Road Trip Heaven – Driving Route 50, America’s Loneliest Highway

Road trips – they’re the American dream in action. Cheap for the budget-conscious, spontaneous for the open-minded, and full of adventure for adults and children alike, road trips are the great American vacation. If you like the thrill of the open road, you’ll love Nevada’s historic Route 50 – it will allow you to live the kind of road trip you thought you could only find on TV or in your favorite old movies.

Known as “the loneliest highway,” Route 50 cuts straight across central Nevada through panoramic vistas of desert landscape and desolate mountains. It follows the historic route of Pony Express riders, who braved the harsh desert conditions to bring mail between Missouri and California. Luckily, today’s tourist doesn’t need a pony to survive the loneliest highway. Despite its name, it’s packed full of treasures for tourists of every stripe.

First, the lonely part: you can drive literally hundreds of miles across U.S. 50 and see nary a building – or sometimes even another car. If you like ghost towns, you’re in luck – check out abandoned buildings and imagine the sordid mining past of towns such as Salida, Eureka or Ely.

And U.S. 50 has more than ghostly charms – namely, breathtaking nature and wide open spaces. The road is dotted with picturesque rock graffiti in which locals write out messages to each other on the side of the roads. Panoramic views of desert splendor are dotted with opportunities for off-road sports and sagebrush exploration. And there’s nothing like a desert sunset for the perfect photo op.

25 miles east of Fallon, Nevada is Sand Mountain, a mysterious dune that has been shaped and reshaped by the desert winds. Readily visible from the road, this dune features steep climbs and breathtaking ridges for off-roaders who prefer some dusty entertainment. Hikers and campers are welcome, too – check for fee areas near the mountain – and history buffs will prefer to visit the ruins of the Sand Mountain Pony Express station.

But bizarre land formations aren’t the only mystery in Highway 50’s history. Petroglyphs – ancient rock carvings made by the Shoshone tribes that date back thousands of years – can be found near Hickison Summit. Or try the strange looking mounds at the Charcoal Ovens site near Ward, which features beehive-shaped ovens that produced charcoal for use in Ward’s mines.

If you like crazy Americana, you’re in luck – Route 50 features two amazing roadside icons. Bring along some spare change and call friends and family from The Loneliest Phone – a pay phone that stands alone surrounded by desert. The phone, which is covered in stickers, is a microwave telephone – that means no wires and no telephone poles. It’s a popular meeting spot for ATV riders and tourists alike. And make it a point to see the incredible shoe tree on the north side of the highway near Middlegate. The tree features hundreds of pairs of shoes draped over its branches by passersby and is both an incredible photo opportunity and a weird landmark you won’t soon forget.

So embrace your loneliness, gas up your car and head for Route 50 – if you love the open road, it won’t disappoint.Route 50 follows the historic route of Pony Express riders.A shoe tree near Middlegate features hundreds of pairs of shoes draped over its branches.The Loneliest Phone is a meeting spot for ATV riders and tourists alike.Route 50 is known as America’s loneliest highway.