Area 51 and Extraterrestrial Highway Day Tour

bus tour

Duration
About 10 hours: departs around 7:00 a.m., returns around 5:00 p.m. (Adventure Photo Tours)
Price
$235 per person including lunch, water and snacks; gratuity not included (Adventure Photo Tours)
Departs from
Free pickup at Las Vegas hotels

About

Area 51 is a restricted military site in the Nevada desert north of Las Vegas. You cannot enter it or see the base. This tour drives to its boundary, and to the roadside stops that grew up along State Route 375, which Nevada signs as the Extraterrestrial Highway.

The main stop is the Little A'Le'Inn in Rachel, a motel, bar, restaurant and gift shop about 150 road miles from Las Vegas. Its own site says it appeared in documentaries and the film Independence Day. Tours stop there for lunch and souvenirs.

Adventure Photo Tours is the Las Vegas operator the Little A'Le'Inn lists on its tour-groups page. Its route also takes in the Black Mailbox, long a gathering spot for UFO watchers, and a dry lake and Joshua tree forests on the way.

What to expect

Pickup is at your hotel at about 7 a.m. in a 7-passenger 4x4 SUV. The first stop is a look at the Janet Airlines terminal at the Las Vegas airport, where the operator says unmarked jets fly workers to the base. The drive north follows I-15 and US 93 through Alamo and Ash Springs, then SR 375 over Hancock and Coyote summits to Rachel.

After lunch at the Little A'Le'Inn, the tour visits the Black Mailbox and then drives through a Joshua tree forest to the perimeter. There, warning signs mark the boundary, and the operator says guards in a 4x4 often watch from a hillside. The return reaches Las Vegas around 5 p.m.

Who runs it

Several companies run this tour from Las Vegas. These are the published terms on each company's own site; we don't rank them or earn anything from them.

  • Adventure Photo Tours$235 per person 路 About 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.; runs Tuesday to Sunday 路 Hotel pickup, 7-passenger 4x4 SUV, lunch at the Little A'Le'Inn, bottled water and snacks

Good to know

  • You will not see the base. Tours stop at the posted boundary, and the Little A'Le'Inn notes that the signs warn the use of deadly force is authorized.
  • Wear hiking or athletic walking shoes. The operator suggests long pants and a warm jacket from October to February, and shorts, a hat and a light shirt from March to September.
  • Around Rachel, the Little A'Le'Inn says cell service works only on Verizon and AT&T. Its free Wi-Fi covers only the restaurant, bar, lobby and gift shop.
  • SR 375 is open range, and the Little A'Le'Inn warns drivers to watch for cattle on the road, especially at night.
  • Lunch is included, but drinks from the Little A'Le'Inn bar are at your own cost. Gratuity is not included.

Questions about Area 51 and Extraterrestrial Highway Day Tour

Can you actually see Area 51 on a tour?

No. Area 51 is an active restricted military facility, and tours stop at its outer boundary, where signs warn against entry. What you see is the approach: the dry lake beds, Joshua tree forests and the perimeter area. The operator says guards are often parked on a hillside nearby. The base itself is out of sight.

How long is the Area 51 tour from Las Vegas?

Adventure Photo Tours lists a departure of about 7:00 a.m. and a return of about 5:00 p.m., roughly 10 hours door to door. The Little A'Le'Inn in Rachel, the main stop, is about 150 road miles from Las Vegas, so most of the day is spent driving through open desert on US 93 and State Route 375. Tours run Tuesday to Sunday.

How much does the Area 51 tour cost?

Adventure Photo Tours lists $235 per person on its Area 51 tour page. That includes hotel pickup, lunch at the Little A'Le'Inn, bottled water and snacks; gratuity is extra. A second site run by the same company shows a lower figure, so confirm the price when you book by calling 702-889-8687.

What is the Little A'Le'Inn?

The Little A'Le'Inn is a motel, bar, restaurant and gift shop at 9631 Old Mill Street in Rachel, Nevada, on State Route 375. It sells Area 51 souvenirs and books. Tour groups stop there for lunch. The inn asks commercial operators to arrange visits in advance, so only prearranged tours stop there.

What is the Extraterrestrial Highway?

It is the nickname for Nevada State Route 375, which runs past the Area 51 region between US 93 near Ash Springs and Warm Springs. From the US 93 junction it is about 40 miles over Hancock and Coyote summits to Rachel. The route crosses open range with cattle on the road and little cell coverage, so tours travel in 4x4 vehicles.

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