Day 1
Morning
Trail of the 49ers Interpretive Center, then a walk through downtown
Afternoon
Lunch at Taqueria el Compa. Drive the byway and set up camp
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Field Guide · Vol. 01
Wells, Nevada
An Explorer's Field Guide
Heritage · Ghost towns · Alpine lakes · Cowboy country
Welcome
The town most people only see from I-80
Wells sits at the gateway to some of the least-visited and most spectacular public land in the American West. Most travelers stop for gas and keep driving. This guide is for the ones who slow down.
Within a short drive of town you'll find California Trail wagon ruts, a ghost town built for 7,500 people, a cold glacial lake at about 8,400 feet in the East Humboldt Range, and trails into the East Humboldt Wilderness. The town itself has full services, decent lodging, nearby camping, and a few thousand people who are genuinely glad you're there.
We built this guide from our own trip: three days and two nights in June 2026, camping above town and exploring every stop in these pages. It grew out of a creator visit for Nevada's Cowboy Country and its Summit to City campaign.
The lay of the land
Town below, mountains above
Day 2
Morning
Sunrise at Angel Lake, then hike to Smith Lake
Afternoon
Swim, walk to the west end of the lake, sunset from camp
Day 3
Morning
Sunrise photos at Metropolis Ghost Town
Afternoon
Breakfast or lunch at Buckaroos before you hit the road
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Stop 1 · Heritage
Trail of the 49ers Interpretive Center
Allow 1 hr · Cost Free · When Anytime
Start here. The center on 6th Street anchors the whole Wells heritage story. The California Trail, the route that carried hundreds of thousands of emigrant families west during the Gold Rush era, passes through Wells, and the headwaters of the South Fork of the Humboldt River begin here. You can still see original wagon ruts pressed into the landscape.
The board members who run the center were the highlight. They shared great stories about the history of Wells, and they're the reason to come in person instead of reading a sign.
Hours vary, so check locally before you go.
Stop 2 · Town walk
Downtown Wells
Allow 1 hr · When Anytime
A compact downtown worth a slow lap on foot. Look for the old casino buildings, which tell their own story of the town's highway years, and the painted murals celebrating ranch country.
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Stops 3 & 4 · Eat
Cowboy country cooking
The food here is straightforward, generous and surprisingly excellent. It tastes best after a morning outside.
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Buckaroos Hitching Post & Coffeehouse
Allow 1 hr · When Breakfast, lunch, dinner
The community hub. Come for coffee and a meal, stay to watch the game on TV, catch live music, or just talk to whoever's at the next table.
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Taqueria el Compa
Allow 30 min · When Any meal
Some of the best Mexican food we've had out of a food truck. Order the chicken quesadilla. It's one of the best we've ever had.
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Stop 5 · History
Metropolis Ghost Town
Allow 3 hrs · Cost Free · When Sunrise, sunset, night · Where ~11 mi NW of Wells
A planned city for 7,500 people that never got the water it was promised.
The Pacific Reclamation Company laid Metropolis out as a farming town with concrete sidewalks, electric streetlights, a hotel, a school and a railroad connection. Then the water rights fell through, the crops failed, and the town emptied out.
What remains is the iconic brick archway, scattered foundations, and the shaft of one of Nevada's earliest elevators, standing in open sage under an enormous sky. It's free, and you'll likely have it almost to yourself.
This is a great spot for cool sunrise, sunset and nighttime photography.
Rise and fall
- 1911
- Streets and lots laid out
- 1912
- A 100-foot dam is built. About 700 colonists arrive
- 1913
- Water lawsuits. The company goes into receivership
- 1925
- The railroad branch is abandoned
- 1936–47
- The hotel burns, then the school closes
Dates: Travel Nevada
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Stop 6 · Scenic drive
Angel Lake Scenic Byway
Allow 30 min · Road SR 231 · paved
Twelve miles from the I-80 interchange, Angel Lake Road climbs nearly 3,000 feet through rolling sagebrush foothills, aspen groves and mountain mahogany. It has been a Nevada Scenic Byway since 1995, and it's an experience on its own.
Heads-up: the road isn't maintained in winter and is dangerous in snow and ice. Watch for cattle on the road.
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Where we stayed — Angel Creek Campground
Elev. 6,500 ft · From $17/night
We camped here two nights, booked on recreation.gov. It sits partway up the byway in the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest, with potable water and vault toilets. Cattle graze the area, so expect company on the road in and sometimes in the campground itself. Generally open Memorial Day to Labor Day.
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Stop 7 · Alpine lake
Angel Lake
Elev. ~8,400 ft · When Sunrise, sunset
If the town's heritage is Wells' story, Angel Lake is its superpower. The byway ends at a glacial cirque in the East Humboldt Range. Three sides of the basin are sheer rock walls, and the fourth is a dam holding back the clearest, coldest lake in this part of the country.
Walk the trail to the west end of the lake and look out over the lake and valley below.
Our pick for camping. Reserve a site at Angel Lake Campground and wake up for sunrise on the water. On a hot day, the lake is a cold, clear swim.
Stop 8 · Hike
Smith Lake and the East Humboldt Wilderness
Distance 2.5 mi out & back · Allow Half to full day · Start Angel Lake Campground lot · Effort Short but strenuous
The trail leaves from the Angel Lake Campground parking lot and climbs into the East Humboldt Wilderness. Hiking up to Smith Lake was one of our favorite moments of the whole trip.
It's only about 2.5 miles out and back, but it works you. Part of it runs along an exposed ridgeline, and there's a short scramble near the end where you need to watch your footing.
Strong hikers can push on to more alpine lakes: Greys Lake and Boulder Lake. If you'd rather not, the Angel Lake shoreline and picnic area are reward enough.
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Further afield
Ruby Lake National Wildlife Refuge
Drive ~75 mi south · Open year-round, daylight
World-class birding and bass fishing at the foot of the Ruby Mountains. The South Marsh supports the largest population of nesting canvasback ducks west of the Mississippi outside Alaska, and the refuge is a Globally Important Bird Area.
Getting there: US 93 south 27 miles, SR 229 west 14 miles, then Ruby Valley Road south. The last 30 miles are well-maintained gravel. Check road conditions with refuge headquarters from November through May.
Spruce Mountain Mining District
Bring ATV or high clearance
About 135 years of mining history and ATV trails linking five ghost towns. Worth a look if you have an extra day and the right vehicle.
The Cowboy Corridor
Open-range ranch country surrounds Wells in every direction. Slow down for cattle and enjoy the drive.
Everyone we met in Wells was the very definition of "good people." This is a town that deserves much more than a pass-through for gas.
Practical notes
Angel Lake vs Angel Creek
| Campground | Angel Lake | Angel Creek |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 8,350 ft | 6,500 ft |
| From Wells | 12 mi on SR 231 | About 8 mi on SR 231 |
| Nightly fee | $18 single · $36 double | $17 single · $34 double |
| Water | None. Bring your own | Potable water |
| Toilets | Vault | Vault |
| Booking | recreation.gov. A few first-come sites | recreation.gov. Some first-come sites |
| Season | Generally Memorial Day to Labor Day. Dates change with weather. | |
- When to go
- Spring and fall avoid the summer heat in the valley. Up the mountain, snow often lingers into early summer, so June and September are the sweet spots for the lakes.
- Roads
- Angel Lake Road is paved and fine for any car in season. It isn't maintained in winter and is dangerous in snow and ice. Call the Wells USFS office at (775) 752-3357 for conditions.
- Supplies
- Wells has plenty of options to fuel up and stock up. Do it before you head up the mountain.
- Dogs
- Welcome on a leash.
- Accessibility
- The campgrounds and the area by Angel Lake are easy to get around. The Smith Lake trail is not, with a steep, exposed section and a scramble.
- Watch for
- Cattle on the road and in the campground. Cold water and altitude at the lakes. Ice and snow outside summer.
- Leave No Trace
- This is public land and wilderness. Pack out everything, camp only in established sites, stay off the ruins at Metropolis, and follow current fire restrictions.
Fees, seasons and distances from the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest. Information checked October 2026.