A Destination Along Nevada's Famous Extraterrestrial Highway Offers Serene Springs And A 'Gateway To Area 51'

The iconic Extraterrestrial Highway is an otherworldly Nevada road trip that brings you as close as possible to Area 51, the highly secretive U.S. military base associated with legends of extraterrestrial life. The route is full of attractions related to the possibility of space invaders, from kitschy roadside alien art to the backroads Tikaboo Peak, a hidden Nevada summit that allows a peek at Area 51. At the south end of the Extraterrestrial Highway, you'll find the town of Hiko, Nevada, home to the Alien Research Center, a.k.a. the "gateway to Area 51," as described by the Lincoln County Authority of Tourism. If you're even a little curious about extraterrestrials, Hiko is a must-visit, but its surreal landscape and natural springs are enough to attract even the most stalwart skeptics.

The tiny desert town of Hiko is just miles from the edge of Area 51. By no means can you enter Area 51, and even getting too close can land you in legal trouble. However, you can get an Area 51 photo op at the Alien Research Center, a metallic Quonset shack fronted by a towering alien statue and copies of Area 51 signs. Inside, you won't see much research going on, though. It's primarily a gift shop, with everything from alien-printed pajamas to Area 51 magnets. But outside of the shop, you never know what you might find in the remote Nevada desert: a campground surrounded by strange petroglyphs, a hidden land art piece, or maybe even an unfamiliar object gliding among the stars overhead.

Drive about 10 minutes north of the Alien Research Center to get to the Hiko Spring, not to be confused with another site called Hiko Springs about 200 miles south in Nevada. Not much is written about Hiko Spring in Hiko, but of note, it lies near a former mining site, harkening to Hiko's 19th-century origins as a base for silver mining.

One of the most fascinating areas in Hiko is Mount Irish, home to the Mount Irish Petroglyph Site and located within the Basin and Range National Monument, a rugged outdoor paradise. You can get here by turning off Route 318 and onto Irish Mountain Road, taking about 30 minutes from Hiko's town center to the archaeological site. There are three distinct rock art areas, with petroglyphs that date back to 1000 B.C., drawn by ancient Native Americans. The petroglyphs haven't been explained; because of their unusual shapes (one of which resembles a flying saucer), some people say these drawings are evidence of ancient human contact with extraterrestrials. You can examine the petroglyphs for yourself on a 2-mile round-trip hiking trail along the mountain summit. There's also a campground at the site. The campsites are quite rudimentary and located along Logan Canyon Road, but there are vault toilets and a picnic table.

In the barren desert land around Hiko, there's a massive, mesmerizing land sculpture called "City" by Michael Heizer. Heizer's been working on the sculpture since 1972, and it spans over 1 mile long, comprising five "complexes" modeled off of ancient civilizations, made from sand, clay, and concrete. "City" is, in a way, a modern successor to the petroglyph site that neighbors it. "I like runic, Celtic, Druidic, cave painting, ancient, preliterate, from a time back when you were speaking to the lightning god, the ice god, and the cold-rainwater god," Heizer said of his inspiration in The New Yorker. The giant sculpture is owned by Triple Aught Foundation, and the only means of visiting it is by securing a reservation through the organization. The reservation includes a trip to the sculpture's location and a three-hour tour of it.

From its petroglyphs to the monumental sculpture built into the desert, visiting Hiko is all about venturing to the limits of human civilization, exploring the unknown, and finding beauty in what's not easily explainable. At sundown, head back to the Alien Research Center for one final quest. The Center hosts stargazing sessions in its parking lot, starting 30 minutes before the sun sets. Hiko is one of the closest dark sky spots (an area with minimal light pollution for clear star views) you can get to from Las Vegas, where stargazing is near impossible. It's about a two-hour drive from Las Vegas' Harry Reid International Airport to Hiko.