One part of Highway 50 is a little different than the rest. Dubbed by Life as the “Loneliest Road,” the 462-kilometer road runs through Nevada, the driest state in the United States, and is the longest stretch of Highway 50 that is completely desert.
Dubbed the “Loneliest Road,” it actually attracts curious tourists who explore Nevada and take road trips just to be on the famous road. If motorists earn the “Survival Guide” stamp at five or more designated pit stops or along the way, they can actually earn the “I Survived America’s Loneliest Road” certificate.
U.S. Highway 50 was not built overnight. The history of U.S. Highway 50 began nearly 200 years ago. There were no existing trails, except for those left by Native Americans.
It is believed that the US 50 owes its existence to Captain William Bicknell. He successfully completed the long and tiring journey to Santa Fe, where he made a fortune selling merchandise. The Santa Fe Trail was thus established, and the route Bicknell explored became the mountain branch of the Santa Fe Trail. Later, the railroad would extend along Bicknell’s Santa Fe Trail, creating a route that would one day become part of U.S. Highway 50.
“It has almost nothing, nothing interesting, and we don’t recommend it. The Nevada section of U.S. Highway 50 from Ely to Fernley stretches 287 miles, passing only nine towns, two abandoned mining camps, a handful of gas stations and the occasional coyote along the way. We warn all motorists not to drive there unless they are confident in their survival skills.”
Highway 50 cuts through the sparsely populated Express Horse Delivery area, but it’s not just endless hillsides, but a town left over from history and all the fantasies of those riders on horses in cowboy movies in the West, with a little greenery tucked around the corner.
