After the year of social isolation we’ve had, it might seem counterintuitive to take a road trip down Highway 50, dubbed the “Loneliest Road in America” by Life magazine in 1986. But don’t be put off by the moniker: This road, stretching 375 to 500 miles eastward from Reno to Baker, offers plenty of intriguing stops, from ghost towns to state parks to old-timey saloons. This scenic and historic corridor is a trip worth stretching out over days to really get a feel for our state’s diverse offerings. And, before you start your journey, get a free copy of the Official Hwy 50 Survival Guide (loneliestroad.us/highway-50-survival-guide) and collect special stamps in cities you’ll hit along the way.

Start from Reno or Carson City and head to Fallon, known as “The Oasis of Nevada,” and feast on the massive Monster Burger at Middlegate Station. You’ll get a trophy shirt and bragging rights for finishing the triple-decker meat stack at this rural town. Then take a tour of Frey Ranch, the state’s first commercial estate distillery making malting gin, vodka and bourbon. It’s been with the Frey family for five generations, and Colby Frey, now at the helm, is producing some excellent homegrown bourbon and rye whiskey (of which you should buy several bottles to keep you company for the rest of your trip).

Next up is the mountain town of Austin, where you can get a good soak at Spencer Hot Springs. Located on BLM land, you can even camp nearby for the night and enjoy the perfect water temperature while looking at the stars. Rested and rejuvenated, head out the following day to Toquima Cave and admire pictographs drawn by the Shoshone people, who populated the area 3,000 years ago.

Before heading to Eureka from Austin, take a 30-minute detour south to Lucky Spur Saloon in Kingston, a superb example of a Sagebrush Saloon, Nevada’s historic bars from the 19th century. Once in Eureka, continue your journey back in time and stay at the Jackson House Hotel, which offers eight historically restored rooms. Or check out the Doll House, built in 1880 during the height of the state’s silver and gold rush, and stay for a night or two.

Ely is the next destination after Eureka. There’s so much to do here we’ve devoted a whole other story to it. Finish your road trip on the loneliest road by visiting Great Basin National Park, one of the most beautiful (in our opinion) and least visited national parks in the U.S., and home to Lehman Caves, a living cave with an astonishing network of stalactites, stalagmites and helictites. Then take in the night sky at Great Basin, which boasts some of the darkest skies in the Western Hemisphere. Looking at stars the size of your fists, you’ll feel anything but lonely.

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