Finding Nevada Wild - by Sydney Martinez (Hardcover)

About the Book

Offering an entry point to understanding the landscapes, culture, and people of Nevada, this inspiring and personal ode to the Silver State takes curious adventurers off the grid to experience a version of the state few people truly know.

Book Synopsis

When many people think of Nevada, they think of Las Vegas, Area 51, and an unending, empty desert--but there's a lot more to the Great Basin State than that. Author and dedicated Nevada aficionado Sydney Martinez has devoted many years to exploring the ultra-rural wonders of Nevada, and in Finding Nevada Wild, she helps fellow adventurers get to know an often-misunderstood state.

Written from the perspective of someone who has researched, visited, and experienced many of Nevada's most defining places, Finding Nevada Wild features chapters devoted to various interests and activities. Vivid photography accompanies personal stories and practical guidance to show why Nevada should be at the top of everyone's must-experience list.

Key Features

- Sections focusing on Nevada ghost towns and mining camps, darkness and quietness, camping, hot springs, great drives, rural bars, trails and streams, geology, and the people of Nevada
- A personally curated list of the must-see places in ultra-rural Nevada that most people won't ever know
- Historical and first-person experiential insights into Nevada's vast Indigenous, Basque, and Buckaroo legacies
- Practical tips for navigating throughout some of the Lower 48's most isolated places

Offering a combination of content and design that is as equally at home on a coffee table as it is serving as a guidebook for unforgettable adventures in Nevada's ultra-rurals, Finding Nevada Wild helps readers to discover the true essence of the Silver State.

Review Quotes

"As one with a fascination for sagebrush and sunsets, pancake playas, blazing stars, ruts that double as roads, and all those other raw pleasures that Nevada serves up, I confess to being enamored with the curiosity, energy, and talent that I settle into whenever I come across Sydney's work. Whether it's in her words or through her photos, Sydney consistently delivers images and stories that grab me, hold me, and stir me to get up and get out. Sydney's as Nevadan as they come and relays her travels with exquisite storytelling skills."--Scott Mortimore, Nevada copywriter and photographer

"I've traveled with a lot of folks in Nevada, and there are few I'd trust more to lead the way than Sydney Martinez. Sydney can point down a valley and read it like a map, with springs and bars and people all marked as points of interest. But more than that, she has a keen sense of the spirit of the place, and how to find it. If there's anybody that could write a book on Nevada--not just about what to see, but how to look closer--it's Sydney Martinez."--Fil Corbitt, award-winning radiomaker, musician, and writer

"Nevada is a state of extremes that are often hard to reconcile. Sydney has a unique ability to navigate this environment and engage people in a way that fosters curiosity, adventure, authenticity, and respect, all at once, which is a difficult feat for travel industry writers and professionals. Sydney's travel style is closely wedded to the outdoor culture of the Silver State, which is steeped in spontaneity, adventure, and a desire to experience things that most people will never see. She's traveled most of the state, especially the parts that are hard to find and has a truly unique and intimate understanding of the state's culture and geography. Sydney's ability to combine historical narrative, cultural intimacy, and adventure in her writing, along with a hefty dose of gorgeous photography, is a skill I've not seen many master the way she does. Nevada is a state that lends itself to, and attracts this kind of scholarly adventuring, and I can think of no better person to guide travelers in that experience than Sydney Martinez."--Jim Bertollini, Senior Historic Preservation Planner, Nevada Historic Preservation Office & City of Fort Collins

"No one knows the Silver State like Sydney Martinez. She wakes up with dust in her blood, sagebrush in her hair, and lives for a Great Basin hot spring. She knows more Nevadans than campaigning politicians, has the best road trip recommendations, and has photographed nearly every dot on the most detailed map. She's a visual storyteller with intimate knowledge of people and place. Her photographs are vibrant and have broad appeal. They show the very best of Nevada and inspire wanderlust."

--David Calvert, visual storyteller for a variety of corporate and editorial clients; professor at Reynolds School of Journalism and Western Nevada College

"Spending time with Sydney out on location, basically anywhere in the state of Nevada, is like having the best possible resource with you. Even more than just knowing information and history about all the locations we feature on the show and on the fly, Sydney shares her amazing understanding of the Silver State with a lively sense of humor and flair for how to best communicate it. Sydney has not only a deep appreciation for the beauty and uniqueness that is our Western culture, but is also actively helping create it. She herself is a Nevada icon in the making."
--Chris Orr, Director of Art and Digital Marketing for PBS Reno; producer and host for the PBS "Wild Nevada" television series