Old Hwy 50 - "The Loneliest Road In America" | Nevada Motorcycle Roads and Rides

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Old Hwy 50 - "The Loneliest Road In America"

Average Rating - This road has been rated by 4 visitors

State: Nevada
Date Submitted: July 1, 2008
Submitted by: Capo
Motorcycle Road Length: 109 Miles

Written Directions

Start in Carson City, NV and head east on US Highway 50. Continue on 50 through Massie and through the city of Fallon. From Fallon, continue eastbound on Hwy 50 for another 47 miles till you get to Middlegate. Of course you don't have to stop here if you like what you've rode on so far ... then continue heading east on "The Loneliest Road in America"!

Scenery

On this route, you will see the Nevada desert and all its beauty. As you travel over several different mountains and into several different valleys, the mountains and rock formations are breathtaking and kinda makes you think about what used to be out there millions of years ago. It's not uncommon to see wild horse running through the open valleys or even seeing the occasional rattle snake slithering across the road. If it's tall pine trees and green scenery you are looking for, this is not the ride for you!

Road Quality

Nevada has always been known for it awesome roadways. Old Hwy 50 is no exception. The road is nice and wide, very smooth and there are no potholes. It gets its name "The Loneliest Road In America" for one reason and one reason only...there is no traffic. It's not uncommon to travel 20 to 30 miles before seeing a single car. *Speed limits are mildly enforced until you get to Fallon. Once you get into Fallon, DO NOT GO ABOVE THE POSTED SPEED LIMIT!!! The Fallon police love to write speeding tickets. Once you exit the city limits of Fallon traveling eastbound, the speed limit increases from 45 mph to 70 mph. However, you will never see a state trooper and it's not uncommon for bikers to go in excess of 85 mph. It's the perfect road to ride wide open throttle.

Roadside Amenities

The biggest amenity of Old Highway 50 is Middlegate Junction....which is located on the corner of Hwy 50 & Hwy 361. It's located approximately 47 miles east of Fallon. This place is the true definition of the old wild west. Middlegate Junction offers gas, a restaurant with awesome food and good inexpensive overnight lodging. The hospitality from the owners (Freda & Russ) is the best in Nevada. This is a 100% biker friendly establishment. Lastly, when you get to Middlegate Junction, make sure to ask the owners about the "Shoe Tree". If you are not sure about the "Shoe Tree", look it up on Google.

Photo contributed by visitor in May 09 - "Old stage coach station along the original Pony Express Trail"

Additional Info

- View the weather forecast for this area from Yahoo weather .

Nickname (optional) Capo

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Reviewed by Guest on September 29, 2010 (0 out of 0 members found this review useful.)
Creator: Jeff Steele
motorcycle_year: 2008
motorcycle_make: Honda
motorcycle_type: Touring
Comment: Rode from Carson City, NV to Delta, UT during 9/2010. Great road to me mainly because of the solitude. The road conditions were excellent as well (ran into two minor repair stops but it was minimal time lost). Had a low altitude flyover by a couple of jets just East of Fallon for some extra buzz...too cool! Only advice is try to ensure your bike is in good working order - if you breakdown it can be a long, long walk for help!!
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Reviewed by Guest on August 15, 2010 (0 out of 0 members found this review useful.)
Creator: Jim B
motorcycle_year: 2004
motorcycle_make: BMW
motorcycle_type: Sport-Touring
Comment: I took this stretch from Carson City all the way to Ely, NV...Simply amazing! I love the sense of being in the middle of "no where" and this road gives you that exact feeling. Kinda gives some idea of how small we really are. Very isolated in some stretches and if you go during the summer you will want to make sure you have PLENTY of water. Excellent road conditions with some beautiful twisty's especially just east of Austin. A road not be missed!
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Reviewed by Guest on July 7, 2009 (0 out of 0 members found this review useful.)
Creator: Sam Bexon
motorcycle_year: 2007
motorcycle_make: BMW
motorcycle_type: Sport-Touring
Comment: My son and I took this ride in late May and returned in mid-June. The scenery was much better than anticipated. Road conditon was excellent. The mountain passes were good (some nice twisties) and then into the valleys (long straightaways). Being NV, the weather can be unpredicatable. Our ride East in late May brought high temperatures. Make sure you have sufficient water to stay hydrated. When we returned in mid June, the early morning temperatures were cool (42 F) and did not exceed 55 F for the entire day.
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Reviewed by Guest on March 8, 2009 (0 out of 0 members found this review useful.)
Creator: Charlie
motorcycle_year: 2004
motorcycle_make: Honda
motorcycle_type: Cruiser
Comment: Nice little piece. As for hitting the throttle watch out for Highway Patrol . They do like Austin and Eureka areas if you go that far. Sitting on the porch at the bar at Middlegate and watching the sun go down is a good feeling especially if you love the desert.
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