Located off Highway 374 just west of Beatty in the ghost town of Rhyolite, Tom Kelly’s Bottle House is worth a stop on the way to Death Valley. Constructed in 1906 during the gold rush, Kelly built his masterpiece from 51,000 beer bottles, adobe and mud. And since there were some 50 bars in town, there was never a shortage of building materials. As for Kelly’s motivation and reasoning for his chosen medium, he was often known to say that it was easier to build a home from beer bottles than it was to mill lumber from the native Joshua trees. Kelly’s creation is easy to find too — just follow the signs to it from Rhyolite Road. And the good news is, there’s an accessible parking pad and a level sidewalk over to the house. The bottle house sits behind a fence to protect it from vandals, but it’s sometimes opened for private tours. Still you can get an excellent gander at the house from the sidewalk near the entrance.
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Located along a barren stretch of Interstate 80 in Northwestern Nevada, Thunder Mountain offers motorists a much needed — and somewhat entertaining — break between Reno and Winnemucca. It’s easy to find too — just take exit 145, turn east, and then make a left turn on the frontage road. Soon the asphalt is replaced by dirt, and then gravel, before the first remnants of Frank Van Zant’s paradise lost comes into view on the left.
As the story goes, an old Creek medicine woman told Frank that in the final days there shall rise up a place called Thunder Mountain, and only those that lived there would survive the apocalypse. So he set out to build this mythical place of refuge after his car broke down along the interstate. Shortly thereafter he changed his name to Chief Rolling Mountain Thunder as he set to work to craft his mansion patterned after Tom Kelly’s Bottle House in Rhyolite (emerginghorizons.com/tom-kellys-bottle-house/). It all began with his travel trailer, which he parked in the sagebrush and covered in concrete. That was in 1968. Sadly Chief Rolling Mountain Thunder committed suicide in 1989, and although the elements — and sadly some vandals — have taken their toll on this creation over the years, it’s still worth a visit.
As far as access goes, it’s doable for many folks. There’s no striped parking, but there’s plenty of room to park an adapted van in the large dirt parking area next to the entrance. From there; it’s a level roll to the front gate which is 35 inches wide. Inside the compound, the pathways around the sculptures, homes and exhibits are flat, and although there’s a bit or gravel here and there, it’s easy to dodge.
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Located on the way to Rhyolite — and Tom Kelley’s Bottle House (www.emerginghorizons.com/tom-kellys-bottle-house) — this unique open-air sculpture installation is definitely worth a stop. From Beatty, head west on Highway 374 for about four miles, then turn right on Rhyolite Road. Take the first left on the road – look for a miner with a penguin – and you’ve found the museum. It’s really pretty hard to miss. There’s parking in a level dirt area, and usually there’s plenty of room for an adapted van. A small information center that’s ramped in the back is located nearby. The information center is open periodically, but even if it’s closed you can still pick up a brochure about the artwork.
The sculptures are dotted throughout the desert, with mostly level paths covered in gravel leading out and around them. That said, you can get a good look at the bulk of them from the information center, so it’s worth a stop even if you can’t negotiate the paths. The sculptures range from a ghostly interpretation of the Last Supper, to the more traditional Tribute to Shorty Harris, a legendary Rhyolite prospector. And there are even a few pieces that visitors can sit or lean on, and snap a selfie or two.
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This lone sculpture sits on the side of the road just off Interstate 80 in Fernley. At one time the Bottle Cap Gazebo stood nearby, but it was permanently removed in 2024. To be fair, that piece was originally designed as a temporary structure for Burning Man in 2014; so it’s impressive that it braved the elements for as long as it did. Still the tortoise is worth a quick stop. To find it, take exit 48 off of interstate 80 and follow the signs to Fernley. Keep right on Main Street, and look for the tortoise on the right, across the street from the 76 gas station.
Although the parking lot is composed of gravel, there’s also an accessible parking spot on a cement pad, with a level sidewalk over the Desert Tortoise. This permanent installation was created by artist Pan Pantoja, with assistance from Fernley Elementary School’s fourth-graders.
This 25-foot long and 17-foot tall sculpture was crafted from boulders from a local quarry and decorated with hand painted ceramic tiles that reflect the culture of Fernley and the surrounding area. Although the vision and execution came from Pantoja, the fourth-graders supplied the artist with the creative tiles. There’s level access around the sculpture which weighs in at an impressive 70 tons, and there’s also a smaller slab covered with leftover tiles located next to the tortoise.
It’s a good place to stretch your legs, and a fun photo op, while tooling along Interstate 80 through the desert.
You just can’t miss Alphie — also known as the Big Bovine of the Desert — when you cruise down Highway 373 near the California-Nevada border. This 14-foot tall fiberglass bovine is located right next door to the Longstreet Inn and Casino. And although she’s a local favorite, she’s really a Las Vegas transplant. Considered a part of Nevada history, Alphie originally stood under a brightly colored rainbow clad in her Blues Brothers sunglasses, on the roof of the Holy Cow Casino and Brewery. The Holy Cow closed in 2002, and Jim Marsh, the owner of the Longstreet Inn and Casino, snapped Alphie up for a cool $2,220. And the rest, as they say, is history. There’s plenty of parking in a level asphalt lot next to Alphie, and you can roll right over to her for the photo op. The Big Bovine of the Desert is definitely worth the short side trip from Death Valley (emerginghorizons.com/barrier-free-travel-death-valley-for-wheelers-and-slow-walkers/#itin-1).
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Located at the intersection of Highway 54 and Dog Ranch Road, Tim Mc Ginn’s PistachioLand is home to the world’s largest pistachio. This 30-foot monolith towers over the surrounding desert and attracts visitors from around the world. It was built by Tim McGinn to honor the memory of his father Tom McGinn. The elder McGinn founded the original pistachio and grape farm which grew into PistachioLand. Tim felt a “world’s largest” monument would be fitting, as his dad loved to stop at unique roadside attractions on their many road trips. Erected in 2007, this giant nut is constructed from five yards of concrete and is covered with 35 gallons of paint.
There’s accessible parking near the giant pistachio, and ramp access over to the perfect photo op spot. Next door there’s level access to the Country Store, which has plenty of room to maneuver a wheelchair inside. It stocks everything pistachio — from brittle and nuts, to t-shirts and souvenirs. They even have salt-free and sugar-free products. And if you’d like to sample a little vino, the Arena Blanca tasting room is in back. The World’s Largest Pistachio is fun photo stop, and the country store has plenty of free samples.
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Located along Billy the Kid National Scenic Byway (nsbfoundation.com/nb/billy-the-kid-national-scenic-byway/) in Southwestern New Mexico, Smokey Bear Historical Park pays tribute to the popular fire prevention icon. Smokey was found in the nearby Capitan Mountains with burned paws, after a 17,000-acre wildfire destroyed his home in 1950. He quickly became a national poster child for the US Forest Service, and touted the catch phrase, “Only You Can Prevent Forest fires.” This park and museum was completed in 1979, and it’s conveniently located along the Capitan stretch of Highway 380 — also known as Smokey Bear Boulevard.
There’s good wheelchair access to the Visitors Center, which features exhibits about the history of Smokey Bear, fire prevention, ecology and forest health. Out back there’s level access to a nature trail that winds through native vegetation from six different climate zones. And of course, Smokey’s grave is prominently located along the trail. It’s a fun stop, especially if you have kids in tow.
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Located in the middle of nowhere, it takes a bit of effort to get to the National Radio Astronomy Observatory Very Large Array (VLA). Spread over more than 100 square-miles of New Mexico desert, the massive antennae that make up the VLA are located about an hour-drive west of Socorro. Take exit 150 from Interstate 25, then head west on Highway 60 for about 45 miles. After you pass Magdalena, go south on Highway 52 for about 3 miles. The VLA is on the right – you can’t miss it.
There’s accessible parking in front of the visitor center, with barrier-free access to the building. Inside there’s a small gift shop and a few exhibits about the VLA. There’s also level access to the theater, with plenty of room for a wheelchair next to the seats. Take some time to watch the excellent movie – narrated by Jodie Foster – that explains how the array works and what exactly it’s able to do.
The VLA is comprised of 27 dish shaped antennae arranged in a Y configuration across the desert. Visitors can also get an up-close-and-personal look at the antennae, as well as a few other outside exhibits, from a short level trail that winds around the complex.
The first stop on the walking tour is the Bracewell Radio Sundial, which is located near the back entrance to the visitor center. Named after Roy Bracewell, who created one of the world’s first radio telescopes, this sundial consists of a sphere mounted on a pole, and seven others mounted on cement pedestals. From the sundial, continue along the path past the Whisper Dish Gallery, and head over to the Radio Dish Gallery, which is located in the gazebo near the antennae. After that, make a left and head out to the base of the closest antenna, where there’s another interpretive plaque that describes its workings. From there you can circle past the control building and return to the visitor Center.
The VLA makes a fun New Mexico road trip stop even if you aren’t an astronomy buff, as the silhouette of the array against the vast desert backdrop is worth the short detour alone. And amateur astronomers will absolutely love the site.
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If a trip to the unofficial UFO capital of the world is on your travel itinerary, then be sure and stop at the creative Welcome to Roswell art piece just outside town. You’ll find the masterpiece on the east side of Highway 285, about six miles south of the city. Unveiled in 2013, the John Cerney piece is best described as giant cut-out art. Cerney’s Rockwell-like highway murals are designed to blend into the existing landscape and catch passing motorists off guard. And the Roswell installation does just that.
There’s no official parking lot for the mural, but there’s a wide level dirt area where you can stop and have a good look at the piece. And if you’d like a photo op with it — and who wouldn’t — there’s also a level dirt path over to the mural.
The mural itself depicts an alien spacecraft with a few green beings in front of it, who are being offered a pie by a local woman. The aliens seems put-off by the culinary creation, and one of them appears to be holding ET of movie fame in his arms. Back on the ship, the navigator is reading a map with Roswell prominently marked, which also includes a “photo” of two figures that eerily resemble The X-Files Scully and Mulder. And over on the other side, a rancher is receiving roadside assistance for his broken down California truck from yet another alien. There’s a lot going on in the mural, so take some time and look for the “little things”. And again, it blends into the landscape, so keep an eye out for it as you approach town.
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19 Carlsbad Cavern Highway
Whites City, New Mexico
Although they seem a bit out of place, these Green Aliens sit in front of the Whites City Information Center, just off Highway 7 on the way to Carlsbad Caverns. There’s no interpretive plaque at the site; however locals say that the they are a tribute to the old Million Dollar Museum which formerly occupied the space, and had an “alien baby” on display. Today the aliens offer a good photo op on the way to New Mexico’s only national park. Accessible parking is located in front of the post office, with level access over to the aliens next door. It’s a fun stop, especially if you have kids in tow.
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