10 acres off grid land for sale in Montello, Nevada in the foothills of the sacred Toano Mountains about eight miles south of town in Elko County. It sits in the NE corner of NV about 2.5 hours NW of Salt Lake City, Utah by Idaho. Its well off the beaten path yet only about 30 minutes N of Interstate 80. Its tucked at the bottom of the Toano Mountains and the Pilot Mountains loom large across the Pilot Valley!
All of the photos were taken 1/2 mile N in the NW corner of section 25 in November 2004 and June 2012 where we found a federal survey marker. I also included a few photos taken about 1/2 mile east where we scrambled around a really cool rock outcropping with some gorgeous colors in them. Snakes and lizards live in these rocks which I know from past experience so be careful! Ha!
There is a bladed dirt road 10 acres to the west that runs along the section line. There's also a bladed dirt road that runs SW to NE thru the middle of the property which you can see in the aerial photos. I've been out to this area coming in off of paved Hwy 233 to the west as well as Pilot Road to the east. It is definitely easier to come in off the highway.
Along Highway 233 about 8 miles south of Montello, there is a graveled road with a gate across it and a faded sign that says to close the gate. That is a decent road that heads by the mountains to the NE and meets up with the west section line. You can then take the section line to the south down to the dirt road that leads to the NE thru the property.
The gate along Highway 233 about 8 miles south of Montello that leads out to the area.
The property is mostly flat with a slope to the south into the lower foothills. We overlaid the parcel map on google earth so you can see how it creeps up this hill in image #80 in the map section. The image numbers are at the top of the images. There's a few trees sprinkled about it. It looks like there is a bit of an intermittent stream thru the low part of the property between two rolling hills. I imagine this only runs during heavy snow melt or rain.
The property sits mostly down on the valley floor and catches a bit of the rise into the lower foothills on the right hand side of this photo.
On the adjoining lot to the west there is an RV although I don't see this in the photos I took a few years back. There is also a neighbor to the east about 6/10 of a mile and I snapped these two photos a few years ago from the big hill to the NE looking down on this part of the valley.
The little town of Montello sits to the north in the valley and looks like a tree farm on the valley floor from here. From the NW to the SW and over to the SE are the Toano Mountains. They form what I call a boot shape in this part of the valley creating a ridge between you and the rest of the valley to the SE where Pilot Peak sits!
From the NE to the SE is the Pilot Mountain Range. I'm not for sure if you'll get a view of Pilot Peak looming above this extension of the Toano's and you'll need to visit to know for sure but it looks like you will at least from the north of the property.
At the NE end is Rhyolite Butte, a cool rock formation that actually sits in Utah at 5,965 feet. It rises above the valley floor and when you get up close it really is pretty to look at and shoots straight up in the air - very cool!
We took the long way in the first time from the east and found a cool rock outcropping on the east side of the cool little hill that pops out of the valley floor! There sure were some gorgeous colored big rocks! We had a lot of fun out exploring land that day and these rocks are just a short distance from the property and a fun place to go play!
This big chunk of land was once part of the old Gamble Ranch. You can tell this by looking at the parcel map link where is says "gamble district". This was split up many years ago but there still is the old ranch to the north of Montello. It is a beautiful drive up to the Gamble Ranch and the road takes you on an incredible drive through a narrow fertile valley with gorgeous crops growing along the river! There is a dedicated easement surrounding all of the parcels for ingress and egress so you have the right to put in the road to your property and cross other easements to get to yours!
The BLM (Bureau of Land Management) map shows that there is 640 acres (1 square mile) of BLM land 10 acres to the west and another square mile 30 acres to the south as seen in the BLM map. Each square on the BLM map represents one square mile. For more information on BLM land you can visit
BLM.gov.
In 2012 I drove around the Pilot Mountains and included several photos and a video of it in the additional photos area. I found deer, elk, antelope, rabbits, a mirage on the Great Salt Lake Desert, and the pink, orange and purple sunset over the Pilot Mountains! I am not sure what's more stunning, the way the dry salt flat looks like real water or the stunning elk! Loved it!
A few locals educated me about how sacred these mountains were to the natives who lived here many years ago when we stopped in for a bite to eat at the Cowboy Bar Cafe in 2012. They told me that the Pilot Mountains, Toano Mountains and the valley between is filled with arrows, old sewing needles and lots more remnants from those who lived here many, many years ago!
We stopped at the Cowboy Bar Cafe again in 2013 for a bite to eat and to warm up and met a couple cowboys that said they worked at the Gamble Ranch and I spent the next hour bending their ear! They said it had been a very cold winter and it was common for some cattle to die and we had just finished picking up a big skull. I included a few photos in the additional photos area of these truly nice gentlemen - thanks guys!
Pilot Valley is the very first place I ever saw a herd of wild horses! They were so stunning – standing there watching me across the valley – tails blowing in the wind! I love my job - TYG!
This is a very rural and remote valley well off the beaten path with a few people scattered up and down it and with the town of Montello, population 138, being the hub for the valley. It offers a gas/mini grocery store, post office and restaurant. I don't ever recall NOT seeing an antelope when I visited this valley and I have seen wild horses roaming out here as well - absolutely stunning when you see them for your first time!
In 2013 we came across some people out exploring on a side by side just N of Montello. It was a family with a young child with them and they said they were out shedding. I asked what shedding was and learned that they were collecting antlers from the antelope and others that had shed them...ya ok I got it!
I have explored the west side of the Toano Mountains and it is miles of jeep trails to explore with antelope running around. I've seen hunters coming out the canyons on several occasions. Apparently there are elk out there although I have not seen them myself but in October 2014 we were stopped by a hunter with a quad asking if we had seen any elk. He said they liked to hang out in the mountain just across the valley to the west. He also commented on a few people that had improved their properties on the west side of the mountains.
Elko is about 2 hours to the west where you will find a hospital and major shopping. Wendover is a larger town to the SE less than an hour on Interstate 80 and people in this valley commute there for work as well as groceries. There is also a mine that has been expanding its operations along Interstate 80 to the south.
I was just telling Amber a few weeks ago about how the boot part of the valley was one of my favorite parts. I've been down here a few times now and have spent extra time hiking up a few hills and over a few rocks - what a fun place to explore! This farm girl gives it 2 thumbs up! Char the Explorer : )
No Owner Financing Available