Why Is Highway 50 Called The Loneliest Road In America And Where Is It Located?

U.S. Route 50 is a country-spanning roadway that will take those with the patience and fortitude to make the drive from the east coast to the west — or west to east, depending on whether you want to start in Ocean City, MD (east) or Sacramento, CA (west). It's also one of the longest highways in the United States. Highway 50, which has come to be known as "The Loneliest Road in America," makes up a comparatively small chunk of this.

This stretch spans the width of Nevada, stretching between its shared border with Utah and the south end of Lake Tahoe, which comes to a little over 400 miles of road. The part referred to as the Loneliest Road is a 287-mile section nestled inside Nevada's portion of U.S. Route 50, between the towns of Ely and Fernley. And it's technically not entirely a part of Route 50 because 28 miles of it (from Fallon to Fernley) is an alternate route that splits from 50 a little bit.

Semantics aside, the reason this 200-ish mile road was given its name is fairly straightforward: Because it is lonely. Not necessarily as desolate as romanticized accounts and depictions often make it out to be, but it's not an ideal detour for extroverts.

Small towns and other stops that contain at least a little bit of human habitation and civilization are dotted along Highway 50, but they're sparse and often either a very small town or a tiny rest stop. Not a good area for your car to shut down while driving, or find yourself with a car that won't start after pulling over for a picturesque view or bathroom break, that's for sure.

Lonelier still is the fact that not a whole lot of folks tend to take this route very often. Which means you'll be the only car out there for minutes or even hours at a time. Possibly for the whole span. Some might consider it a great place to be alone with your thoughts, while others may consider it maddening.

All that being said, driving along Highway 50 does have its perks — outside of a practically non-existent possibility of getting into an accident with another vehicle, that is. It's also very scenic, passing by more than a dozen different mountain ranges that are pretty much untouched by the vista-ruining eyesores of human-made structures. So really, depending on your point of view, the "Loneliest Road in America" might actually be the "Most Serene."