Nevada State Route 431
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| State Route 431 |
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| Mount Rose Highway Maintained by Nevada DOT |
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| Length: | 24.4 mi[1] (39.3 km) | ||||||||
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| West end: |  SR 28 in Incline Village |
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| East end: |    US 395 / SR 430 / SR 341 in Reno |
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| Major cities: | Incline Village, Reno | ||||||||
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State Route 431 or the Mount Rose Highway is a 24.5 mile (39.4 km) two lane highway in Washoe County, Nevada that connects Incline Village-Crystal Bay at Lake Tahoe with Reno. The highway takes its name from Mount Rose which lies just off the highway. The entire length of the highway has been designated the Mount Rose Scenic Byway by the Nevada Scenic Byways program.[2]
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[edit] Route description
The highway begins along the northeast shore of Lake Tahoe in the city of Incline Village. The highway scales the Sierra Nevada until reaching a meadow that is used as an access for the Mt. Rose Wilderness. Along the western ascent is a view area with directional markers pointing to several notable peaks in the Sierra Nevada range that surround Lake Tahoe. The highway crests the sierra at Mount Rose Summit. The Nevada Department of Transportation has claimed in several places this is the highest summit open year round in the Sierra Nevada mountain range (8,911 feet (2,716 m)).[3] Both the east and west approach to the summit feature hairpin curves.
On the eastern approach to the summit, the highway passes by the Mount Rose Ski Area and features overlooks with views of both Reno and Washoe Valley. After several serpentine bends the highway arrives at an area of Reno called Galena. In Galena the highway has a junction with the current end of the future Interstate 580 freeway, although the interstate is currently unsigned. Just past this it terminates at a junction with US 395 (hidden SR 430) and SR 341, which continues towards Virginia City.
[edit] History
The road has existed at least as far back as 1950 as an access to the ski areas of Mount Rose. At that time it was a dirt road only passable by automobile in the summer months.[4]
Rapid growth in the Reno area has put strain on the corridor served by the highway. This has prompted environmentalists to push for restrictions on future development along the corridor.[5]
[edit] Major intersections
| County | Location[6] | Mile[7] | Junction | Notes |
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| Washoe County | Incline Village | 0.0 | SR 28 – Crystal Bay, Carson City |
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| 3 | Country Club Drive | |||
| 4 | View area - Lake Tahoe | |||
| 9 | Mt. Rose Wilderness Access | |||
| 10 | Mt. Rose Ski Area | |||
| 17 | Joy Lake Rd. | |||
| Reno | 23 | .svg/25px-I-580_(NV).svg.png){kind=small} I-580 north – Reno (signed as U.S. Route 395) |
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| 24.4 | SR 430 / SR 341 – Reno, Carson City, Virginia City (SR430 signed as U.S. Route 395) |
[edit] References
- ^ Cross Index Route Log. Nevada Department of Transportation. Retrieved on 2008-01-24.
- ^ Nevada's Scenic Byways. Nevada Department of Transportation. Retrieved on 2008-01-24.
- ^ Mount Rose Scenic Byway. U.S. Department of Transportation - National Scenic Byways Program.
- ^ The History of Mt. Rose Ski Tahoe. Mt. Rose Ski Tahoe. Retrieved on 2008-02-17.
- ^ Mt. Rose Scenic Corricor. Keep Washoe Wild. Retrieved on 2008-02-17.
- ^ Benchmark Maps. Nevada Road and Recreation Atlas [map], 1:250000. (2003) ISBN 0-929591-81-X.
- ^ Integer miles derived from Benchmark Maps
