When you think of rural Nevada, you probably already conjure images of vast, empty desert vistas. When descriptions like, “the loneliest road in America,” get tossed in, you start to imagine a whole new level of isolation. For some travelers that’s the point, and if that’s you, there’s enough solitude to go around. But if you happen to enjoy good company and a few creature comforts, don’t worry– you’ll discover that it might not be so lonely here after all.
This story was created in partnership with Pony Express Territory.
Tell us how you really feel, Life Magazine
Stretching roughly 285 miles between Ely and Fernley, Highway 50 crosses right through the heart of Nevada. A scathing 1968 Life Magazine is the culprit of the “loneliest road” designation, and pulled no punches in trashing the route: “It’s totally empty. There are no points of interest. We don’t recommend it. We warn all motorists not to drive there unless they’re confident of their survival skills.”
Perhaps the writer lost their sense of adventure at a casino, but curious travelers know better than to write off an entire swath of pristine open country in the American West. With a full tank of gas and an open mind, travelers here will be greeted with everything from thriving arts communities and wild west saloons to snow-capped peaks and the Milky Way– even without Bear Grylls-level survival skills.
Go West
Highway 50 can obviously be traveled in either direction, but we’ll start at the east end in Ely. This mountain town was put on the map as a stop along the Pony Express during the copper and gold mining days. Now, it’s is a thriving hub for outdoor adventure, cultural events and western history.
Down the highway you’ll reach Baker, your basecamp for exploring Great Basin National Park. Here you’ll find Nevada’s only glacier (America’s Loneliest Glacier?), its tallest mountain (13,063-foot Wheeler Peak) and its longest cave system. If that’s not enough superlatives for you, it’s also home to bristlecone pines, the longest living trees on Earth. Plan well in advance for a ranger-led tour of the Lehman Caves. If your trip is more spur-of-the-moment, hit the 12-mile Wheeler Peak Scenic Drive, then stretch your legs on the 2.8-mile Bristlecone Trail or the 4.8-mile Glacier Trail.
Back in Ely, stop by the Nevada Northern Railway Museum. Not only will you learn about the early days of rail travel, you can even take a ride aboard a historic steam engine. Ely is also a hub for cyclists of all types and abilities; mountain bikers can easily access dozens of miles of singletrack from town, while gravel riders can take a train shuttle into the mountains and ride a dirt road back into town.
Boom, bust, and back again
Continuing west, your next stop will be the historic mining town of Eureka. The well-preserved downtown core is a testament to the riches it garnished during its mining days: ornate hotels, abandoned mines, and even an opera house. Like any good mining town, the riffraff didn’t stop above ground; a network of tunnels used for bootlegging, gambling, or simply avoiding certain townsfolk runs beneath the town, which can be explored on a guided tour.
Moving on, make your way towards Austin, (you guessed it) another historic mining town. If this outdoor activity hub of under 200 residents if giving off too many big city vibes, don’t worry; a handful of nearby ghost towns offer plenty of opportunities to socialize with past souls and learn about the region’s history. Stepping back even further in the past, pay a visit to the Hickison Petroglyph Recreation Area. Here you’ll find Western Shoshone cultural sites dating back as far as 10,000 years, as well plenty of hiking and camping.
Mountain bikers and hikers will also find endless opportunities to explore in the 117-mile long Toiyabe Range, intersected by the rugged Toiyabe Crest National Recreation Trail. When you’re ready to mingle amongst the living again, take a detour down to Kingston for a stop in the Lucky Spur Saloon. Before you turn in for the night, here’s a local tip: pack your favorite beverage or a snack and head up to Stokes Castle for sunset, a three-story granite structure built by mining mogul Anson Phelps Stokes in 1897.
If you’re craving company at this point, you’re in luck: your next stop, Fallon, is the most populated town on this route. If you’ve been roughing it thus far, a number of farm-to-fork restaurants, bakeries, and coffee shops are here to help you refuel. If you’re having trouble readjusting to civilization, take the edge off with some whiskey and rye at the Frey Ranch distillery. And those grains that go into your drink? They’re 100% locally grown.
When you’re ready to hit the trail again, head to the Stillwater National Wildlife Refuge for something you haven’t encountered much of yet: water. Encompassing nearly 80,000 acres of marshland, rivers, and a lake, this area is an oasis for migratory birds and a critical source of fresh water for other wildlife. Or if you’re disappointed by how crowded the “loneliest road” has been so far, ditch roads altogether at Sand Mountain for ATV and off-road adventuring on a six-story-tall sand dune playground.
Another must-stop in Fallon is the Churchill County Museum and Archives, which holds over 16,000 artifacts from the region. Here you can also join a free guided tour of the nearby Hidden Cave and Grimes Point Archaeological Site, featuring prehistoric petroglyphs and a four-millennia-old Paiute-Shoshone storage site.
Beyond Fallon, you’ll finally arrive in Dayton, the last stop on this route. There’s gold in these thar hills; a lucky prospector first discovered it here in 1849, and the rest, they say, is history. Remnants of the resulting gold boom are still visible today, from the historic buildings downtown to the Sutro Tunnel, a mining engineering feat completed in 1879.
America’s Loneliest Road?
If you’ve made it this far, you’ve probably noticed that we’ve debunked a few myths about “America’s Loneliest Road.” Is it remote? Yes. Can you find solitude? Absolutely. Does anyone actually live here? Yes, for thousands of years. Can you see the Milky Way galaxy? Also, yes.
Is it even that lonely? We’ll let you be the judge.
