The answer to this question all depends on your idea of "safe."
If you need a 7-Eleven or Shell station on every corner, or a six-lane superhighway, or street lights every 100 feet, or paramedics and state troopers within five minutes of dialing 911 to feel safe on a driving journey, then you’ll definitely be a fish out of water on the 450-mile trip through the Mojave and Great Basin deserts between Las Vegas and Reno.
But if you like wide-open spaces, infrequent traffic, a huge star-lit sky, and a town every 55-100 miles with 24-hour services, then this trip's a piece of cake.
The route takes you northwest up the western edge of Nevada on US 95. For the first 60 miles, it’s a fast four-lane road; at Mercury (no services), 95 narrows to one lane in each direction. Still, it’s good smooth blacktop most of the way, so you don’t have to worry about a rough ride or damage to the undercarriage of your car. To pass slower vehicles, however, you’ll have to do so in the oncoming lane, so if you’re nervous about passing, either plan on driving awhile behind slower vehicles or grit your teeth and cut around when you can. Actually, it's easier at night, when you can see headlights for miles.
Roughly 55 miles from Mercury is Beatty, which has a couple of all-night gas stations and two casinos. From there, it’s a quick 55 miles to Goldfield, where there’s help if you need it; if not, drive another 25 miles north to the big town of Tonopah. It’s a long 100-mile haul from Tonopah to the next big burg, Hawthorne. But you pass the small towns of Mina and Luning, and a couple of brothels, along the way.
From Hawthorne, it’s a 70-mile shot straight north to the very big town of Fallon, then 30 miles west on US 50 to Fernley, which is only 30 miles, on I-80, to Reno-Sparks.
Also from Hawthorne, after 33 miles north, you can cut to the west on Alt95 at Schurz, from where it’s 24 miles into Yerington, then 50 miles north to Fernley on Alt95, passing through the service crossroads of Silver Springs.
All in all, plan on 7-8 hours of driving between Vegas and Reno, depending on speeds and rest stops. The speed limit is 70 mph most of the way and state troopers generally let you do up to around 80, especially in the middle of a dry clear night. Depending on the day of week and the time of night, you could go an hour without seeing another car. But you’re never more than that same hour from, at worst, a pocket of civilization and, at best, a major settlement.
That said, however, why drive at night -- especially if you're worried about safety? The desert is beautiful in its own stark and austere way, and there's plenty to see. Take a side trip from Beatty three miles to the ghost town of Rhyolite, where an entire mountainside has been terraced in the quest to wrest microscopic gold from the reluctant Nevada earth. Further, Goldfield is one of the best preserved semi-ghosts in the west, with big brick and stone buildings, and the Santa Fe Saloon, among the coolest old-time bars in the state.
Tonopah has plenty of motels if it's late, several good restaurants, and some sights if you're into mining history. Hawthorne is surreal, surrounded by thousands of desert bunkers straight out of Frank Herbert's Dune, all part of one of the largest miltary ammo depots in the U.S. (though it could be shut down and abandoned shortly).
Just north of Hawthorne is Walker Lake, a huge treeless undeveloped desert lake, shimmering like a blue mirage for miles.
From the north end of Walker Lake, it’s a 55-mile shot straight north to the very big town of Fallon. Or, after 25 miles north, you can cut to the west on Alt95 at Schurz (a lone gas station/market), from where it’s 24 miles into Yerington, which has a couple of refueling stops and the all-night Casino West.
If you take the Fallon route, from Fallon it’s 30 miles west on US50 to the service town of Fernley, which is only 30 miles, along Interstate 80, to Reno-Sparks. If you go by way of Yerington, it’s 50 miles north to Fernley on Alt95, passing through the service crossroads of Silver Springs.
All the while you're passing countless desert mountain ranges, some with peaks 12,000 feet and higher. The sky is enormous. The wide-open spaces are inspiring and liberating and the nation's seventh-largest state is yours for the taking just outside the car door. Best of all, if you manage to hit a long straightaway just right -- no cars in sight -- you can crank up the rpms and see just how fast that bad-boy car of yours will go. (Though plan on getting gas a little earlier than you expected.)
All in all, plan on 7-8 hours of driving between Vegas and Reno, depending on speeds and rest stops. The speed limit is 70 mph most of the way, and state troopers generally let you do up to around 80, especially in the middle of a dry clear night. Depending on the day of week and the time of night, you could go an hour without seeing another car. But you’re never more than that from, at worst, a pocket of civilization and, at best, a major settlement.
