Alamo - The Last Town Before the Trail

Stop on Area 51, a free self-guided tour.

About ninety miles north of Las Vegas, the neon is long gone and the Pahranagat Valley opens up green and quiet. Alamo, home to roughly 785 people, is your last dependable stop for fuel, food and water. What lies ahead is nearly a hundred miles of mostly empty desert, so fill your tank now.

The town wears the alien theme lightly. Its gas stations sell souvenirs to travelers hunting for the Extraterrestrial Highway and the Black Mailbox.

If you have a few minutes, the Pahranagat National Wildlife Refuge lies a few miles south, at the southern end of the valley. Created on August 16, 1963, it covers about 5,380 acres and gives migrating waterfowl a place to rest on the Pacific Flyway. Kids can spot ducks against a backdrop of desert mountains.

Stand here a moment and notice how green it is. Water is about to disappear.

Getting here: From the museum, take I-15 north and then US-93 north for about 90 miles, roughly an hour and a half, until you reach Alamo.

Trivia: In what year was Pahranagat National Wildlife Refuge created?

Nearby: Alamo has truck stops with fuel and food, a public library and a couple of motels. This is the best place for gas and snacks on the northern half of the loop.