US-50: the Loneliest Road in America

Route description

From Reno, head east to Fallon, a farming town with a naval air station, where US-50 begins its long stretch across the Great Basin. East of town, Sand Mountain is a huge dune popular with off-road vehicles. The road then crosses a series of basins and mountain ranges, with the next town far ahead.

Austin is an old silver-mining town built on a steep hillside, with old churches and the ruins of Stokes Castle nearby. Farther east, Eureka has a restored opera house and a main street of 19th-century buildings. Ely, a former copper-mining town, is home to the Nevada Northern Railway museum, which runs historic trains.

From Ely, US-50 continues to Great Basin National Park near Baker. Tours of Lehman Caves should be booked in advance, and the Wheeler Peak Scenic Drive climbs to groves of ancient bristlecone pines; vehicles over 24 feet are not allowed on the upper part of the road. The park’s dark skies are among the best in the country for stargazing.

Distances between towns are long, so fill up whenever you can and carry water. The upper Wheeler Peak road is closed in winter, and snow can fall on the passes from fall to spring. Summer and early fall are the best times, with cool nights at higher elevations.