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The Atlas/Nevada/Mount Rose Summit (NV-431)

Mount Rose Summit (NV-431)

Mount Rose Summit sits at 8,911 feet on Nevada State Route 431 (Mount Rose Highway) in Washoe County, making it the highest year-round mountain pass in the Sierra Nevada and a signature waypoint on the Lake Tahoe loop. A paved parking area accommodates roughly 50 vehicles and includes restrooms, trail maps, and brochures. The pass connects the Reno-Sparks metro to Incline Village and the Lake Tahoe basin via steep hairpin approaches with a maximum 9% gradient. A dedicated Lake Tahoe viewpoint sits at 7,562 feet on the descent. The summit trailhead also accesses the Mount Rose Wilderness.

Nevada
Region
Viewpoint
Stop type
Standalone stop
Atlas
// Why riders stop

The highest all-season pass in the Sierra Nevada — hairpin approaches on both sides, sweeping Tahoe basin views, and a legitimate high-altitude rest stop at 8,911 feet on one of Nevada's best sport-touring roads.

// Rider photos

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// Nearby & related
StopNevada
Calico Hills Overlook, Red Rock Canyon
Nevada
The Calico Hills pullouts (Calico I and Calico II) are the first major scenic stops on Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area's 13-mile one-way Scenic Loop Drive, located 17 miles west of the Las Vegas Strip on SR-159. Vivid bands of red, orange, and cream Aztec sandstone rise hundreds of feet above the desert floor, and the overlooks provide unobstructed views across the geological formations that give Red Rock its name. Restrooms are available at Calico II. The Scenic Loop is a timed-entry drive (reservation required in peak season) that routinely ranks among the top short rides near Las Vegas.
RouteNevada
7.0/10
Lake Tahoe East Shore — NV-28 + Mt. Rose Highway (NV-431)
Nevada
Reno to Tahoe via Mt. Rose Summit (~8,900 ft), ~25 mi. Pairs with Kingsbury Grade (NV-207) for a Tahoe loop.
13
miles
StopNevada
Lamoille Canyon Road End Trailhead
Nevada
The terminus of Lamoille Canyon Road (Forest Road 660 / NV-227 spur) sits at 8,800 feet in the Ruby Mountains of northeastern Nevada, 27 miles southeast of Elko. The U-shaped canyon was carved by Pleistocene glaciers into a dramatic alpine amphitheater with sheer granite walls rising over 3,000 feet. The large trailhead parking area at the road's end anchors the Ruby Mountains Scenic Byway and provides access to trails toward Island Lake and Lamoille Lake. The drive up the canyon — 12 miles of paved byway with no dead-end turnaround issue for bikes — is routinely ranked among Nevada's finest alpine roads.