Long before Alex Honnold scaled Taipei 101, one of the world's tallest buildings, without safety equipment on a Netflix livestream in January, he was already a rare rock climber who was making a name for himself.
In 2018, Honnold appeared in the Oscar-winning documentary “Free Solo,” where he became the first person to climb El Capitan in Yosemite National Park without a rope.
He is currently exploring his home state of Nevada with fans. Outside TV's new five-part series “Get a Little Out There With Alex Honnold” follows Mr. Honnold, 40, who lives in the west end of Las Vegas with his wife and two young daughters, as he climbs mountains, runs, bikes and visits ghost towns around the state.
“You can basically do any outdoor sport you want in Nevada,” Honnold said in an interview with The New York Times. “This opportunity is incredible.”
These are his five favorite places in Nevada. No, it's not all rock walls.
1. Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area
Honnold said the rugged sandstone landscape was “a big part of what drew me to Las Vegas.” He added that his wife, Sanni McCandless Honnold, and their friends also enjoy climbing there.
“Las Vegas is without a doubt the best four-season rock climbing in the country,” he said. “And Red Rock is a big part of that.”
Climbing at Red Rock “feels like you're in the middle of nowhere,” Honnold says, but it's actually just 32 miles from downtown Las Vegas. For less advanced climbers, he recommends routes such as Epinephrine and Cat in the Hat, which he says are “very popular and rightfully so, as they are one of the easiest routes in the country.”
2. Eastside of Lake Tahoe
Mr. Honnold grew up in Sacramento and visiting Lake Tahoe, where his family had a vacation home. (Although it was on the California side, it was “walking distance” from the Nevada border.) Years later, he said, “It's still one of my favorite places.”
Tahoe is probably best known for skiing. Honnold's favorite slope is Mount Rose, located between the lake and Reno. But Tahoe's crown jewel is the Flume Trail, a mountain biking and hiking trail carved into a granite cliff 2,500 feet above the lake, he said.
“It's really crazy,” he said of the trail, which follows aqueducts built in the late 1800s to provide water for the growing mining and logging industry. “It's incredible that it exists. And the view is incredible.”
Honnold, who discovered the trail as an adult, said he felt it represented the quintessential Nevada experience. “You get out in nature that feels very wild and secluded, but you end up stopping in town or stopping at a pizza place.”
Nevada may have a reputation for being a desert, but the lush Ruby Mountains in the northeastern part of the state prove that's far from the whole picture. Honnold first visited the range last fall while filming “Get a Little Out There.” The fifth episode of the show, which airs on March 26, explores snow-covered mountains with endurance runner Peyton Thomas.
“They are truly gems,” Honnold said, adding that those unfamiliar with Nevada's varied topography may be surprised to find such dramatic mountains in the state. He had been reading about them for years before his visit and found that “they really lived up to the hype.”
“This is a great place that is unknown,” he added.
4. Ely
Honnold said the appeal of Ely, a former stagecoach stop in far eastern Nevada, lies in its commitment to its roots.
“The fundamentals of Ely are as good as other mountain resort cities like Vail or Aspen,” he said, noting that the town of about 4,000 people is “in a bowl” with seasonal skiing, hiking and mountain biking available all around. “And why isn't this a bougie resort town? It still has the feel of an old mining town.”
Ely's proximity to Great Basin National Park, one of the most isolated and least visited national parks in the country, is “impressive,” Honnold said. As for the town itself, which he explored while filming the show's fourth episode, he added, “Everything felt very wholesome.”
5. Boulder City
Honnold is drawn to Boulder City, a town of 15,000 southeast of Las Vegas, primarily because of its neighboring Lake Mead National Recreation Area and the stretch of the Colorado River below Hoover Dam.
This section of the river, designated as the Black Canyon National Water Trail, has hot springs that flow into the Colorado, making it the perfect outing for the Honnold family.
“It's so magical to watch my toddlers toddle up this rocky, bathwater-like river,” Honnold said. “And for little kids, it's like a big jagged cliff, so it's very magical.”
Plus, while the kids soak up the hot springs, dads can admire the rusted equipment left over from the construction of Hoover Dam nearly 100 years ago.
“I really like the apocalyptic atmosphere below Hoover Dam,” Honnold said. “It's like an Indiana Jones movie set.”
Follow New York Times Travel above Instagram and Sign up for the travel dispatch newsletter Get expert tips to travel smarter and inspiration for your next vacation. Are you dreaming of a future vacation? Or just travel from the comfort of your armchair? Check out our 52 places I want to go in 2026.
