Nevada State Highway 375 - Also Known As The Extraterrestrial Highway - Offers Distinct Views & Intrinsic Stories
Nevada State Highway 375 – better known as the Extraterrestrial Highway – takes camping under the stars to a whole new level. The ever-clear and eerily dark night sky is perfect for stargazing, especially if travelers are looking for more than stars.
“There are strange lights bouncing silently in the sky for hours,” said Connie West, co-owner of the Little A'Le'Inn, the only business in the area. “There are definitely UFOs, but they're not all aliens. It all makes you wonder. We are never going to get to the end of the universe. You wonder what's out there. It's not all about human kind, in my opinion.”
It's no surprise that the ET Highway is best known for UFO sightings and other mysterious phenomenon when the supposed Area 51 is so close by, southwest over the mountains that surround Rachel Valley, home to the only settlement along the otherwise uninhabited, expansive highway.
The official name of Area 51 is Air Force Flight Test Center, Detachment 3. It's also known as Groom Lake, the dry lake Area 51 was built around. The secretive nature of Area 51 – known as the most publicized top secret military installation in the world - has started many rumors, including the infamous conspiracy theory that the US government had an alien spacecraft in their possession, a claim made by Bob Lazar in 1989.
“People are curious as to why our government hides it from the public, however if you go back in history, they acquired the land for testing new flying technology,” said West. “It's always been known as the Great Wasteland. The state of Nevada is one big testing facility.”
In fact, a little ways from ET Highway is the Nevada National Security Site, just another mysterious area that adds even more uncertainty and curiosity to the night skies. According to Joe Kent, the Director of Education at the National Atomic Testing Museum headquartered in Las Vegas, the security site – created in 1951 – has been home to 928 tests above and below ground.
One famous example of a test is the Operation Upshot-Knothole, also known as the Annie Test. On the Yucca Flat – part of the Nevada National Security Site about 100 miles outside of Last Vegas - there were [placed] 50 cars, two story homes and fully clothed mannequins…an eerie sight to say the least. The area was created to test nuclear weapons and see how a small suburban town would hold up during a nuclear attack.
Even though the test sites remain silent and still currently, when travelers are camping on the side of the ET Highway it's not difficult to image explosions on the horizon, high-tech airplanes whizzing overhead.
“People were fascinated in the 50s and 60s. The locals would watch the bombs go off [even as far as Las Vegas]. They would have bonfires outside,” explained Kent. “Now it's seen more as a negative thing…once people started turning against the bombing. But [when] it was happening, [it was a time] full of economic success. The country was a superpower. There was all this hope, but there were also all of these nuclear weapons. It's an interesting part of [history]. It was happy go lucky [with plenty of] glitz and glamour, but nuclear weapons were going off in the distance.”
The ET Highway today of today is silent and still but the texture of that era remains. Apart from a few local businesses and a small amount of scattered houses in Rachel, the ET Highway is empty, except for roaming cattle and possibly mutated Joshua Trees. While there are no structured RV campgrounds, it's very common – especially in the summer – for visitors to boondock along the dirt roads of the highway, where they are allowed to stay for up to 28 days.
There are many popular camp spots along the ET Highway. As the highway heads northwest through Tikaboo Valley it meets Mail Box Road, the site of the notorious Black Mailbox, known to be a popular spot for skywatchers. It's named for a black mailbox – now painted white – owned by Steve Medlin, who lives on a nearby ranch. While Medlin himself has stated he does not believe in the hype, the Black Mailbox is the site of two to three UFO sightings a week.
While there are no official RV parks along the ET Highway, there are places known for their RV access, including Gravel Area and Horney’s Rest Stop. RV'ers come and go as they please, setting up campsites where they have a clear view of the sky.
West and the rest of her family, who all help run the Inn, have been living near the ET Highway and Area 51 for over 30 years, intrigued by the expansive desert landscape and business opportunities (The Little A'Le'Inn is one of two hotels with actual RV hookups – and one of two businesses in general – along the highway).
“This is all right in my backyard,” said West. “It's just a way of life. It's a beautiful place to live and a great place to visit. You can hike, go mountain biking... You come out here and have experiences you never had before. I love the outdoors. I love the desert. It's a safe, fun place to be.”
The vast, dark skies however continue to be where most people set their sights though, camping out with bonfires in the wide open valley.
“You hope to spot some weird activity over the mountains. You are always on high alert because there's a great possibility that something could just appear or fly by,” said Scott Robertson, from Adventure Photo Tours, which has an Area 51 tour along the ET Highway. “Nothing has happened to me here yet. But I had sightings in Oregon as a teenager. One of [people who witnessed it with me], a friend since 5th grade, is a retired major in Air Force. He admits he saw it too. Just being at the gates at Area 51 [though], you see guys up on the hill with sub-machine guns, signs saying that “deadly force” can and will be used. It really puts on the vibe that something is going on out here. [But] I don't know anything for certain.”
With this kind of intrigue that stokes the imagination, the mystery and history surrounding the ET Highway brings visitors from around the United States to the desert plain 50 to 100 miles from Last Vegas. Away from the hustle and bustle of The Strip, this open stretch of desert asphalt provides a sense of calm and a never-ending sense of wonder. On the right night, visitors never know what they may see up in the dark night sky up ahead.
Olivia Richman
A graduate of East Connecticut State University in Journalism, Olivia has written for Stonebridge Press & Antiques Marketplace among others. She enjoys writing, running and video games.