Eating Well on Nevada's Loneliest Road: A Town-by-Town Guide

US 50 crosses some of the emptiest country in the lower 48, so the smart move is to plan meals around the towns that actually have them.

Fallon and Austin: the first real stops

US 50 earns its nickname between Fallon and Ely, roughly 320 miles of basin-and-range country with very little in between. Fallon, about an hour east of Reno on US 50 Alternate, is your last proper supermarket town, so stock a cooler here. The Basque restaurants around town serve family-style dinners of soup, beans, salad and a main plate, and they are the most satisfying meal for the money in this corner of the state. Book a room in Fallon rather than pushing on if you leave Reno after mid-afternoon.

Austin, 110 miles east of Fallon, is a former silver boomtown of about 200 people stacked on a hillside off the highway. Eating options are limited to a couple of small cafes and bar kitchens, generally open for lunch and early dinner and closed without ceremony on quiet days. The climb over Austin Summit is steep and slow, so arriving hungry at dusk is a bad plan. I would eat a late lunch here and carry snacks for the next stretch toward Eureka.

Eureka and Ely: where the choices widen

Eureka, roughly 70 miles further on, is the surprise of the route: a well-kept Victorian main street with a handful of cafes and a couple of dining rooms in the historic hotels. Breakfast here is worth timing your drive around, and the coffee is better than you would expect for a town of under 1,000 people. Prices run modest, mains in the teens to low twenties. Eureka also has the best concentration of rooms along this stretch, so a night here breaks the drive nicely.

Ely, another 75 miles east, is the biggest town on the route and the easiest place to eat well without planning. You will find Mexican restaurants, steakhouses, diners and a couple of Chinese kitchens, plus gas-station food for the road. It is also the turnoff for Great Basin National Park, 60 miles east via US 93 and NV-488, so many travellers use Ely as a two-night base. Of everything on US 50, I would book Ely first for choice and Fallon second for convenience.

Baker and the national park

Baker, at the foot of the Snake Range, exists largely because of Great Basin National Park, and its eating is accordingly small-scale: a couple of cafe-restaurants and a store, with hours that shrink outside summer. The park itself has no food service beyond what you bring, and no restaurants at all up the Wheeler Peak Scenic Drive. If you are camping or staying in Baker, buy groceries in Ely before you turn off.

Best months are May, June, September and October. July and August afternoons in Baker regularly push past 35C, and winter storms can close NV-488 and the park road with little warning. Room rates in Baker and Ely climb on summer weekends and during park events, so book ahead rather than assuming walk-up availability. Cell signal is patchy between towns, so download maps before leaving Fallon.

Practicalities that decide your itinerary

Distances are the real constraint. Reno to Fallon is about 60 miles, Fallon to Austin 110, Austin to Eureka 70, Eureka to Ely 75 and Ely to Baker 60. Do not count on more than one sit-down meal between Fallon and Eureka, and do not count on any between Baker and the Utah line. Fill the tank whenever you can, carry at least four litres of water per person and a proper spare tyre.

For a three-day crossing, I would sleep in Fallon, Eureka and Ely, eat a real breakfast in each, and treat lunch as whatever the next town offers. If your trip starts in Las Vegas, note that this route is a long way north; the drive to Ely via US 93 takes about four hours, which is why booking a room in Ely before you set out beats arriving and hoping. Reserve your rooms online in advance and confirm restaurant opening days directly, since small-town hours change with the season.

Questions, answered

Is there anywhere to eat between Austin and Eureka?

Almost nothing. There is a bar or two in the tiny settlements along the way, but opening hours are unpredictable. Eat a proper meal in Austin before the summit, carry water and snacks, and plan dinner in Eureka.

How many days should I allow for US 50?

Three days from Fallon to Baker is comfortable, with nights in Fallon, Eureka and Ely. Two days is possible but means long driving days and skipped meals. Add a night in Ely if you want a full day in Great Basin National Park.

When is the best time to drive the Loneliest Road?

Late spring and early autumn, particularly May, June, September and October. Summer heat in the basins is severe and winter snow can close the park road above Baker. Book accommodation ahead for summer weekends and park events.

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