"The lonelinest highway in the USA" (Reno, Fallon: restaurant, law)

[nowhereman427]

Originally Posted by cre8lite

esmerelda county - just 30 mins south of tonopah

[dmlandissf]

We will be driving from Reno to Ely and Great Basin; then from Ely south to Las Vegas. Any recommended stops along the way? Staying on night in Reno, two nights in Ely, and two nights in Las Vegas.

[ChrisMT]

Check out this great resource:
https://travelnevada.com/discover-yo...ntent=Branding


Pit stops along 50 that are memorable for me are:
Cathedral Gorge (walk up into the cave-tunnels)
Great Basin National Park (Lehman Caves and scary drive to the top of Mount Wheeler)
Hickison Petroglyphs (nice little loop hike with petroglyphs and great views)
Austin has some great mountain bike trails
Cave Lake near Ely has nice hiking trails.


There are ghost towns and cool little museums along that route and natural hot springs you can soak in.

Are you traveling with a trailer and camping?

[nowhereman427]

"vANIshing Point" Looks like a great ride.

[Tom Lennox 70]

I've read that ironically because of the designation as the "loneliest highway", US 50 in Nevada sees tourist traffic now and is hence not that lonely anymore. But its known as a scenic route.

I've driven two lane highways in western Kansas and eastern Colorado and not seen another car for an hour and passed through towns that don't even have stoplights or fast food restaurants. Don't forget the exact routes but it was the shortcut from Oakley, Kansas to the Colorado Springs area via Cheyenne Wells CO.

[04kL4nD]

Originally Posted by dmlandissf

We will be driving from Reno to Ely and Great Basin; then from Ely south to Las Vegas. Any recommended stops along the way? Staying on night in Reno, two nights in Ely, and two nights in Las Vegas.

I drove it a few years back on our way to Yellowstone and did the stamp thing and enjoyed it, along with the pin/certificate that came in the mail ~6 months later. The towns along the way are all kinda quirky/weird and a lot of the drive is more desolate than scenic, but it's totally worth doing since I80 through Nevada is highly unpleasant once you get past Reno. I'd definitely do it again, but why 2 nights in Ely?? Reno has way more to offer imo.

[nowhereman427]

Originally Posted by 04kL4nD

I drove it a few years back on our way to Yellowstone and did the stamp thing and enjoyed it, along with the pin/certificate that came in the mail ~6 months later. The towns along the way are all kinda quirky/weird and a lot of the drive is more desolate than scenic, but it's totally worth doing since I80 through Nevada is highly unpleasant once you get past Reno. I'd definitely do it again, but why 2 nights in Ely?? Reno has way more to offer imo.

What's so unpleasant past Reno? What's in Ely?
What is so strange about the towns?

[ChrisMT]

Originally Posted by nowhereman427

What's so unpleasant past Reno? What's in Ely?
What is so strange about the towns?

Interstate 80 after Reno can have rather unremarkable scenic value. There are interesting little cities and remarkable mountain ranges, but I myself enjoy the scenery and history of Hwy 50 much more.

Ely is close to Great Basin National Park and like most Nevada cities has a great deal of BLM open space or forest to hunt, fish in the lakes, camp and pursue outdoor adventure on the trails.

[dmlandissf]

Ely is the closest city to Great Basin National Park - worth 2 nights IMHO - then on to the lights and crowds of Las Vegas.

[nowhereman427]

To me any drive will be pleasurable as long as there is no traffic and or gridlock. This maybe a good drive/road trip to check out.

https://www.onlyinyourstate.com/neva...ntent=nltitle5