Surrounded In Mountains Is A Historic Little Nevada Town Once Called The 'Armpit Of America'

In 2001, writer Gene Weingarten sought to find the "Armpit of America." After a trip through northern Nevada, he became "exorbitantly convinced" that he had found it in the small city of Battle Mountain, Lander County. "The road to Battle Mountain is flatter than any cliche," wrote Weingarten for Washington Post, "On this route, there is nothing. No curves. No trees. It is desert, but it is lacking any desert-type beauty." To be fair to Weingarten, this wasn't an elitist, outsider's viewpoint. Even a car rental agent in the nearby town of Elko mocked Battle Mountain, joking, "Don't sneeze, or you'll miss it." Weingarten's sardonic piece ran just two months after the September 11 attacks, and while his piece did try to find the heart of the town amidst national unity and defiance — "Armpit of America" stuck. 

But the people of Battle Mountain did not feel hard done by. When Weingarten told a Battle Mountain reporter that her town was a contender for "Armpit of America," she said, "Sounds about right." Most other townspeople adopted this attitude and owned their new moniker, launching the Festival of the Pit that attracted an Old Spice corporate sponsorship. Festivities included a parade, street dancing, volleyball, horseshoe throwing, a beauty pageant, and a magic show with Ronald McDonald. A bluegrass festival replaced Festival of the Pit in 2006. Today, aside from Battle Mountain's sparse small-town ambiance — an attraction for many — the area is rich in hiking trails and fantastic vantage points across Nevada's otherwordly vistas.

Gene Weingarten criticized Black Mountain's lack of development, but for many outdoorsy types, that very simplicity is its charm. The area's rugged terrain is among the most desolate in the United States, offering only the most basic hiking infrastructure but rewarding visitors with solitude and unfiltered natural beauty. The one real sore mark on the landscape is the massive "BM" made of rock (just in case anyone misses it).

Battle Mountain is particularly evocative because of its proximity to the Old California Trail, which passes just north of the town. In the 1840s and 1850s, this route guided over 250,000 emigrants across the country toward California's gold fields. The journey was notoriously perilous, claiming up to 30,000 lives due to cholera, dysentery, measles, scurvy, pneumonia, exposure, and starvation. Today, the route is as dangerous as you want it to be. If you go alone, make sure to remember these safety tips for solo hikers. Also, for performance and comfort, try and get the best gear for your hike.

Just to the southwest of Black Mountain are several peaks, including Elephant Head at 5,931 feet, Red Top Mountain at 5,839 feet, Antler Peak at 8,080 feet, and Long Peak at 8,120 feet. You'll be covering serious distances on foot and by vehicle in this part of the country, so make it count by heading around 300 miles southeast to Great Basin National Park, one of the best national parks in America for stargazing.