Gravel road I-80 near Emigrant Summit that descends into the Humboldt River canyon at Palisades. The road crosses the Humboldt River and ends at NV-278 south of Carlin. Can be made into a detour from interstate driving.
Directions
From I-80, take Exit 271 - Palisades. From the freeway turn south, then left at the T at the south side of the highway.
I-80 West at Palisade
From NV-278, turn west at the sign to Palisade. The turn is about 9 miles south of the I-80 junction in Carlin.
Map
Description
Leaving the freeway near Emigrant Summit, the road crests a ridge and then follows a canyon down hill.
Looking South Towards The River
After passing a nursery on the right, there is a fork in the road marked with the sign No Trucks. Take the left fork and climb to the top of a ridge. From the top of the ridge there are good views of the surrounding country.
South East To Palisades
The canyon then narrows and becomes quite steep. The road becomes fairly rough here, and there are spots where it would be tough for two cars to pass each other. At the bottom of the hill, the canyon opens up to the Humboldt River valley at Palisades.
Palisades
Humboldt River
When the paved road begins, take the next right and cross over the Humboldt River. The paved roads follows a bluff along the river before ending at NV-278. Turning left on NV-278 will take you back to I-80 at Carlin.
At the beginning of the road to Palisade there is a sign warning against heavy truck and trailer traffic into the canyon. This is a good warning, as the road does get fairly steep and narrow in places. There was one area where there was water over the roadway, but I travelled down this road after a day of rains.