Pony Express Nevada
Imagine a message crossing the basin.
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← Nevada guide · National Historic Trail
Pony Express Nevada · A day that begins with one good stop.
See your first dayWhy this place matters
It is hard to believe that young men once rode horses to carry mail from Missouri to California in the unprecedented time of only 10 days. This relay system along the Pony Express National Historic Trail in eight states was the most direct and practical means of east-west communications before the telegraph.
Read the full NPS story ↗A flexible first day
These are ways to explore, not a timed itinerary. Check conditions before you set out.
Begin at the NPS-described Schell Creek interpretive turnout on US-93.
Read about the station and the communities affected by its history; the historic site itself is on private property.
Use the public turnout; do not enter the privately owned station site.
Find your bearings
Switch stops to see where this chapter sits in the wider state.
Outline: U.S. Census Bureau, 2023 cartographic boundary files. Points show guide starting areas and NOAA stations.
NOAA 1991–2020 · monthly normals
These stations show two parts of the state; neither is a forecast or necessarily local to this site.
No monthly snowfall normal is published for this station. Choose the other station to compare snow.
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Value | 29.6 | 30.6 | 37.6 | 43.6 | 52.3 | 62.8 | 71.4 | 69.3 | 60.6 | 48.2 | 36.8 | 29.5 |
Normal = 1991–2020 average at the named NOAA station. Snowfall is new snow over a month, not snow currently on the ground. A blank NOAA snow series is shown as unavailable, never as zero. See current NOAA snow depth ↗
Weather changes the trip
Use the public turnout; do not enter the privately owned station site. The graph above uses a named NOAA station; conditions at this place may differ with elevation and weather. Check the local NWS forecast ↗
Keep exploring Nevada
Give Las Vegas a food, arts, or show evening, then plan the desert drive for a different day. See current events ↗
Make the trip yours
Tell WTDO your dates, where you start and how you travel. The first plan is free.
Plan this trip free