Best Road Trip Routes in Nevada

Nevada's road trips span the alien-themed Extraterrestrial Highway, the Great Basin's empty two-lane highways, and the classic Las Vegas-to-Zion corridor.

Extraterrestrial Highway (Nevada State Route 375)
The most famous two-lane highway in Nevada — 98 miles of desolate terrain past the secret installations of the Nevada Test and Training Range and the town of Rachel (population ~60). The highway is officially designated "Extraterrestrial Highway" in recognition of the area's association with UFO sightings. The Little A'Le'Inn in Rachel is the required stop. The Las Vegas to Area 51 (officially NTTR) corridor has been dramatically popularized; the nearby town of Alamo is a quieter base.

Las Vegas to Zion (UT-9 / US-89 Corridor)
Las Vegas → Valley of Fire State Park (60 miles, 1.5 hours) → Overton (2 hours) → US-89 north through Kanab, Utah → Zion National Park (3 hours from Las Vegas). This 170-mile corridor passes through the Mojave, the Moapa Valley, and the Grand Staircase-Escalante region. The weekend canyon country escape from Las Vegas.

Great Basin Backcountry Loop
Reno → Fallon (Naval Air Station Fallon, site of the "Top Gun" training school) → Eureka (19th-century courthouse, ghost town atmosphere) → Ely (Hotel Nevada, the oldest licensed gambling establishment in Nevada) → Great Basin National Park → back via US-50 ("The Loneliest Road in America") through Austin, Middlegate, and Fallon. US-50 passes through eight mountain ranges and seven valleys with minimal services — a genuine Great Basin experience.

Ruby Mountains Scenic Drive (Lamoille Canyon Road)
From Elko south to Spring Creek, then into Lamoille Canyon via NV-227. The canyon road ends at the Liberty Pass trailhead, 8 miles into a glacially carved U-valley surrounded by 11,000-foot peaks. Best in fall when aspens turn gold (late September–early October).