Places micheleshreeve Wants to Go

This 18-foot-tall steel lotus is a meditation on ecological crisis that originally appeared at Burning Man.

A facility built in 1992 for an underground nuclear test remains in place today.

This Las Vegas casino boasts one of only three spiral escalators in the United States—an engineering wonder.

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

A spectacular slot canyon at the northern edge of Lake Mead National Recreation Area.

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

Narrow slot canyons in a badland eroded into soft sedimentary rock provide an otherworldly landscape in this remote Nevada state park.

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

This Stonehenge-inspired solar calendar stands alongside a landfill, in the middle of the Nevada desert.

This wilderness hike to a waterfall has an unlikely beginning in suburban Reno.

The self-proclaimed gateway to the Extraterrestrial Highway.

These markers are used to determine the ground stability of the Strip.

A blast of nostalgia awaits visitors to this miniature indoor raceway.

An unusual slot canyon in the Aztec/Navajo Sandstone has a cross-section like an inverted old-fashioned keyhole.

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

A Norwegian-born sculptor created these soaring guardian angels at the entrance to Hoover Dam.

These huge stone ovens in the desert fueled the Nevada silver boom, and may have also been a hideout for outlaws.

A series of labyrinths in the Nevada desert inspire meditation and calmness.

Rich red almandine gemstones are waiting inside the volcanic rock strewn across this eastern Nevada hillside.

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

Experience a charming 1930s version of "infotainment."

Fans of vintage Vegas, kitsch, and toy pony-based gambling now flock to a casino called The D.

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

Temporary Burning Man sculpture made of two 18-wheelers.