On the Road…Highway 50
Loneliest Highway in America
Our Adventure Begins
The trek begins today!
I love this road. I have always loved road trips, and trips that end in National Parks—well, those are the ultimate.
We got a bit of a late start, but after a few false starts (and a couple of dumped Starbucks), we were finally on our way to our newest adventure.
First Stop: Fort Churchill
Fort Churchill State Historic Park
We decided to stop at Historic Fort Churchill, and it turned out to be a really interesting—and beautiful—place.
Our Friend the Hare
We hiked around the site, enjoying the surprising amount of green along the Carson River. My niece, Amelia, loved the small museum attached to the visitor center and even made friends with a little statue of a hare behind the main building.
It was a wonderful stop.
And it had great bathrooms.
10/10. 😂
Then we left with a smile and headed down the Loneliest Road in America.
Just How Lonely Is the Loneliest Road?
Highway 50 is lonely. There are long stretches of blacktop stretching for miles with, in some cases, literally no one else around.
But in reality, it's very manageable if you break it into smaller sections.
The Fallon area is a good place to stop for a bathroom, top off your gas tank and grab a snack before heading into the more sparsely populated section of the drive.
Then it's on toward Austin.
Small Stone Church, Austin, NV
Austin is a tiny little mountain town—yes, you read that right—sitting at about 6,600 feet in elevation. Driving through this part of Nevada is a great reminder that the state isn't nearly as flat as people sometimes assume.
From there, we continued east toward Eureka.
The landscape between the little towns constantly changes. There are broad, flat valleys followed by climbs into hills and mountain passes, then suddenly another enormous Nevada landscape opens in front of you.
And then we saw a sign:
PETROGLYPHS.
Well.
Obviously we were stopping. 😂
An Unexpected Detour
Hickson Petroglyph Recreation Area
The Hickison Petroglyph Recreation Area is a wonderful stop! The park allows public access to petroglyphs created by Indigenous people living near Hickison Summit not far outside of Austin, NV.
When I say we decided to stop, I should probably clarify that I was driving, so this may not have been an entirely democratic decision.
The road was a little rough—and by “a little rough,” I mean gravelly, unpaved dirt road—but the short drive was worth it.
We eventually reached a small parking area near the campground and started the roughly 0.6-mile trail through the petroglyph site.
It was an easy hike with some fascinating examples of ancient petroglyphs. But I found the landscape itself almost as interesting. The erosion and geological formations surrounding the site made the whole place worth exploring.
It was one of those wonderful road-trip discoveries we hadn't planned at all.
Soon, though, we were back on Highway 50 and headed toward Eureka and its apparently very impressive fire department. 😂
Eureka Fire Department
We were all impressed by the size of Eureka's fire station—especially in such a small community. Eureka County covers a huge stretch of rural Nevada, which helped put the scale of emergency services out here into perspective for us.
Across the Loneliest Highway
We got out in Eureka and walked around for a bit before continuing toward our destination for the evening: Ely (pronounced EE-lee), Nevada.
The road was so empty during parts of our drive that I was able to safely pull completely off the roadway and get some of my favorite photographs of the Loneliest Road in America.
And I really do love this drive.
Loneliest Highway in America
This stretch and others like it is where Highway 50 earns its nickname. This road, between Austin and Eureka, is a mix of rugged beauty and harsh landscape that makes this drive truly unique.
The terrain changes constantly—from mountain passes to enormous flat valleys, creeks and little towns that grew around mining, transportation routes and the history of central Nevada.
We also spotted several Pony Express station markers along the way, but decided to save those for the return trip.
Because apparently we hadn't made enough roadside stops already. 😂
Ely at Last
We arrived early enough to explore Ely a little before checking in for the night.
Then it was time for my niece's favorite road-trip dinner:
McDonald's.
😂
Well—it is her vacation too.
And, to be fair, even the restaurant had some fabulous statues around the building, so technically we were still sightseeing.
The McDonald's Wildlife Statues
Even the Ely McDonald's came with a sightseeing surprise: life-size wildlife sculptures around the property. This bear was my favorite.
Tomorrow is the big one.
We're heading into Great Basin National Park, and we have a full day planned exploring the area.
I can't wait.
