Area 51 & the Extraterrestrial Highway

Mystery rating

Nevada State Route 375 runs through empty desert next to a military base that the US government did not admit existed until 2013. The state named it the Extraterrestrial Highway in 1996. There is almost nothing out here except sky, dust and a small town called Rachel that sells alien souvenirs.

Why it's famous

Area 51 is a working military test site that spent 46 years denied by the government it belonged to. Groom Lake was picked in 1955 to test the U-2 spy plane, and it went on to host the A-12 Oxcart, stealth prototypes, and the F-117 Nighthawk. Because those aircraft flew far higher and stranger than anything commercial pilots expected, they generated decades of UFO reports that Air Force investigators quietly filed away without comment. The base's real fame, though, comes from Bob Lazar. In 1989 he told a Las Vegas TV station he had reverse-engineered alien propulsion systems at a facility south of Groom Lake called S-4. His claims were never substantiated and parts of his background don't check out, but the story never died. It's the reason Nevada renamed SR-375 the Extraterrestrial Highway in 1996, and the reason thousands of people showed up for the 2019 online joke event "Storm Area 51."

History

The Groom Lake site was chosen in 1955 to test the Lockheed U-2, a high-altitude spy plane. Later, it became home to other secret aircraft, including the A-12 Oxcart, the D-21 drone, early stealth prototypes called Have Blue, and the F-117 Nighthawk. The U.S. government didn't officially admit the base existed until a declassified CIA document named it in 2013. In 1996, Nevada officially renamed State Route 375 the "Extraterrestrial Highway."

The full story

You simply can't visit Area 51. That's actually the whole point of this place, and it's why the drive there becomes one of the strangest road trips you can take in the American West. Nevada State Route 375 stretches 158 kilometers (about 98 miles) across the vast Tikaboo and Sand Spring valleys. You'll find almost nothing along this route: no gas stations, no phone signal for long distances, and just one tiny town, Rachel, with fewer than fifty residents. But what this road does offer is a clear view of highly restricted airspace. It's so carefully controlled that pilots often call it "Dreamland." And after the sun sets, the sky above fills with lights and shapes that are definitely flying, and from your spot on the roadside, they are completely unidentified. The base itself sits on the dry lakebed of Groom Lake. It's hidden behind mountains, with its boundary marked only by orange posts and warning signs. You won't see a fence for most of its length, and honestly, it doesn't need one. Cameras constantly watch all approaches. Within minutes of anyone stopping for too long, white pickup trucks appear on the ridgelines. The warning signs clearly state that deadly force is authorized against trespassers. Taking photos beyond the boundary line is also strictly forbidden. The real attraction here is this border itself: the exact place where the public desert suddenly changes into something the United States government spent 46 years refusing to admit even existed. That official denial finally ended in 2013. A CIA historical document about the U-2 spy plane program was declassified, and it openly named Groom Lake. This document confirmed what aviation historians had been saying for decades — that many of the strange aircraft people had reported seeing since the 1950s were, in fact, American-made planes. For example, the U-2 flew at 70,000 feet, while commercial airliners flew much lower at 20,000 feet. This meant the U-2 could catch sunlight long after sunset, leading to a surge of reports. Air Force investigators quietly chalked these up to planes they weren't allowed to talk about. The A-12, the SR-71, and the F-117 stealth fighter all followed this same pattern. But for the dedicated sky-watchers and believers who come here, this declassification doesn't fully answer everything. It explained the sightings from the 1950s and 60s, but it didn't explain the objects reported over the Tikaboo Valley just last month. And it certainly didn't address the claims of Bob Lazar. In 1989, Lazar told a Las Vegas TV station that he had worked on recovered alien spacecraft at a secret site called S-4, located south of Groom Lake. His story has never been proven, and many parts of his personal background have been questioned. Yet, his claims have never gone away either. In fact, they are the main reason this particular stretch of highway became a kind of pilgrimage route. Rachel is usually where this pilgrimage takes a pause. The Little A'Le'Inn, a local motel and restaurant, serves burgers and rents out rooms in a few trailers. Its walls are covered with photographs, creating a kind of local history of sixty years of desert sightings. Outside, you'll find the Black Mailbox, though it's been replaced, moved, and repainted over the years. It marks the traditional spot for watching the skies. Set up a chair, let your eyes adjust to the darkness for about half an hour, and you're sure to see something: military vehicles from nearby Nellis Air Force Base, satellites, or the blinking lights of a distant tanker plane. The big question that keeps this gas-station-free road busy every summer is whether any of those things might be something that isn't from Earth.

Legends & sightings

Bob Lazar's 1989 claim that he worked on reverse-engineering alien propulsion systems at a facility called S-4 is the main reason Area 51 has such a strong reputation for aliens. Local stories also say that the original Black Mailbox on SR-375 was a secret meeting spot for UFOs, and that the materials recovered from the Roswell incident were brought here in the 1950s.

Can you visit?

You can drive the highway freely. You cannot enter the base. The border is marked with signs and cameras, and armed guards watch it. Crossing the line is a federal offence and people are arrested every year. Stay on the public road and on public land, and do not pass any warning sign.

How to get there

Las Vegas is the usual starting point. 1. Rent a car. There is no public transport out here. 2. Drive north on US-93. 3. Turn onto NV-375, the Extraterrestrial Highway. 4. Rachel sits roughly in the middle of the route. Plan a long day. Distances in Nevada are big and phone signal disappears for long stretches.

Before you go

Fill the fuel tank before you leave the main highway. Fuel stops out here are rare. Carry more water than you think you need, plus food. Download offline maps. Mobile coverage is patchy or gone. Check your spare tyre. Help can be an hour or more away. Do not photograph guards, vehicles or the base boundary.

What to expect

Long, straight, empty road. Desert, mountains in the distance and very few cars. The main stops are the highway sign, the black mailbox area and the Little Aleinn in Rachel, which serves food and sells souvenirs. Most of the experience is the drive itself and, after dark, an enormous sky full of stars.

Frequently asked

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