Nevada Hwy 50

[dannymarie]

Looking at crossing Nevada on Hwy 50 that goes from Carson City to Ely and into Utah. Has anyone driven that route and is it a good road? Understand it is "lonesome" and few towns but there seems to be lots of mountain passes. Are they a big problem? Part of a longer trip into California and Oregon. We're pulling a 27' fifth wheel.

Thanks.

[Travelon]

Fred_n_Jo wrote:
Last year we drove US Hwy 50 from the Atlantic beaches of Ocean City, MD to Sacramento, CA which is the west end of Rte 50. We then drove on west to the Pacific coast to complete our "sea to shining sea adventure." It took us 10 driving days to cover 3121 miles.

For the Nevada portion we camped in Ely and Carson City.

Way to go! A great adventure... a 'tip of the cap' to you.

Travelon

[Fred_n_Jo]

Last year we drove US Hwy 50 from the Atlantic beaches of Ocean City, MD to Sacramento, CA which is the west end of Rte 50. We then drove on west to the Pacific coast to complete our "sea to shining sea adventure." It took us 10 driving days to cover 3121 miles.

For the Nevada portion we camped in Ely and Carson City.

[camperdave]

ppine wrote:
Do not drive US 50 at night. There can be a lot of livestock on the road. A lot of it is not fenced. You do not want to hit a cow or a horse that weighs over 1,000 pounds. Black Angus are common and really hard to see. Deer are common in the many mountain ranges.

we say a VERY large steer feet up on the side of the road last week out there. I couldn't help but wonder what the car that hit him looked like... Hope it wasn't a motorcycle.

East to West, we had a headwind the whole way. Nice drive for sure, we gassed up in Ely and with the headwind and the generator running the A/C, we were nearly at a quarter tank by the time we hit Fernley.

[ppine]

"Not really that lonely."
Compared to where?
Try it in winter.

[profdant139]

Tough bike ride east to west -- the wind usually comes from the west or southwest, if I recall correctly.

[ppine]

Do not drive US 50 at night. There can be a lot of livestock on the road. A lot of it is not fenced. You do not want to hit a cow or a horse that weighs over 1,000 pounds. Black Angus are common and really hard to see. Deer are common in the many mountain ranges.

[caver]

This is also the Western Express adventure cycling trail. A shorter cut off in Colorado to San Fransisco from the main route coast to coast. So if it's summer and you see some crazy bicyclist with saddlebags you now know why. If you have some sealed cold bottled water you might stop and offer it to them. I know it's a long run between water stops. Years ago I saw a young guy and knew that's what he was doing. I slowed down and he stopped. We chatted for probably 20 minutes. It was early morning and we had maybe one car go by while chatting. Some do this section at night depending on the heat. The kid was telling me as he got farther west he would just find a spot out of sight in the desert and pitch a tent.

[Bipeflier]

Beats the heck out of I80

[ppine]

royandlynne,
You must be thinking of Middlegate, the old stage stop. The Pony Express parallels Route 50. It only operated from 1860-1861. Keep an eye out for the route and the old stage stops.

[ppine]

Few places in America are more quiet. Stop and get out and look around anywhere along the route. Eureka is one of the best small towns around. Go in the basement of the Opera House and read the inscriptions made by performers over the years.

[Roy_Lynne]

Here is a secret shortcut and scenic drive route. After Fallon, you will come to a town called Middleton, watch for Hwy 722/2 on the right. Take it and it will eventually take you right back to Hwy 50 right before Austin. You do go over one summit and its even lonelier than 50 but its a nice drive.
The Desatoya Mountains Scenic Drive

[dave54]

The only grade of any note is just east of Austin, with a few climbing switchbacks. Not really a problem.
As others noted, gas up in Ely. The towns along the way have 1 or 2 stations, but may or may not be open, may or may not be able to maneuver a larger rig to the pumps, pay tourist prices...

Fallon is a large full service town with multiple fueling options. In between Ely and Fallon, no so much.

[profdant139]

The mountain passes are not a problem -- the grades are gentle, not very twisty, fairly wide lanes on each side. I really enjoy towing on most of the two lane roads in Nevada -- very peaceful, great views, decent road surfaces (usually).

[4runnerguy]

Enjoy. It's our preferred route when heading to CA. Not really that lonely as there is a fair amount of traffic for being in the middle of no where. Just a long ways between towns. There are fuel stations at all the towns along the way. But not many 24 hour stations.