This 98-mile Nevada road runs past Area 51 and has no gas, no signal, and no answers

It’s America’s strangest road trip

Nevada State Route 375 cuts 98 miles through south-central Nevada, and for most of that distance, you won’t see another car.

The road runs parallel to the Nellis Air Force Range, right along the edge of Area 51 territory.

Strange lights in the sky, a town of 50 people, and a mailbox that became a UFO shrine all sit along this one stretch of pavement.

The desert out here looks like it belongs on another planet, and the stories attached to it aren’t far behind.

The CIA acknowledged Area 51, and Nevada cashed in

Stories about Area 51 and Groom Lake had been circulating for decades, but by the 1990s, they’d gone fully mainstream. Books, personal accounts, and pop culture turned the secretive base into an obsession.

People started showing up in Rachel, the closest settlement, hoping to catch something unusual in the sky.

Nevada tourism officials saw the buzz and made it official in February 1996, renaming SR 375 the Extraterrestrial Highway. Two months later, the governor unveiled the special highway signs at a public ceremony in Rachel.

Fill your tank at Crystal Springs before the road goes empty

The drive starts at a junction with State Route 318 at Crystal Springs, which is barely more than a rest area with a few trees at the northern edge of the Pahranagat Valley.

You’ll spot the famous green Extraterrestrial Highway sign right away, usually plastered with stickers from past travelers.

Nearby, E.T. Fresh Jerky sits at the junction of US-93 and NV-375/318, stocked with alien-themed murals and road trip snacks. Fill up on gas and water in Alamo or Ash Springs first.

Services ahead are close to zero.

A towering silver alien guards the first gift shop

Shortly after you turn onto SR 375, a giant silver alien statue appears in front of a hangar. That’s the Alien Research Center, a gift shop selling every alien souvenir you can think of.

Even when it’s closed, people pull over for photos. Past the shop, the road opens into long, dead-straight stretches through open desert.

Mountains line the horizon in every direction.

You’ll climb over Hancock Summit at 5,592 feet, and for miles in either direction, sagebrush and distant ranges are the only company you’ve got.

A rancher’s mailbox became a UFO pilgrimage site

About 29 miles west of Crystal Springs, you’ll hit the intersection of SR 375 and Mail Box Road. A mailbox stands here, and it draws people from all over the world.

The original belonged to cattle rancher Steve Medlin, whose property sits out in the remote Tikaboo Valley. In the 1990s, UFO watchers started camping here overnight, scanning the skies over Area 51.

The black mailbox got vandalized and stolen so many times that it’s been replaced more than once. Visitors still leave notes, trinkets and stickers at the spot.

Rachel has 50 residents, no post office and one restaurant

Rachel sits near the midpoint of the highway with about 50 year-round residents, most of them living in mobile homes. A local alfalfa farmer founded the settlement in 1973 and called it Tempiute Village.

It got renamed in 1978 after Rachel Jones, the first child born in the community. Kids here ride a bus 50 miles to school in Alamo.

A tungsten mine once kept over 500 people employed, but when it closed in 1988, the population dropped fast. Today, the steady stream of visitors looking for Area 51 keeps Rachel on the map.

The Little A’Le’Inn is the only food stop for 98 miles

The Little A’Le’Inn, pronounced “little alien,” runs as Rachel’s restaurant, motel and gift shop, and it’s been at it for over 25 years.

Walk inside and the walls are covered with photos of claimed UFO sightings and letters from visitors around the world. Out front, a tow truck hauling a flying saucer sits ready for your photo.

The inn has five rooms, RV hookups and free dry camping. In 1996, the producers of Independence Day placed a time capsule nearby, set to open in 2050.

A meteorite hit this desert 380 million years ago

Long before anyone talked about aliens, something actually did come from the sky here.

Paleontologists have studied the Alamo Impact, a meteorite strike that hit this region roughly 380 million years ago during the Devonian Period.

The meteorite stretched over a mile wide and slammed into what was then a shallow tropical sea, sending tsunamis that scattered debris across about 1,500 square miles.

Dark rock layers visible from the highway are remnants of that ancient collision. Idaho State University researchers have conducted fieldwork along the route studying these formations.

The Milky Way stretches across the sky like a brushstroke

Almost zero light pollution makes the Extraterrestrial Highway one of the best stargazing corridors in the Lower 48.

On a clear, moonless night, you can see thousands of stars, planets and the full sweep of the Milky Way without a telescope. Rachel and the surrounding desert draw astrophotographers and amateur astronomers regularly.

Many travelers continue west on US 6 to Tonopah, where Clair Blackburn Memorial Stargazing Park has concrete pads for telescopes and hosts regular star parties.

Camp overnight along the route and the sky alone is worth the trip.

Over 264 bird species hide in a desert oasis nearby

Near the start of the highway, the Pahranagat National Wildlife Refuge spreads across 5,382 acres of wetlands, lakes and cottonwood trees right in the middle of the Mojave.

Over 264 bird species have turned up here, more than half of all birds recorded in the entire state of Nevada. You can hike the trails and camp for free along Upper Pahranagat Lake.

North of the highway, the Basin and Range National Monument covers 704,000 acres of rugged mountains and valleys, with ancient petroglyphs at White River Narrows and Mount Irish dating back 4,000 years.

NASA trained Apollo astronauts in a crater off this road

A side road off US 6 near the highway’s western end leads to the Lunar Crater Volcanic Field, where 20 extinct volcanoes are visible from the crater’s rim.

The main crater is a volcanic maar about 3,800 feet across and 430 feet deep, and it earned a spot on the National Natural Landmark register in 1973.

In 1972, NASA brought crews from Apollo 16 and Apollo 17 here to practice recognizing volcanic features they’d encounter on the Moon.

The Lunar Crater Backcountry Byway loops 24 unpaved miles through the field, so bring a high-clearance vehicle.

Cattle roam the road and shade does not exist

The highway is paved and safe for any standard vehicle, but don’t expect gas between Alamo and Tonopah, a gap well over 100 miles.

Summer temperatures regularly top 100 degrees, and there is no shade anywhere along the route. Cell service drops out for most of the drive.

Open-range cattle wander freely and stand on the pavement, especially at dawn and dusk, so keep your eyes on the road.

You can drive the whole route as a day trip from Las Vegas, about 150 miles southeast, but staying overnight gives you time for the stars.

Drive the Extraterrestrial Highway in Nevada

You can pick up SR 375 at Crystal Springs, where it starts at the junction with State Route 318 in south-central Nevada.

From Las Vegas, take I-15 north to US-93 north for about 85 miles, then turn left onto SR 318 and left again onto SR 375. The drive runs about 90 minutes without stops, but most people spend a full day on the route.

The highway is open year-round with no entrance fee.

Check the official Travel Nevada site or contact the Lincoln County tourism office for current conditions.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

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