If you’re feeling like it’s time for an adventure, but you’re worried about spiraling vacation costs, fear not: Nevada’s rural highways are packed with unforgettable experiences and attractions easily accessible on a shoestring budget. Whether you’re interested in art, history, outdoor adventure, rockhounding, wildlife, stargazing, or alien and ghost hunting, you’ll find plenty of intrigue along US Route 95 and US Route 50 any time of year. Best of all, admission at most of these stops ranges from absolutely free to less than $15. So stock a cooler with sandwiches and snacks, fill up your gas tank, and get ready to hit the highway.

US Route 95: Free-Range Art Highway
(Las Vegas → Carson City)

Leg 1: Breaking ground in Beatty

budget road trips in Nevada

Goldwell Open Air Museum. Photo: Travel Nevada

From Las Vegas, head north on US Route 95 (dubbed Nevada’s Free-Range Art Highway) to Beatty. Beatty is often called the “Gateway to Death Valley” given its close proximity to the national park’s entrance. Just a few miles outside town, meander through the eight-acre Goldwell Open Air Museum, a free, open-air art gallery that features diverse artwork including a spectral, sculptural take on Leonardo da Vinci’s “The Last Supper” and a 24-foot prospector with his penguin pal.

Next, nearby Rhyolite Ghost Town was a booming mining town that went bust in 1914. Some remnants of its history have been restored, like Tom Kelly’s Bottle House, constructed from 50,000 medicine, whiskey, and beer bottles. Other structures left to languish still offer stellar sightseeing, like the iconic Cook Bank building. When it’s time to call it a day, bed down at Beatty’s Atomic Inn to revel in the retro vibe — an aesthetic nod to the region’s now-defunct nuclear test site.

Awaken refreshed and ready for a full day of hiking or mountain biking at Spicer Ranch. On this privately owned ranch (located adjacent to massive tracts of public land), you’ll find miles of singletrack, roaming burros, and epic Mojave Desert vistas. Bonus: You can set up camp right at the ranch and rest up for the next leg of your road trip (donations appreciated).

Recommended eats and overnights

Leg 2: Going for Goldfield

budget road trips in nevada

International Car Forest of the Last Church. Photo: Travel Nevada

Continue north and, halfway between Goldfield and Beatty, look for the turnoff to Gold Point Ghost Town. Sidle up to the saloon, play a game on the 1909 pool table, and peruse the 128-pound photo album rich with images of the area’s mining history.

Then hop back on US Route 95 to check out what was once Nevada’s largest city: Goldfield. Park on Main Street near the historic Esmeralda County courthouse and embark on the Goldfield Historic Walking Tour, which includes 190 stops such as the Goldfield Hotel — considered one of the state’s most haunted structures.

Two Goldfield sights are an ode to automotive artistry, Rocket Bob’s Art Cars and the International Car Forest, a surreal, ever-evolving exhibit that’s exactly what it sounds like. Both spots offer admission at zero cost. Finally, settle into any of the quirky accommodations at the Goldfield Stop Inn, built (and modeled) on what was once Goldfield’s red-light district.

The next day, play miner for the day in Gemfield, where you’ll find agates, obsidian, turquoise, and seemingly endless other treasures. If the rockhounding bug bites and you want to dig deeper, we’ve got you covered with Rockhounding in Nevada: Everything You Need to Know.

Recommended eats and overnights

Leg 3: Closing out in Carson City

budget road trips in Nevada

Kings Canyon Waterfall. Photo: Travel Nevada

Tonopah is the next community you’ll come to, where the sprawling Tonopah Historic Mining Park has 100 acres of mining infrastructure, explorable tunnels, and frozen-in-time structures. Afterward, peek into the opulent Mizpah Hotel, authentically restored to its bygone splendor and another famously haunted Nevada overnighter.

Follow US Route 95 as it turns west out of town and look for the short back-road detour that’ll lead you to Candelaria — just make sure to follow the Dirt Road Code. Founded in 1864 (the same year Nevada became a state), Candelaria once ranked among Nevada’s largest silver mining towns.

Next up is Hawthorne, known as “America’s Patriotic Home” thanks to its long legacy of housing the country’s largest ammunition depot. At the Hawthorne Ordnance Museum, military buffs get giddy exploring the world’s largest collection of inert bombs, missiles, and nuclear weapons along with military uniforms and memorabilia. After spending the evening spotting bighorn sheep near Walker Lake, grab a slice at Old Nevada Pizza and hunker down in a spacious room at Hawthorne’s Best Inn.

Continue your journey at Fallon’s Oats Park Art Center and see an enormous kinetic drum sculpture, neon homages to Nevada’s cowboy history, and more set within a 1915 schoolhouse (donations appreciated here, too). From here, it’s off to Carson City and the end of your US Route 95 odyssey. Take your time exploring — we recommend landmark-hopping along the 2.5-mile Kit Carson Trail or taking a quick hike to Kings Canyon Waterfall — and then gear up to embark on another storied route.

Recommended eats and overnights

 

US Route 50: The Loneliest Road in America
(Carson City → Great Basin)

Leg 1: Cruising out of Carson City

budget road trips in Nevada

Spencer Hot Springs. Photo: Travel Nevada

US Route 50 closely follows the old Pony Express route and bisects the Silver State from west to east, traversing stretches so uninhabited that it famously earned the title of “The Loneliest Road in America.” Start your journey in Carson City and the Brewery Arts Center — tucked into a historic neighborhood, it showcases works by some of the state’s most skilled visual artists. Carson City is also the best place to stock up on road-trip-friendly groceries for this trip.

Next, motor on to Fort Churchill State Historic Park, once an Army fort built before Nevada entered statehood. Today, you’ll find glimpses into the life of early American pioneers in the park’s original structures and available campsites. Another hour and a half or so east lies Middlegate Station, originally a stop on the Pony Express. Today, this famous spot includes a mouthwatering menu, a campground, and a handful of comfortable motel-style rooms — or you could camp at Berlin-Ichthyosaur State Park just an hour away.

One option when you awaken is to detour to Berlin-Ichthyosaur State Park and explore one of Nevada’s best-preserved ghost towns. Or, aim for Stokes Castle in Austin, built in 1897 and modeled after a Roman tower. With sweeping 100-mile views of the Reese River Valley, this National Register of Historic Places site stands in tribute to the area’s lavish mining legacy.

Not far from US Route 50, the steaming waters of Spencer Hot Springs beckon road-weary bodies. Set up camp on the surrounding BLM land and kick back in the naturally occurring geothermic waters — but first, brush up on your hot springs etiquette and remember to camp at least 200 feet away from any water source.

Recommended eats and overnights

Leg 2: Rocking through the ages

budget road trips in nevada

Eureka Opera House. Photo: Travel Nevada

Beyond Austin is the Hickison Petroglyph Recreation Area, where rock faces once served as canvases for the Western Shoshone. The 10,000-year-old artworks remain to this day, and camping here overnight offers extraordinary stargazing.

And then…Eureka! You’ve come upon the Friendliest Town on the Loneliest Road in America. Eureka was once a thriving mining town that now seems frozen in time. When built in 1880, the Eureka Opera House saw some of the biggest performers in the West. Feel free to stop in and be sure to check out the decades of actor signatures located backstage. Down the street, take in the Eureka Sentinel Museum’s original printing press and other memorabilia from the newspaper’s heyday.

If you haven’t gotten spooked along your journey yet, give it a try by booking a room at the haunted Jackson House Hotel, renovated to its original 1877 splendor. Not willing to share your lodgings with anyone unseen? Stay at the hotel’s sister property nearby, the SureStay by Best Western.

Back on the road, head to Hamilton and spot relics of the ghost town’s once thriving center before getting your art and outdoors fix in bustling Ely. Peruse Ely Art Bank’s local and regional works, then download the free self-guided audio tour for the Ely Mural Walking Tour. Afterward, explore the Renaissance Village where regional history is pristinely preserved in a dozen historic railroad houses — all themed and decorated for the distinct cultures that helped found the town.

Railroad lovers can hop on a train that travels the original ore-moving routes before exploring the historic grounds of the Nevada Northern Railway. On site, you’ll also find the East Ely Railroad Depot Museum, which is well worth a visit and has free admission.

Recommended eats and overnights

Leg 3: Exploring Ely and beyond

budget road trips in nevada

Ward Mountain Recreation Area. Photo: John Watson/Travel Nevada

Ely is surrounded by eye-popping outdoor scenery, Wild West history, and plenty of places to camp. Just southeast of town, the Ward Mountain Recreation Area is home to incredible opportunities for hiking, mountain biking, backcountry skiing, and horseback riding. South of town, you’ll find Cave Lake State Park, another popular destination for biking and hiking, and Ward Charcoal Ovens State Historic Park, where beehive-shaped kilns from the late 1800s await exploration.

Finally, located near Nevada’s eastern terminus of US Route 50 is one of the state’s most treasured places: Great Basin National Park. Known for its ancient bristlecone forests, pristine stargazing, and massive (and tourable) caverns, this park is a great way to cap off your long journey. Best of all, it’s free to enter and explore, though you’ll need to pay for camping and the cave tour.

Recommended eats and overnights