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Old 08-25-2012, 11:10 AM   #1
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US 50 in Nevada

Has anyone ever traversed Nevada on US 50- called the "Loneliest Road in America"? I wondering what the gas station situation is/was thru Nevada's mid- section? Thanks for any help.
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Old 08-25-2012, 01:19 PM   #2
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Jim,

We're going to be immediately north of NV 50 in the Elko and Lamoille area. Every town , Ely, Austin, Fallon, Eureka have at least two gas stations. The distance between towns in typically less than 100 miles. The bigger issue is there are about 9 mountain passes mentioned in the Western Mountain Directory on route 50, most in the 6500-7500 foot range.

For example between Ely and Eureka there are 4 summits. We usually try to tackle them early in the morning since mid afternoon has brought the 90's.

Hope this helps.... Ginny keeps the Mountain Directory with her all the time, a road bible if you will.
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Old 08-25-2012, 02:08 PM   #3
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The last time I traveled 50 was back in 91. There was only one gas station out in the "middle" of no where! Doubt much has changed. Let me get my map out and see if I can pin point it for you. You just have to fill before you leave a town with a gas station. You will make it to the next if your doing the straight shot....
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Old 08-25-2012, 02:18 PM   #4
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We did it a couple years ago with our Subaru Forester and Boler. It was a last minute decision for us to go that route...it was definitely remote and beautiful. It also was...well...lonely! I remember a couple times I regretted not toping off my tank, but we made it just fine.

Norm already pointed our our biggest surprise for that route - all the passes! We encountered snow on many of them and then hot weather between them.

It was a nice route over all...especially after getting off the busy interstates!
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Old 08-25-2012, 02:31 PM   #5
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Jim,

My rule on these routes, like the Labrador highway, is simple: "if you see a gas station fill up". Like Labrador every town has them along this road. Though it's only the order of 100 miles between stations it's nice to have the comfort of fuel. Though we get good mileage, our gas tank only holds 16 gallons.

Driving south on Rt 93 has once again reminded us how 'dry' the Interstates are. On our drive south on 93 we have seen litttle traffic and could generally drive as fast as we want. Outside of Kalispell, Missoula and Twin Falls I can barely remember a traffic light.

It's obvious by now that we like lonely. Ginny is beginning to feel comfortable as a boondocker. This year I intend to extend the boondock-ability of our Scamp 16. The west is truly a boondocker's paradise.

Of course we rarely feel really alone with the Internet, Sat TV and our Nooks. After 284 days we've had less than 7 days without Internet.

This life is great.
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Old 08-25-2012, 03:08 PM   #6
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In May I was coming back from my winter digs in Phoenix to my southern Oregon home via the "back door" route which includes 50,93 &95 in Nevada. I was towing my wife's car on my car trailer and all I could see several times was a black sky & an empty gas tank warning. I do have OnStar on my truck & contacted them with my concern. They laid out the route stops that had open gas stations and assured me that if I did run out of gas, a truck would be dispatched to get me going again at no charge. Best 30 bucks a month I spend.
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Old 08-25-2012, 03:26 PM   #7
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As others indicated, just drive on the top 1/2 of your tank. NOT a problem.

ALSO... it is SO WIDE and open that you can forget to IMMEDIATELY drop your speed when you hit the towns enroute. 30 MEANS 30!! .

(on US 395 going through Minden / Gardnerville, NV it is 25. FOUR LANS and 25 mph.)
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Old 08-25-2012, 03:46 PM   #8
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Jim,

Are you coming west?
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Old 08-25-2012, 05:12 PM   #9
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Thanks Norm and everyone else,
If any one has been on that road I somehow knew it was some members here. I'm planning a preliminary trip out west to see some relatives in California next year and was trying to determine the most direct non interstate way and this road seemed in the right direction. My tank is 25 gal but with 12-15 mpg my range is only 300-350 miles. I will carry some 2 extra 5 gal cans for emergency.
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Old 08-25-2012, 06:01 PM   #10
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Jim,

I know your cautious but you won't need the gas cans. They are really a pain to carry. The reality is that people in these small towns need gas as well, simply to live and do their jobs.

I checked out every significant town shown on my Microsoft Streets and Trips on Rt. 50 in Neveda and they all have gas. The distance from Delta, Utah to Reno, NV is about 480 miles.

Delta, Utah to Ely is 150 miles, Ely to Eureka is 80 miles, Eureka to Austin is 70 miles, Austin to Fallon is 110 miles, Fallon to Reno is 80 miles. If you're concerned about the 150 miles from Delta, Utah to Ely, NV you can stop in Baker, NV just across the Utah border and gas up. Virtually every NV border town has a gas station and a casino. On our trip gas has never been further than 50 miles.

Tonight we're in Jackpot, NV, a border town. If there wasn't a casino here it would have been 100 miles between gas stations, the longest distance we've seen this year. In all our travels the longest distance ever was in the Northwest Territories where it was about 230 miles to a gas station.

You should have no trouble and I suspect it's a beautiful road. Generally when ever we reach a summit, we stop and take a picture.

The item we always carry is water. We typically carry a half full trailer tank and a case of bottled in the Honda.

The other item we've carried for 5 years is a fan belt. My feeling is that the fan belt will fail when there's none to be had. We also have a tire repair kit for simple punctures and a compressor.

By the way, Ely has one of the world's largest open pit copper mines.

Safe Travels,
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Old 08-25-2012, 07:04 PM   #11
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What I love on the border is the gas station that sits ON the border. West half sells booze and has slots. East half... Not so much.
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Old 08-25-2012, 07:12 PM   #12
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In one of our trips east from California, we chose 50. An interesting ride. Wearing a tank top and shorts with temps in the 90s, we went thru a dust storm where you couldn't see anything up and down the 9 passes, getting needed gas at the top of one of these hills, and it was snowing! All I can tell you is be prepared for anything, be careful, and enjoy the rather sparse scenery.
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Old 08-25-2012, 07:27 PM   #13
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This describes 50 well and gives info on the lil burgs/towns, tourist sights etc.


U.S. Route 50 in Nevada - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Old 08-25-2012, 07:28 PM   #14
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Sights on 50

We experienced our first sand storms this year. The only solution seems to be to stop and wait for them to blow themselves out. We simply found it too dangerous to drive. Actually in NM they simply closed the Interstate.

Here's some links to see on RT 50, I suspect more than you'll have time for.


US50 - Nevada: Travel US 50 through Nevada. The Silver State. The capital is Carson City. The state motto is: All for our Country. Highway 50, Great Basin, Mount Wheeler, Pony Express, Baker, Ely, Eureka, Austin, Fallon, Silver Springs, Cave Lake, Th

The Loneliest Road in America

Nevada's Lonely U.S. Route 50 (DesertUSA)
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Old 08-25-2012, 10:57 PM   #15
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Norm and Ginny,
What is the Mountain Guide? I've not heard of it 'til now.
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Old 08-26-2012, 08:04 AM   #16
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Mountain Directory West

The actual name is the "Mountain Directory West for Truckers, RV and Motorhome Drivers". It has a color topographic map of each western state showing major routes. On each route it has numbered markers for each tough crade describing the ascent and descent. I believe we bought ours at Camping World.

They also make an "Mountain Directory East".

The book hardly ever changes our route but now we're no longer surprised. On our first trip west we were surprised. We had taken Route 2 across the country. As you approach Wenatchee, WA on 2 there's a 6%, 7 mile grade on a winding 2 lane road as you head down to the Columbia River. A mile from the bottom is a sign, "Stop Sign 1 mile", nice to see when your brakes are hot.

Safe Travels
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Old 08-26-2012, 11:02 AM   #17
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More Mountain Directory

Gilda,

Though you might expect that there's no need for an Eastern Mountain Directory, it turns out that grades in the east are often steeper than the west. Western grades normally have longer runs.

One interesting statistic is that must Colorado runaway ramps on steep grades are used by vehicles that originate east of Colorado, as well they tend to be drivers with limited experience.

On the up grades people tend to overheat their transmissions and on the down grade their brakes.

The books cost about $15 and unlike many travel books are good for long periods because the grades don't change much like the Exit books or the Milepost.
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Old 08-26-2012, 11:57 AM   #18
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Not too many decades ago this is what you would have experienced on US 50 in Utah:

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US 50 was one of the last US highways to be paved. On this leg of the day's journey I think we went around 5 hours without seeing another person. We took this trip in the Spring of this year...the last big trip we without our Scamp. We're really looking forward to our next trip out west. This time WITH the Scamp!
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Old 08-26-2012, 01:50 PM   #19
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Is the road paved when you were on it?
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Old 08-26-2012, 06:51 PM   #20
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When they paved 50 they re-routed it.
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