Nevada has many tiny towns spread out throughout the state and while they may be small, they are full of state history, natural allure and fun things to do. This tiny town is surrounded by some of Nevada’s most beautiful state parks.

Caliente, which means “hot” in Spanish, got its name from some local hot springs. The town’s population was 1,130 people (2010 census count).

Ken Lund/Flickr

The town is located on the eastern side of the state in Lincoln County, not far from the Utah border. It’s about a 2-1/2 hour drive to Caliente driving north from Las Vegas.

Ken Lund/Flickr

Caliente is close to three of Nevada’s most beautiful natural spaces, all of which are uniquely different from the other. The first is the Rainbow Canyon Rock Art site, where you can see 10,000-year-old paintings.

Ken Lund/Flickr

Located two miles away from Caliente is the Kershaw-Ryan State Park, which is one of Nevada’s smaller and less-trafficked state parks.

Fred Moore/Flickr

Kershaw-Ryan State Park is a heavenly piece of property with a lovely rose, flower and fruit tree garden and a natural spring-fed pond surrounded by high cliffs.

OnTheGoWithJoe/TripAdvisor

There are also some hiking trails in the 263 acres of the park, and it’s a perfect spot for picnicking and camping. It’s a known spot for viewing wild horses as well.

Ken Lund/Flickr

Blooming Joshua Trees are a familiar site on the roads around Caliente.

Ken Lund/Flickr

Caliente is also about 20 minutes from the Cathedral Gorge State Park. This park is known for it’s unusual towering rock formations.

Carl Berger Sr/Flickr

Photographers love Cathedral Gorge, as well as hikers, campers and bikers. It’s a good spot for exploring slot canyons of which there are several in the park.

Frank Kovalchek/Flickr

Back in town, Caliente is also known for the exquisite Spanish style government building that was restored from an old train station from the early 1900s. The building also houses a museum featuring local history.

By Vidor at en.wikipedia - Own work, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=6058004 Caliente is located off US-93. It can be reached from Las Vegas by taking the I-15 North to the US-93 North. Or you can reach it from US-50 driving east to US-93 South

Have you visited the town of Caliente? Share in the comments!

Ken Lund/Flickr

Fred Moore/Flickr

OnTheGoWithJoe/TripAdvisor

Carl Berger Sr/Flickr

Frank Kovalchek/Flickr

By Vidor at en.wikipedia - Own work, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=6058004

Caliente is located off US-93. It can be reached from Las Vegas by taking the I-15 North to the US-93 North. Or you can reach it from US-50 driving east to US-93 South

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