US 50 crosses the central portion of
Nevada, entering the west side of the state near
Lake Tahoe and exiting the east side near
Great Basin National Park. The route crosses mostly desolate terrain in its journey across the state; US 50 passes through several large desert
valleys and
basins. The highway crosses 17 named
mountain passes that break up the Nevada desert. To crest some of the passes along US 50 requires navigating steep 8%
grades and
hairpin turns through
pine forests to reach elevations of over . This span is roughly the same distance as
Boston, Massachusetts, to
Baltimore, Maryland, or
Paris, France, to
Zürich, Switzerland. Traffic along US 50 varies greatly. The
average annual daily traffic in 2007 ranged from 52,000 vehicles per day in Carson City, to 530 vehicles per day near the
Duckwater turnoff. In addition to portions being designated the Loneliest Road and Lincoln Highway, the portion
concurrent with
Interstate 580 in Carson City is designated the Carson City Deputy Sheriff Carl Howell Memorial Freeway in honor of a
sheriff's officer who was shot to death while attempting to rescue a victim of domestic violence from her house.
Western Nevada US 50 enters Nevada from
California as a busy four-lane thoroughfare on the shores of alpine
Lake Tahoe in
Stateline, Nevada. The highway follows the eastern shore, squeezing between the lake and the crest of the
Carson Range. In one narrow spot, the highway cuts through the mountains via the
Cave Rock Tunnel. Eventually, the route crests the Carson Range at
Spooner Summit and then descends into Nevada's capital,
Carson City. Carson Street and William Street formerly carried the highway through the city; however, in 2017, US 50 was moved to a
freeway alignment constructed for
Interstate 580. , Nevada, from
South Lake Tahoe, California After Carson City, US 50 follows the
Carson River towards the
Lahontan Valley. This portion is also mostly four-lane, serving the commuter towns of
Dayton and
Silver Springs as well as passing by
Fort Churchill State Historic Park and
Lahontan State Recreation Area. In addition to the trails of the Pony Express and Lincoln Highway, this portion parallels the Carson River branch of the
California Trail. The Carson River forms the southern edge of the
Forty Mile Desert. This desert, located between the termini of the Carson and
Humboldt rivers, was the most dreaded part of the California Trail, where travelers had to endure of desert heat with no usable water. At Silver Springs,
U.S. Route 50 Alternate splits from the main route. Both branches are sometimes called the loneliest road, and the promotional passport issued by the Nevada Commission on Tourism includes a stamping location at
Fernley, along the alternate branch.
Fallon to Austin along Highway 50
Nevada in the United States The scenery and level of traffic changes upon leaving the Fallon area. The road narrows from four lanes to two and crosses remote terrain characterized by
Basin and Range topography. The summits start out low and gradually increase in elevation. The features in the first basins include Labou Flat, a
dry lake used by the
US Navy for low-level flight operations, and
Dixie Valley, with several visible
fault scarps that resulted from the magnitude 7.1
Dixie Valley/Fairview earthquake in 1954. Dixie Valley is now a US Navy Electronic Warfare Range. The next services are in the single-building settlement of
Middlegate, a roadhouse that has served as a restaurant, bar, hotel, and refueling station since the
Pony Express era of the 19th century. The building features Lincoln Highway and Pony Express era artifacts as well as plaques from various historical societies confirming the station is authentic. The station is the modern turnoff to
Berlin–Ichthyosaur State Park, a preserved
ghost town surrounded by
Ichthyosaur fossils. Nearby is a grove of
cottonwoods, which includes a
shoe tree. Patrons of the bar at Middlegate are unsure of the origin of the shoe tree; however, most believe it started sometime in the mid-1980s. A legend has formed about how a young man was traveling to
Reno with his bride-to-be. When she balked and got out of the car, he threw her shoes in the tree so she couldn't get away. A reporter for the
San Francisco Chronicle began to study the phenomenon of shoe trees after seeing the one at Middlegate, stating to his knowledge this was the biggest in the world. It was discovered on December 31, 2010, that the original shoe tree had been chopped down, possibly by vandals. Since then visitors have started a new shoe tree with another tree in the grove. East of Middlegate, the paths of the Pony Express, Lincoln Highway, and US 50 diverge, using different passes to cross the
Desatoya Mountains. They rejoin west of
Austin.
Austin to Ely visible in the distance Austin lies east of Fallon. The city, founded by Pony Express riders who discovered silver, was a mining
boomtown that now describes itself as a living ghost town. In 1862, at the peak of the silver boom, Austin had a population of 10,000 people. Today, about 300 residents remain. Perched above the town and just to the south of the highway is
Stokes Castle, a long abandoned monument to a prominent eastern family with local mining interests. Passing Austin, travelers encounter
hairpin turns and steep grades in the ascent up Austin Summit in the
Toiyabe Range. This area is inside the
Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest, the first part of US 50 to run inside a national forest since leaving Lake Tahoe. At Hickison Summit, about east of Austin, is the
Hickison Petroglyph Recreation Area, a
rest area and campground featuring a walking tour of
petroglyphs. The centerpiece of the historical district of Eureka is the
Eureka Opera House, built in 1880. Past Eureka is
Ely, founded as a stage coach station along the Pony Express and
Central Overland Route. Ely's mining boom came later than booms of other towns along US 50, with the discovery of
copper in 1906. Though the railroads connecting the
first transcontinental railroad to the mines in
Austin and
Eureka have long been removed, the railroad to Ely is preserved as a
heritage railway by the
Nevada Northern Railway and known as the Ghost Train of Old Ely. Here US 50 departs the historical routes of the Lincoln Highway, Pony Express, and State Route 2. These routes proceeded northeast towards
Salt Lake City, while US 50 joins with US 6 and US 93 heading east towards the state line. there are only two gas stations along the stretch between Ely and Delta.
US 93 continues south from the junction with US 50 at
Majors Place. At the Nevada–Utah border, the highway passes by
Border, Nevada, with a gas station and restaurant. This portion of the highway is mountainous with the highest point along US 50 in Nevada at Connors Pass at . Listed attractions include the
Ward Charcoal Ovens State Historic Park and
Great Basin National Park. The highway enters Utah northeast of
Baker in a remote portion of the
Great Basin Desert.
Mountain passes From west to east US 50 crosses several mountain ranges using 17 passes and one tunnel. ==Cultural references==