The sun had no sooner set on Nevada’s remote Extraterrestrial (ET) Highway when the previously silent sky suddenly roared to life with aircraft. Or more precisely the sounds of aircraft. Lots of them.
The dark and cloudy early night sky provided no clues as to who or what was creating the din. But the noise continued uninterrupted, with a few window-rattling booms occasionally punctuating the steady drone.
An hour and a half later, the racket of nonstop unseen jets flying overhead became a little disconcerting. I began to question whether spending the night in the middle of nowhere on a road that only 200 people a day traveled was, in fact, a good idea.
And then, just as suddenly as it started, all fell silent again. As if someone had hit an off switch. Eerie!
Was it aliens? Was the noise coming from UFOs?
I suppose anything is possible. We were on the ET Highway, after all. But likely not.
Nevada State Route 375 runs through and by LOTS of military land, including the Nevada Test and Training Range and the infamous Area 51. I suspect military testing was the source of the din.
At least whoever was making the noise had the good grace to conclude their activity early. A good sleep followed until my friend excitedly knocked on the door about 1 a.m. shouting that I MUST come outside immediately.
Was it a UFO?
Sadly, no. But it was still well worth going out into the chilly Nevada desert night.
While I had napped, the clouds that marred our daylight views had cleared. In their place, an awe-inspiring canopy of planets, stars, and galaxies twinkled in the black night sky. With zero light pollution, I had not seen star watching this spectacular in ages.
Yes, this was a very good idea after all. Even though we did not see any UFOs.
Where to camp on the Extraterrestrial Highway
The entire ET Highway is only about 150 miles long. You could easily do it in a day, but for the full experience, plan on spending at least one night.
The road is smooth and well maintained, despite the fact that only about 200 people per day use it. Be sure to fuel up before leaving in order to not pay premium prices in Rachel, the one and only town on Nevada State Highway 375.
Star watching is of course the star attraction here, regardless of whether you have a close encounter with an alien. As the road is so remote, anywhere you stop will provide amazing nighttime skyscapes, provided there are no clouds obscuring the views.
Those who prefer a bit more civilization with their star watching can find full RV hookups at the Little A’Le’Inn in Rachel, a must-stop on your tour regardless of whether you choose to spend the night.
But for the BEST nighttime views, I recommend boondocking at one of the roadside pull-offs along Hwy. 375 away from the town or any homesteads.
You can find one of these quasi rest stops about 10-15 miles north of Rachel. It will be on the right heading south, left if you are heading north. I must apologize for not having better location notes. I assumed this place would be listed, at minimum, on some of the free campsite sites, but when I went to research it later, I had no luck. Any large pull-off will do, but this one is especially spacious and scenic.
The big, level, easy to access lot with panoramic views of the desert and surrounding mountains could easily accommodate 6-10 boondocking RVs with room to spare. However, we had the place completely to ourselves.
The only beings we saw during our almost 24-hour stay were small groups of free-range cattle meandering by from time to time.
During the day, a passing car or truck would whiz by every hour or so. Sparse as it was to begin with, road traffic dwindled to nothing after sunset. Although that is when the cacophony in the sky that I described earlier began.
Since we only spent one night, I can’t say if the night sky auditory show is a regular thing or not.
ET Highway tips and practicalities
- When to go: This is the Nevada desert. Plan accordingly. Summer temperatures often reach well over 100 degrees F. We visited in early November and the weather was perfect. Not too warm during the day and just chilly enough at night to turn on the furnace a bit.
- Connectivity: Expect little to no phone or internet coverage on the ET Hwy. outside of the town of Rachel, regardless of carrier.
- Fuel up first: Fill your tanks in Tonopah or Las Vegas first. On the south end of Nevada Hwy. 375, reasonably priced gas is also available in Crystal Springs. But if you have to buy fuel in Rachel, be prepared to pay premium tourist trap prices.
- What to bring: Bring your telescopes and binoculars. We saw beautiful birds of prey circling during the day. Of course, the night sky views attract professional and amateur astronomers from all over the world. Bring food and drink too. Other than ET Jerky at the very south end of Hwy. 375 and the Little A’Le’Inn in Rachel, there are no restaurants or services on the ET highway at all. Plan RV meals accordingly.
- No Area 51: Do not even think about approaching Area 51. The area is heavily restricted, guarded, and surveilled. Whatever may or may not be going on there, the government takes Area 51 security extremely seriously. Obey the boundaries and warning signs and stay out!
Next week: Attractions and pit stops along the Extraterrestrial Highway. See you then!
##RVT1035
Good article.
But yes, let’s all buy every drop of our gas at the megastations in Vegas. Then be surprised when there are no longer any general stores or gas stations out in the boonies. I understand not wanting to get soaked for a full tank at high gas prices, but I really don’t mind paying for half a tank at a remote outpost, if it helps that place to remain viable. Some of the people howling and pinching quarters at these places are the same ones who cheerfully pay for $30 steaks and $15 margaritas back in civilization.
Back in my working days I tested at the Borax mine in Death Valley. I would stay in Las Vegas as it was the closest stay with decent rooms and entertainment. In my travels to and from the Mine I had to go by Area 51. Most of the Scientists and workers that worked at Area 51 lived in or around Las Vegas. The Area 51 facility had planes to bring the employees and Scientists back and forth to work. I have no idea how many people worked out there but it was a lot of people. How many planes flew morning and night back and forth as it was ongoing 24 hours a day, no one knows for sure. It is most certainly worth a drive by, but don’t stop for too long in their territory.
I would have breakfast with retires who worked for the Army. This one wack job told us numerous times he was offered a job at area 51. He said if he took the job, he’d have to stay inside area 51 for life. Employees could not leave. That they would fly in loose woman to take care of them. Of course he didn’t know I was stationed at Edwards AFB in the middle 70’s. I knew like Bill said they would fly the employees in and out everyday.
Thanks for this article. I just rerouted our upcoming trip to Death Valley to swing up and take this highway and hope to camp somewhere along it as you suggested.
We did, in fact, reroute our trip and traveled the ET Highway on our way to Death Valley last year. We spent one night in a turnout and it was as you said, quiet, then kind of noisy for awhile, then quiet. No traffic came by at all after dark. As I recall it was overcast, so we did not get to experience the magical stars. It was definitely worth the rerouting and drive. Thanks.
Bill, as I mentioned in my year-old comments below, this is a fave boondocking site for us. It’s fun to anticipate flyovers by jets and helos, and maybe some experimental stuff. There are still some Geocaches we need to grab too. We like to support the Little A’Le’Inn so we always stop in for at least some cold beer and maybe an Alien Burger. It’s a fun place to stop, but it CAN get unbelievably windy at times. Think Phoenix sand storm . . .
We spend time in this valley every year. It’s one of our favorite areas to boondock. We have a couple of really cool spots that I would never reveal. You know, don’t we all protect some of our favorite places?
We’ve watched fighter jets zoom across the valley at dizzyingly low altitudes. We’ve watched aerial refueling go on right over the valley. We’ve heard stuff in the sky that you can’t see.
There hasn’t been any gas in Rachel for years. The yellow Visitor’s Center went away eons ago too. There used to be a small mini-mart that sold gas, also gone forever (seemingly). However, the Little A’Le’Inn has cold, COLD beer and that’s worth the visit itself.
If you’re a Geocacher you can spend several days cleaning up. A look at the Geocache map shows one group of Geocaches forming an alien head. Another of a UFO. There are tons of them everywhere including one IN the Little A’Le Inn.
Just come prepared – for anything.
There is indeed gas in Rachel at the Alien Cowpoke gas station. At least when I visited in November 2021. But it is VERY expensive.
So Cheri, I HAD to check out your claim. It seems that this ‘new’ gas station has indeed opened, and it looks like it has taken over the old mini-mart and gas station that was operating 12 or so years ago. I watched their video(s) and after perusing some old pics we had from trips long ago, I’m pretty sure they have set up shop in that old mini-mart. Nobody builds anything new in Rachel – ha. Thanks for the heads up. We’re looking forward to seeing this new business. I wonder how close to Death Valley gas prices THIS place will be.
The prices were SO BAD (how bad were they?) The kind woman behind the register let us know before buying that if we could make another 50 miles (we could) it would be much cheaper. So we bought some snacks and souvenirs and headed south.
I love the Ed McMahon reference to the prices. Methinks you are giving your age away – ha.
As an aside, I think I remember there being RV hookups behind that former/current mini-mart, but I never saw anyone staying there. There ARE about four hookups next to the Little A’Le’Inn though. We’ve stayed there a couple of times over the years. Mostly though, we boondock at our ‘secret’ locations . . .
Yes, I am old. What can I say? 🙂
While traveling toward Arizona in the late 80’s my wife and noticed a large number of contrails in the sky as we approached Rachel. We pulled over just west of town and discovered a squadron of B-52s practicing evasive maneuvers with a large number of F16s. It was a mesmerizing show. A bit slow to develop but the contrails reveiled the details of their dance together in the blue sky.
We got back into our VW Van and continued toward Las Vegas. I saw a fighter jet low and off to our right. As I crested the next hill there he was, coming right at us. What a sight. He shot right over the top of us. I believe I even saw a smile on the pilot’s face, he was that close.
This memory of the Extraterrestrial Hwy will stay with me forever.