Extraterrestrial Highway

The Extraterrestrial Highway is Nevada State Route 375 - 98 miles of empty two-lane blacktop skirting the edge of Area 51's restricted range, officially christened with its alien name back in 1996. The drive is free and always open; the pilgrimage runs about 2.5 hours from the Strip: north on US-93, west at Crystal Springs onto SR-375, then 38 more miles to Rachel, population roughly 50, home of the Little A'Le'Inn bar-restaurant-motel and its Alien Burger. What you're driving for is atmosphere: alien-themed roadside kitsch, restricted-boundary signs, and some of the darkest night skies in America.

Manage expectations like a local. You cannot see Area 51 from anywhere on the road (Groom Lake hides behind mountains, and crossing the boundary earns you armed guards and a court date), the famous Black Mailbox has been removed after decades of vandalism, and the Alien Research Center gift shop near the south end keeps irregular hours. Rachel's own schedule is the trap now: the Little A'Le'Inn is closed Sunday and Monday and shuts its kitchen an hour before the doors, so a Sunday drive can finish at a locked diner 150 miles from home. Fuel is the other planning item - the only pump on the route is the Alien Cowpoke in Rachel, the only gas for roughly 50 miles either way - so leave with a full tank, carry water, and download maps offline, because cell service quits early. Watch for free-range cattle at dusk, then trade the drive home for an hour of stargazing that no Strip attraction can match.