert landscapes and rugged mountains.

Known for its rich mining history, Ely offers visitors a glimpse into the past with its museums, murals, and more.

Ely's quaint downtown area features unique shops, cozy cafes, and friendly locals, making it a welcoming stop for travelers seeking an authentic taste of rural Nevada hospitality.

My first stop, the East Ely Railroad Museum to meet up with the museum's director, Sean Pitts.

Tell me about how you came to be here and doing what you're doing.

(Sean Pitts) Sure.

So I'm a historian.

That's what I wanted to be when I grew up.

Part of being a historian is being a museum director.

I'm the museum director at one of seven state museums.

It's the Nevada State Railroad Museum here in Ely.

There's seven other museums, including the State Railroad Museum in Carson City and another State Railroad Museum in Boulder City.

We have a railroad-rich state and a very rich railroading history in this state.

And then there's some other museums, one in Overton, one in Carson City, and one in Reno.

-Growing up, you knew you wanted to be a historian.

Did you always know it was railroads, specifically?

-What I got interested in as a history student was major events or major occurrences that changed the nation.

And that was here in eastern Nevada.

Enormously fortunate because, just out of sheer luck, I ended up in Ely, Nevada, in a place where we produce the copper that literally lit the nation.

It was the copper of eastern Nevada that provided the electricity that lit every light, every fence post, every light post, every elevator, every streetcar in the United States and then throughout the world.

So we have this massive, incredibly significant history here in eastern Nevada in producing the copper that would not only light America, but it would light the world.

The biggest equipment known to man is coming here to eastern Nevada.

Now, you can't get it here until you have a railroad.

So they start building that railroad in 1905.

Now, that railroad will go on to be incredibly important because you can have all the copper in the world, but if you don't get it out of here, can't get it out, it doesn't do you any good at all.

Hence, the railroad's construction.

That's why this railroad is here.

-And where does the railroad take you?

Does it sprawl out all over, or is there one specific location?

-No, it's one specific place.

So we're called a shortline railroad.

A shortline railroad doesn't connect a major city to another major city.

What we connect, in our case, is a copper mine eight miles west of Ely to the mainline railroad 120 miles north of Ely.

That was the sole purpose.

Now as long as you've got a copper mine and as long as you have a railroad that reaches that copper mine, as long as the tracks are down, now you open up some new possibilities.

You can have freight service to Ely.

You can have passenger service to Ely.

Both of those would make a huge difference here in this town.

For instance, White Pine County has more ghost towns than it has towns.

Who else can say that?

-Not very many.

-Not many places can say that.

The reason those towns are no longer towns is they're impossibly hard to supply unless you have a railroad.

-I was just thinking they need a railroad.

-And once the railroad is here, you can bring in freight.

You could buy things on the streets of Ely, Nevada, after 1906 that you could buy on the streets of New York or Chicago or any other major city in America.

Sears and Roebuck was the big catalog store at that time, sort of the Amazon of their day.

-Yeah.

-And they shipped regularly, weekly even, to Ely.

-And it all came by railroad?

-All came by rail.

-Why should people check out the history of Ely and the Railroad Museum?

-This Railroad Museum is a stunning time capsule of American industry.

Now, we operated here for 75 years, from 1908 till 1983.

When the price of copper dropped, everybody that was working here was told, Hey, sorry guys, we're gonna lay you off.

Everyone said, We don't care.

We've been laid off before.

We'll be gone for a couple days, and then we'll come back.

They walked away from this railroad complex leaving everything because they knew they needed it when they came back, but never came back.

-Everything's still here, just as they left it?

-It is exactly the way they left it.

This is a perfect time capsule of a specific industry from the very beginning till it closed in 1983.

Now, the mine would reopen in '95, 1995, using new technology, using bigger equipment, using a new process.

That new process doesn't require this railroad.

So it remains the way they walked away from it after 75 years of operation in 1983, leaving everything behind.

You've got to come see this because it's such an astonishing look at American industry.

It just-- this isn't Disneyland.

We haven't recreated anything here.

Didn't need to.

It was already here.

And that is a remarkable experience.

This is what I like to call "reachable past."

You can reach 70 years back into American history.

You can reach 116 years back into American history by visiting this place.

The buildings, the rolling stock, the operating steam trains, the smells, the sounds, the sights, it's everything you would have seen had you been here in 1907.

-I gotta say thank you so much for sharing all that information with me.

I learned something new today.

It makes me even more proud to be from Nevada.

I'm gonna go check some of the time capsule out myself.

-You should do that.

Grateful to have you with us.

Thanks for joining us today.

♪♪♪ -Next up, a much needed cup of coffee with Kyle Horvath.

I've been in mountain biking for years, and I always hear about the trails up here.

How did Ely become a hotspot for mountain biking?

(Kyle Horvath) So some people don't know this, but we actually have the first and longest running enduro format mountain bike race in the United States.

So it started I want to say 16, 17 years ago where a bunch of dirt bikers decided that they wanted to ride these things called mountain bikes now and went up into the mountains and started making these trails.

And it happened organically.

And our land managers are amazing because, you know, in the state, being as much public land, it relies on Forest Service and BLM to be our partners.

And they've just kind of let us go crazy here, and we've got a 50-mile trail expansion project.

So when this is all said and done, we've got 50 miles of world-class singletrack, but we're going to have 50 more miles.

So next time you come back, 100 miles of singletrack to ride all within the downtown.

You'll load your bike on the train and take it out to trailheads.

It really, you know, mountain biking has always been a part of our culture, but it's, it's really kind of growing and establishing.

And we've got a kids' NICA team, so we've got kids riding.

It's just, it's become a part of our community.

-I imagine that helps with the tourism too, because you're getting people that are coming just specifically to ride your trails.

-Totally.

We get people that come in specifically to ride trails.

We get people that are crossing over from Salt Lake to Lake Tahoe, you know, two big destinations to ride.

And we are that logical spot in the middle to get out and stretch the legs and pedal the bike a little bit.

-Well, I'm one of those riders who came to town to ride.

What are we gonna do today other than ride our mountain bikes?

After we go rip around on some singletrack, we're going to head over to Perigo Ranch and meet Terrill and Jess Trask.

They're the owners of the ranch.

This young couple, super motivated, they are driving the farm-to-fork scene in this area.

They cater, and they are going to be opening up a new steakhouse in town.

But we're gonna check out the ranch and see where all the magic happens.

-Sounds like a fun day.

-Cool.

Let's do it.

-Kyle is the go-to guy not only for Ely, but for White Pine County as a whole.

He is the man, and he loves riding the trails.

I'm excited to see where Kyle is taking me today.

All right, Kyle, we made it!

-We're here.

-It's gorgeous out here.

-It is.

We're up on Ward Mountain.

We're at Ski Hill, which is usually where everybody drops when they're doing bike rides around here.

We've got G Loop going that way, which is part of Fears, Tears, and Beers, but we're gonna ride some of our newer trails that we've built in the last couple years up to that saddle.

And then that's where the fun begins.

All of our downhill trails back to town take off from up there.

So I'm excited to show you around.

-Yeah, I'm super excited to ride, but there's one thing that I'm not used to seeing being I'm from Las Vegas.

-Yeah.

-What's this white stuff we have to ride through?

-Well, you know winter came a little bit early.

It's a little cool out here this morning, but there's some snow on the ground.

It will not affect our experience today at all.

But like I said, when the snow gets deep, we groom our trails and just bring the fat bikes out here.

-What trail would you say that Ely's like, most popular trail is?

What are you guys famous for?

-Oh, my goodness!

Well, up there, we've got a trail called Tokie Dokie, which is kind of our OG downhill trail.

It's rowdy.

It's fast.

It's flowy.

It's got a couple drops on it.

Everybody loves that one.

Over on Garnet Hill, there's the world famous Whorehouse Hill, which is part of the downhill for Fears, Tears, and Beers.

It's our double black diamond trail, and that is a "hold on and hope to survive that one."

So we've got everything from adventure cross-country trails all the way up to double black diamond downhill trails.

-Awesome.

I'm super excited to ride.

One of my favorite things about riding new places is the soil is different, the terrain is different.

It's always going to give you something new.

I'm from Southern Nevada, so what we have there is totally different than this.

Then you go to the northern part, you go up to Tahoe, you get something totally different.

-Yep.

-And it's always different.

The trails, while, yes, it's the same trail, every time it rains, it changes a little bit.

Every time people ride, it changes a little bit.

So it keeps you guessing.

I can't wait to get out there.

-And our dirt is a little bit more loamy up here, where some other places are like loose and kind of decomposed granite.

I think we've got the best dirt in the state out here.

And when it does rain in the summertime, you're back on the trail in an hour, you know, and it's just perfect.

-And people don't realize you actually want to ride it immediately after the rain.

You want it to be a little bit wet.

-Little bit wet, yeah.

Well, with the snow we just had, we're going to be getting some hero dirt today.

-Oh, love it.

Let's do it.

-All right.

♪♪♪ -Ely boasts an extensive network of mountain bike trails that cater to all different skill levels of riders.

This makes it a haven for outdoor enthusiasts seeking thrilling adventures amidst breathtaking scenery.

From beginner-friendly trails winding through scenic desert landscapes to challenging routes traversing rugged mountain terrain, Ely offers a diverse range of options for mountain bikers to explore and enjoy.

With well-maintained trails and stunning natural beauty at every turn, Ely's mountain bike trails provide an exhilarating and unforgettable experience for riders seeking adrenaline-fueled escapades in the heart of Nevada's wilderness.

-Oh, man, good climb.

-I tell you what, definitely feeling that elevation.

-Oh, yeah.

It'll get you.

-I think that's the most snow I've ever ridden through.

-Well, just keep coming back.

It will pile up over the wintertime.

-Do you have to stop riding at some point?

Does it get snowed over?

-A little more than that, and it would start getting inconvenient, you know.

But that right there, that's perfect.

That's just a really cool experience.

-So we did all the hard work.

We did the climbing.

-Yep.

-Now we get the reward?

-Yeah.

-So where are we headed next?

-We're now up at Dog Bowl Junction.

So this is kind of that you, you have the three options of what downhill you want to take back into town.

So you've got the more, the easier of the one.

It's called Total BS, and that's the initials of the trail builders, Brian and Suzy.

You've got Tokie Dokie that drops in right over there.

That's a little bit more rowdy, chunky, rocky.

And then you've got Powder Berry Divide, which is a really rowdy, handbuilt trail.

You are like always on it.

Turns come out of nowhere.

Jumps come out of nowhere.

It is the most fun you could possibly have on this side of the mountain.

-Well, that's the one we got to do.

-Cool.

-I think that's something that people don't always understand is that you want options.

Maybe you're at the top of the mountain and you're not quite feeling high energy, you're not quite feeling great.

You want the easier trail.

-Totally.

-You might have a day where you're feeling adventurous and want to get a little sandy.

Then you want one that's got rocks and it's got the drops and the jumps.

-Yeah.

It's all about progression.

You know, there's something for everybody out here.

You get some really advanced riders, they love Total BS because they can go 40 miles an hour, just hauling tail down it.

And like the berms are built perfectly, and it's so fun.

To get your tires off the ground, what we're doing is the way to go.

-Do you mind if I take the lead?

-Show me how it's done.

-All right.

Let's send it!

♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ One of the best things about mountain biking is getting out and riding new trails.

Plus we even rode in some snow.

I mean, come on.

It was an amazing time.

I can't thank Kyle enough.

Man, that was fun.

-Yeah, awesome.

-Appreciate the ride.

They had a little of everything on that trail.

There's some rock, some chunk, there's some nice loamy dirt.

I loved it.

-Yeah, that was awesome.

That's what you get here, a little of everything.

-Snow.

-A little snow.

-My mind played tricks.

I saw the snow, and I wanted to tense up and not move too quickly, but it rides kind of the same.

-The worst thing you could do is slam your brakes and skid through it.

Those tires are great.

You got this.

-You said that you were working on making even more trails, you're expanding this trail network?

-Mm-hmm.

Yeah, in the name of progressiveness, we're just-- more jump lines, more advanced trails, there's going to be connectors, there's, I mean, 50 more miles of trail, man, a little bit of something for everybody.

-I love it.

Well, thank you for taking me out on this trail.

But I tell you, I did work up an appetite.

-Same here.

It's not easy to keep up with you.

-It's not easy at this altitude.

Let me tell you, I'm hurting.

Where should I go refuel?

Where should I get some food?

-Okay.

Well, I think we're heading next to visit Jess and Terrill Trask.

-Not far outside of Ely is a cattle ranch, which is not unusual.

But this ranch is run by a young couple, Jess and Terrill Trask.

Jess runs the ranch, and Terrill is the chef.

For these two, it's all about being a part of the community of Ely and sharing their hard work.

Tell me a little bit about this place.

(Jess Trask) So this is my family's ranch that we bought in the early 2000s.

At that time, it was just a hay farm.

There were no corrals.

There were no cows.

There was nothing.

-As a cook, what does it mean to know exactly where you're getting your beef from?

(Terrill Trask) It's the reason I got back into cooking, the fact that I can see this whole process.

I know what she's feeding.

I know the ration she's feeding.

I know where it's getting butchered.

I know every little step of that.

So the fact that I can see that and then take this product that everyone raves about and be like, Okay, I now can showcase it in a cooked form, you know, that I am super passionate about.

So it's amazing to be able to show every step of it and then be able to put it on a plate is a chef's dream.

-Absolutely.

I can see the cows here.

Is there any other animals that you raised or any other food sources that you make here?

-There's animals hanging out, but they're our pets.

We don't have any other food source.

We have some chickens, some goats, obviously horses, we can't work without the horses.

And then the dogs, you know, that are always running around.

But yeah, I got my master's in cattle nutrition, so beef is my domain.

And that's what I'm comfortable in.

I get asked a lot if we do organic chicken or we're gonna do pork one day, and I'm like, not for me.

-Gonna stick to steaks.

-Stick to what I know, yeah.

-All this talk about steak is making me hungry.

I've seen the farm.

Can I check out the fork?

-Let's go cook for you.

-Let's go check it out.

♪♪♪ -So we've seen where the calves grow, we've seen where they develop and they hang out, and now we see the finished product.

What's it like running that whole entire cycle from start to finish and being able to control the entire thing?

-I'll let her start with how she finished the cow, and then I'll show you where that kind of-- how that comes through in the meat.

-So I think it's super important to have transparency for our customers.

I think that the 2023 consumer cares about where their food comes from, and they care about how its raised.

And so we really pride ourselves that that's something we can provide to people.

So all of Perigo beef is born, raised, and finished at our ranch, like we saw earlier.

And then we finish them on a very specific ration.

So because we are in Nevada and we are in the mountains, we have high altitude alfalfa, which is like high quality, high protein alfalfa.

So we finish our steers on that alfalfa also mixed with corn.

Corn in their ration is what's going to give this steak this intramuscular fat or marbling.

-It's the white part that you see throughout the steak.

-Does that add more to the flavor?

Yeah, that's exactly where the flavor comes from.

-What would you say is the most important thing when you're cooking a steak?

-Salt and pepper.

-Salt and pepper?

-Salt and pepper.

I'm a big fan of letting the meat talk for itself.

And so seasoning it early.

Make sure you get it out early, get some salt on it, let it rest to room temperature, and then some pepper on it.

And then just letting the meat stand for itself.

I think that's the best way to enjoy a steak.

-Well, that kind of brings everything back full circle.

It matters, the quality of the meat.

-A huge part of it is the quality of meat.

That's why I always say I want to show off her cow.

I don't want to mess it up with a lot of flavor.

I'll come with butter garlic at the end to give it a bit more flavor at the end, but I want that thing to stand on itself.

And it does.

And that's why we're blessed to have these steaks.

-When we're talking about meat, let's bring this back to the process.

-Yeah.

-So you went to UNLV.

You got your degree in business-- -I did.

- --and then became a rancher.

-Sure.

-How does one learn what to do?

Where do you even start?

-Well, I started by reading How to Manage Beef Cattle for Dummies books.

Like the whole series, they make it for cows.

But that's how I started.

It's really just if you have a passion for it, ask questions of people who've done it-- my neighbors, my dad.

And then I also went ahead and applied to grad school in Nebraska.

I basically begged them to let me in.

They're like, You don't have any animal science background, what are you doing?

And I was like, Well, I'm gonna do my best.

I'm gonna finish.

So I graduated last year in 2022 with my master's in cattle nutrition.

And I think that helps you have an overall understanding of the animal.

-I'd have to imagine that having a degree in cattle nutrition is something that ranchers 100 years ago didn't have the option to have.

So it helps you have a holistic approach to the entire process.

-Sure.

-And so what has that been like, you know, with the modern resources that we have?

You can pull up the internet and research anything at this point.

Do you think that that makes ranching easier than it was 100 years ago?

-Oh, I think so.

For sure.

Another thing that makes things easier is like for me, I am on social media.

And I try to follow other people throughout the United States who are doing what I'm doing, the direct-to-consumer beef sales, see how they do it, how their ranch operates, and ask questions, and they ask me questions.

And so it's just so much easier to have a full understanding and also understand like, I'm not doing as well as this person.

I'm going to try to do that or do this or whatever it may be.

So just adapting and growing as a ranch is a lot easier if you're first generation and if you're included with the rest of the internet world.

-What did it mean to you to be able to open that steakhouse and be able to serve your friends, your community with beef that you raised and you raised it to the best of your abilities and that you cooked?

-It's nerve-racking, I'll be honest with you, because there's a lot of pressure.

-They're friends.

They'll tell you they like it when they don't.

But that's when I start to question myself.

But no, it's been a passion project for me.

I always wanted to open a restaurant.

I just never knew I was gonna do it this fast.

And so I'm super excited to show off what she's raising but also bring some of the other experiences.

She was in UNLV.

We lived in Seattle for a little bit.

Bring those things that the rest of the world have to Ely because I think they deserve it.

We deserve to have the best as well.

And I think obviously we're offering the best beef, so we might as well showcase it there.

I'm excited to bring that to them, yet I'm nervous.

But I'm excited ultimately, more excited than anything.

-Well, I gotta tell you, I'm excited for you.

I can feel the passion when you guys talk about what it is that you're trying to do.

And honestly, I just, I hope all the best for you.

I hope that next time that I'm driving through Ely, the steakhouse is open-- -You're always welcome.

- --and I can come by and get some steak.

-That's the goal.

We want-- we're gonna rely on the locals.

We get tourists through, but we rely on the locals.

We want to take care of those guys.

Now that you guys have been around, you guys are always welcome to come in.

-Even the dog was hungry.

It was time to get the meat on the grill.

I couldn't wait.

Once the grill got good and hot, Terrill threw down the meat, prepped the sides, and we got to eat it.

I gotta tell you, I have never had a better piece of meat.

I don't know if I've ever had a piece of locally-sourced beef.

There is a difference for sure.

You can taste it.

We sat on the back deck, talked, enjoyed the beautiful view, and shared an amazing meal as the sun set.

It was a great way to wrap up the day and my visit to Ely.

All this in Ely.

These two are doing it right, and I'm so glad to call them friends.

There is no shortage of things to do in Ely, and I know that I didn't even scratch the surface.

So with that being said, I will definitely be back for another adventure very soon.

You should check it out too.

Ely does not disappoint.

Till next time, I'm Connor Fields, and this is Outdoor Nevada.

♪♪♪