Ghost Towns and Aliens!
12 night self-drive holiday cruising the Extraterrestrial Highway, Loneliest Road and visiting ghost towns!
Starting and finishing in Las Vegas, this two week holiday takes you along the Extraterrestrial Highway and close to Area 51 before heading along the road named by Life Magazine as the "Loneliest Road in America” towards Lake Tahoe. On your trip you will also visit some of the best ghost towns in California and Nevada and a handful of National and State Parks!
Starting and finishing in Las Vegas, this two week holiday takes you along the Extraterrestrial Highway past the notorious “black mailbox”, close to Area 51. Stop for snack at the “Little A’Le’Inn” and the fun “Area 51 Alien Center” where you can pick up your alien themed clothing or souvenirs before heading along the road named by Life Magazine as the "Loneliest Road in America” which includes parts of the old Pony Express trail towards Lake Tahoe. You’ll visit some amazing ghost towns such as Malakoff Diggins, Bodie, Rhyolite and Randsburg. You will visit two National Parks, including Death Valley and a handful of state parks. End the trip with a couple of nights in Las Vegas where we recommend visiting Old Las Vegas, the Mob Museum and Neon Boneyard before flying home.
We can’t guarantee you’ll see any little green dudes along the Extraterrestrial highway, but we’re sure you’ll find our itinerary out of this world!
Remember - All our holidays can be shortened or extra nights added or modified with upgraded hotels, car etc. We love building tailor made road trip holidays!
Fly into and out of Las Vegas
1600 miles
approx
Includes flights, car &
accommodation
Our 12 Night Ghost Towns and Aliens holiday starts and ends in Las Vegas: Las Vegas (1 night), Ely for Great Basin National Park and the Extraterrestrial Highway (2 nights), Austin for the "Loneliest Road in America” and old Pony Express trail (1 night), Carson City (1 night), Grass Valley (1 night), Bridgeport (1 night), Tonopah (1 night), Furnace Creek for Death Valley National Park (1 night), Barstow for Route 66 (1 night), Las Vegas (2 nights)
Your Itinerary
Day 1:
Arrive in Las Vegas
You’ll arrive at McCarran International, which is just off the Las Vegas Strip. Collect your rental car and then head to your hotel to relax and let your hair down. You’ll return to Las Vegas towards the end of your trip for a few days to explore and relax, but for now take a look around and have a bite to eat.
Collect
Car
Las Vegas,
NV
4 Star
Resort
Days 2-3:
Extra Terrestrial Highway (2 nights)
Follow US-93, stopping at the Extraterrestrial Highway sign for a photo before arriving in Rachel, close to Area 51, where you can have lunch at the “Little A’Le’Inn”. We’ll then head to the little town of Ely, a mining town founded in 1906 along the Pony Express trail. You’ll stay two nights to allow a day to enjoy nearby Great Basin National Park
320
miles
Ely,
NV
4 Star
Hotel
Day 4:
Loneliest Road in America Pt1
Today you’ll be driving along Highway 50 and the section dubbed the “Loneliest Road in America” by Life magazine. Running parallel to the old Pony Express Trail you’ll see remnants of stations dotted along the historic corridor. Tonight you’ll stay in Austin, a 150 year old living ghost town with a wonderful Main St.
145
miles
Austin,
NV
Motel
Day 5:
Loneliest Road in America Pt2
You’ll continue along the Loneliest Road today, which was also a section of the famous Lincoln Highway. Just before Fallon is Grimes Point Archaeological Area, first visited by Native Americans around 8000 years ago locating bones, tools and prehistoric petroglyths.
175
miles
Carson
City, NV
3 Star
Hotel
Day 6:
Malakoff Diggins Historic Park
Drive around the North end of Lake Tahoe, through Tahoe National Forest and onto Grass Valley which will be your base tonight while you visit Malakoff Diggins State Historic Park and the nearby Empire Mine State Historic Park, both old mining cities which are now ghost towns with buildings you can explore.
100
miles
Grass,
Valley, CA
3 Star
Hotel
Day 7:
Bodie State Historic Park
Head back towards Lake Tahoe, If you’d like to add a night or two here to break up your trip, please do let us know. Bodie State Historic Park had a population of 10,000 people and nearly 50 saloons in 1880. It’s now California’s largest unrestored ghost town and a real gem of a place to visit.
205
miles
Bridgeport,
CA
3 Star
Lodge
Day 8:
Stargazing in Tonopah
Make the relatively short drive back to the Extra Terrestrial Highway and the Tonopah Historic Mining Park. Head into Tonopah Brewing Company for some tasty beers named after them. Then, at night, look up and wave to any friends you’ve made on your ET journey at the Tonopah Stargazing Park
140
miles
Tonopah,
NV
3 Star
Hotel
Day 9:
Death Valley National Park
Today you’ll head to Death Valley, one of the hottest places on earth! Before you enter the park you will visit Rhyolite, just off Highway 95 which is now a few derelict buildings in what was once a thriving city. Tonight you’ll stay in the Death Valley town of Furnace Creek.
235
miles
Furnace
Creek, CA
4 Star
Hotel
Day 10:
Ghost Towns & Route 66
Heading out of the west side of Death Valley, you can stop by at Ballarat, an outpost with adobe ruins and weathered wooden shacks. Then onto the living ghost town of Randsburg before heading down to meet Route 66 at Barstow. Here you can see a great example of a Harvey House rail depot.
200
miles
Barstow,
CA
3 Star
Hotel
Days 11 & 12:
Las Vegas (2 nights)
One of our favourite ghost towns is nearby Calico, another former mining town founded in 1881 but abandoned in the 1890s which now offers shopping, hiking and off-roading. This afternoon you can head back to Las Vegas for two nights of luxury and pampering before you head home! Another fun stop on route is to see Bonnie & Clyde’s “death car”.
160
miles
Las Vegas,
NV
4 Star
Resort
Days 13 & 14:
Las Vegas & Fly Home
It’s your final morning so enjoy relaxing by the pool or take a final wander about. Or, if you want to go further afield, Red Rock Canyon is only half an hour drive away. This evening you’ll catch your overnight flight back to the UK.
Return
Car
Fly
Home
Get road trip ready with our road trip pack and app!
After booking your Ghost Towns & Aliens trip, you can expect to receive log in details for the beautifully designed RouteTrip USA Travel Companion App.
Scroll through your itinerary and use the buttons to view your daily accommodation, any tour vouchers, latest weather forecast and even live flight info. View our recommended attractions, museums and places to eat on the live map which can double up as a SatNav for your car.
Then, nearer to departure, you will receive an exclusive pack in the post containing additional information, guidebooks and a few other goodies!
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Click on the image to have a sneak peak of our app.
Upgrades
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Route 66 Ghost Towns
You’ll be staying on historic Route 66 whilst in Barstow towards the end of your trip. With just one extra night, we can include a little bit more of this historic trail within your holiday including this near ghost town of Amboy and even see the cafe used for the cult film "Bagdad Cafe”You’ll pass several ghost towns on your drive to Kingman on Route 66 before heading back up to Las Vegas on the I-93.
Yosemite National Park, CA
You’ll be driving right past Yosemite National Park, one of our favourites in the USA. If you have some extra time we can book a night or two here for you to enjoy this majestic park.
Lake Tahoe, CA
Break up your trip with a night or two staying near Lake Tahoe. This is an ideal spot to relax and enjoy the atmosphere of this beautiful location.
All per person prices (pp) shown on this website are based on two adults sharing. Where hotel ratings are shown, these are US ratings, half stars are rounded up to the next full star. RouteTrip USA and RouteTrip are registered trademarks of RouteTrip USA Ltd. *T&Cs Apply. **On most full packages subject to availability. ***Free mobile data is included for most packages during your USA or Canada holiday and subject to usage limits.