Nevada in a Week: A 7-Day Road Trip Across the State
Highway 50 empty two-lane road cutting across Nevada high desert
1,400 miles from Las Vegas to Lake Tahoe via Highway 50, with stops most tourists never make.
Days 1-2: Las Vegas and the south
Day 1 in Las Vegas: Strip, Fremont, one good dinner. Day 2 drive northeast to Valley of Fire (55 minutes), spend two hours on the scenic drive and White Domes trail, then continue to Overton for lunch. Loop back and spend the second night in Boulder City at the Boulder Dam Hotel or the Hoover Dam Lodge. Boulder City is a dry town — no casinos, quiet streets, real diners — and it resets your brain after the Strip.
Days 3-4: The Loneliest Road
Day 3: drive north via US-93 to Ely — about 4.5 hours through basin-and-range country. Ride the Nevada Northern Railway steam train (weekends only) and sleep at the Hotel Nevada, a genuine 1929 property on Aultman Street. Day 4: pick up US-50 west, the Loneliest Road in America. Stop in Eureka (real 1870s courthouse), Austin (mining ghost town that still has 200 residents), and reach Fallon or Middlegate for the night. Fill up every time you see a pump — the gaps run 70+ miles.
Days 5-7: Reno, Tahoe, and home
Day 5: Fallon to Virginia City (2 hours) for the afternoon — the C Street boardwalk, the Fourth Ward School, a beer at the Bucket of Blood. Sleep in Reno at the Renaissance Reno or the Whitney Peak. Day 6: drive up to Lake Tahoe (45 minutes to Incline Village), spend the day at Sand Harbor and the East Shore trail, sleep at the Hyatt Regency Incline Village. Day 7: drive the east shore south to Zephyr Cove, then either fly out of Reno or the long haul back to Vegas (7.5 hours via US-95).
Before you book
What people ask before booking Boulder City.
No. Everything on this itinerary is paved. A regular sedan handles all of it, though clearance helps on the dirt pullouts at Valley of Fire.
Yes and you should. Fly into Las Vegas, out of Reno, and drop the rental in Reno — the one-way fee is usually $75-125 and saves you a 7-hour finish day.
