A single road in Nevada crosses seventeen mountain ranges
Crossing the Basin and Range province, this stretch of asphalt forces travelers to climb and descend seventeen times as the Earth's crust literally pulls itself apart.
U.S. Route 50 in Nevada is a rhythmic journey over a geological accordion. Known as the Loneliest Road, it traverses the Basin and Range province, where the Earth's crust has stretched by nearly 100 percent over the last 17 million years. This extension caused massive blocks of rock to tilt and slide, creating a landscape of repeating high peaks and flat valleys. For a driver, this means scaling 17 distinct mountain ranges that often soar to 7,000 feet, only to drop back down into sagebrush-covered basins.
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