Nevada State Route 375
Extraterrestrial Highway Warm Springs Road | ||||
Route information | ||||
Maintained by NDOT | ||||
Length | 98.443 mi[1] (158.429 km) | |||
Existed | 1976–present | |||
History | SR 25 by 1933; became SR 375 in 1976; highway named in 1996. | |||
Major junctions | ||||
South end | SR 318 at Crystal Springs | |||
North end | US 6 at Warm Springs | |||
Location | ||||
Country | United States | |||
State | Nevada | |||
Counties | Nye, Lincoln | |||
Highway system | ||||
| ||||
|
State Route 375 (SR 375) is a 98.414-mile (158.382 km)
The top-secret Area 51 government base is near SR 375, and many travelers have reported UFO observations and other strange alien activity along this road. Such stories prompted the state to officially designate the route as the Extraterrestrial Highway in 1996. The small town of Rachel, located near the midpoint of the highway, caters to tourists, geocachers, and UFO seekers with alien-themed businesses. Although the area receives some tourism due to alleged extraterrestrial activity, SR 375 remains a lightly traveled route.
Route description
State Route 375 begins at a "Y" junction with State Route 318 at Crystal Springs, a ghost town in the northern end of the Pahranagat Valley in the center of Lincoln County. The site, which is little more than the junction and a few trees, functions as a rest area.[2] From Crystal Springs, the highway curves southwest to pass between the Pahrangat and Mount Irish ranges to ascend 5,592-foot (1,704 m) Hancock Summit.[2]
The Black Mailbox
Descending the summit, SR 375 nears the border of the Nellis Air Force Range. As the highway heads northwest through Tikaboo Valley, it meets Mail Box Road.
It used to be marked by a single postal drop known as the "black mailbox": the dirt access road leads to the restricted lands surrounding Area 51. The original mailbox was a normal black mailbox; however, due to people constantly sifting through it, it was replaced by a more secure white mailbox. The name "Black Mailbox" still stuck. It was commonly used as a gathering place for UFO seekers,[3] and two to three UFO sightings per week allegedly occur in the area.[4] The mailbox was removed by its owner, Steve Medlin, due to continued vandalism.[5] SR 375 continues heading northwest from the mailbox, climbing in elevation again to reach the top of Coyote Summit at 5,591 feet (1,704 m).[2]
West of the summit, the Extraterrestrial Highway descends into the
Leaving Rachel, SR 375 continues northwest to enter Nye County. The route climbs out of Sand Spring Valley and heads over the 5,935-foot (1,809 m) Queen City Summit, the highest point on the highway.
History
Route development
An unimproved road approximating the present alignment of State Route 375 came into existence by 1932. This route, christened State Route 25A, connected Crystal Springs to
In 1942, SR 25 appeared to have a significant gap in its route. State maps from the time show a large area within Nye and Lincoln Counties where all roads had been removed.[11] The route existed in one piece again by 1946, although it had been realigned northward and shortened to 111 miles (179 km).[12] A sizable portion of SR 25 passing through the Tonopah U.S. Army Air Force Bombing Range (now the Nellis Air Force Range and Nevada Test Site) was restricted from public travel by 1950, the restricted section being approximately the same area that was removed in 1942.[11][13] To avoid the restricted area of the testing range, the west end of SR 25 was realigned by 1957. The highway connected to US 6 at Warm Springs about 37 miles (60 km) east of the previous terminus, heading north around the Reveille Range instead of climbing the Kawich Range within the bombing area.[14]
With the 1957 realignment, the routing of SR 25 attained its final form. The entire highway was paved by the following year.[15] SR 25 remained unchanged until the 1976 renumbering of Nevada's state highways, through which the western section of SR 25 became the new State Route 375.[16] The new route number was first seen on the 1978 edition of the official state highway map.[17]
Naming the highway
In 1989, an engineer named
News of the highway's renaming reached
To promote the Extraterrestrial Highway after its renaming, the tourism commission launched "The ET Experience" in July 1996. Tourists could contact the Nevada Commission on Tourism to receive a traveler's kit containing information about the highway, nearby cultural attractions, and area services. Visitors that patronized businesses in Rachel and central Nevada and submitted an account of their journey received Extraterrestrial Highway memorabilia. Stories from travelers were also published in a newsletter available to those that had completed the experience.[19] Despite tourism generated by people searching for signs of alien life, only "an average of about 200 cars drive some portion of the Extraterrestrial Highway every day, making it one of the state’s least traveled routes."[6]
In keeping with the supposed alien links of the area, in 2006, KFC established what was said to be the first corporate logo visible from space, made from 87,500 square feet (8,130 m2) of tiles and sited just off the Extraterrestrial Highway in Rachel.[22][23] The logo has since been removed.[24]
Major intersections
- Note: Milepostsin Nevada reset at county lines. The start and end mileposts for each county are given in the county column.
County | Location | mi[1] | km | Destinations | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Las Vegas | Southern terminus | ||||
Nye 0.00-49.341 | Warm Springs | 98.443 | 158.429 | US 6 east – Ely, Delta (Utah) US 6 west – Tonopah, Bishop (California) | Northern terminus |
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi |
See also
- List of state highways in Nevada
- State Route 319, the eastern segment of former State Route 25
References
- ^ a b "State Maintained Highways of Nevada, Descriptions and Maps". Nevada Department of Transportation. 2020. Retrieved June 8, 2020.
- ^ a b c d e Official Highway Map of Nevada (Map) (2007–08 ed.). Nevada Department of Transportation. 2007. § D4, E4, E5.
- ^ a b Powers, Ashley (August 21, 2008). "In the Nevada Desert, There's Something Out There—The Black Mailbox". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved August 21, 2009.
- ^ a b c Zekan, Karen (April 30, 1999). "The 'X' Miles". Las Vegas Sun. Retrieved January 13, 2009.
- ^ Zackofalltrades. "The Black Mailbox". Atlas Obscura. Retrieved August 3, 2015.
- ^ a b c Regenold, Stephen (April 13, 2007). "Lonesome Highway to Another World?". The New York Times. Retrieved January 13, 2009.
- The Center for Land Use Interpretation. Archived from the originalon June 6, 2011. Retrieved April 25, 2009.
- ^ "Official Homepage of Rachel, Nevada". Rachel, Nevada. March 12, 2007. Retrieved April 25, 2009.
- ^ Road Map (Map). 1 in = 20 mi. Nevada Department of Highways. 1932. Archived from the original on June 13, 2015. Retrieved April 10, 2009.
- ^ Official Road Map of Nevada (Map). Nevada State Highway Department. 1933. Archived from the original on December 5, 2012. Retrieved April 10, 2009.
- ^ a b Official Road Map of the State of Nevada (Map). Nevada Department of Highways. 1942. Archived from the original on December 15, 2012. Retrieved April 10, 2009.
- ^ Official Road Map of the State of Nevada (Map). Nevada Department of Highways. 1946. Archived from the original on December 15, 2012. Retrieved April 10, 2009.
- ^ Official Highway Map of Nevada (Map). Nevada Department of Highways. 1950. § F4-G6. Archived from the original on December 15, 2012. Retrieved April 11, 2009.
- ^ Official Highway Map of Nevada (Map). Nevada Department of Highways. 1957. § F4-G6. Archived from the original on December 15, 2012. Retrieved April 11, 2009.
- ^ Official Highway Map of Nevada (Map). Nevada Department of Highways. 1958. § F4-G6. Archived from the original on December 15, 2012. Retrieved April 11, 2009.
- ^ Nevada State Maintained Highways: Descriptions, Index and Maps. Nevada Department of Transportation. January 2001. p. 112.
- ^ Official Highway Map of Nevada (Map) (1978-79 ed.). Nevada State Highway Department. 1978. § D4, E4, E5. Archived from the original on January 22, 2015. Retrieved April 11, 2009.
- ISBN 0-87842-410-5.
- ^ a b "Tourism Commission Has Really Gone Far Out There". Las Vegas Sun. July 5, 1996. Retrieved January 13, 2009.
- ^ a b c "Nevada Dedicates Extraterrestrial Highway". Las Vegas Leisure Guide. January 9, 1997. Retrieved January 13, 2009.
- ^ a b c Manning, Mary (April 19, 1999). "Rural Highway Out of this World". Las Vegas Sun. Retrieved January 13, 2009.
- ^ "KFC Unveils New Logo with Giant Image in Nevada Desert". Fox News. Associated Press. November 14, 2006. Retrieved June 10, 2019.
- ^ "KFC Creates World's First Brand Visible from Space as Colonel Sanders Takes One Small Step for Humankind but One Giant Leap for Fried Chicken" (Press release). Business Wire. November 14, 2006. Retrieved June 10, 2019.
- Conde Nast Traveler. Retrieved June 10, 2019.
External links
- Extraterrestrial Highway Home Page, includes photos and many useful links
- Extraterrestrial Highway at Vegas.com, includes short video preview
- The Extraterrestrial Highway at Roadtrip America
- Nevada 375/Extraterrestrial Highway at AARoads