Search for the truth about aliens and check out E.T.-themed attractions in Nevada, a hotbed for UFO sightings.
We’ve all heard “the truth is out there.” Some say it’s in Nevada.
Now the U.S. government is weighing in on the existence of aliens, with President Donald Trump pledging the imminent release of all official UFO‑related files. His February announcement came abruptly after former President Barack Obama said on a Feb. 14 podcast that aliens “are real,” though he hasn’t seen any personally.
Obama also claimed they’re not being kept at Area 51, a top-secret Air Force base in Lincoln County, Nev., long rumored to house alien spacecraft and extraterrestrial technology.
Earlier in March, much to the delight of alien enthusiasts and conspiracy theorists alike, the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency added alien.gov and aliens.gov to the official government website registry. Neither website was active at the time of this article’s publication.
While Obama’s bombshell podcast statements dismissed long-swirling rumors about little green men in the Silver State, Nevada remains a hotbed for sightings of unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP) and unidentified flying objects (UFOs).
There are currently 1,809 open Nevada cases listed on the National UFO Reporting Center website, putting the state among the top 30% for UFO reports. Reports date back to 1947, the same year that aliens allegedly crashed in Roswell, New Mexico. There are mentions of sights like rising discs, domed-shaped objects, color-changing light orbs, oddly moving craft, and “a cigar-shaped thing going directly across in front of the moon” throughout Southern and Northern Nevada.
One of the most widely publicized local alien encounters is an unresolved incident from 2023, when the American Meteor Society logged 23 reports of a fireball from people across eastern California, Nevada, and Utah. That same day, body camera footage from a Las Vegas Metro police officer recorded a streaky object low in the sky. A Las Vegas family told police they saw something falling from the sky, and that there were two moving “non-human beings” in their backyard.
Nevada embraces its reputation as an alien destination, promoting several out-of-this-world attractions, including the officially designated Extraterrestrial Highway (State Route 375), which runs parallel to Area 51.
With its proximity to the infamous base, wide-open skies full of stars, and a variety of alien-themed fun, the state is also a destination for human visitors seeking “the truth.”
Aliens, and spacecraft, and guard gates, oh my!
Located within the Nevada Test and Training Range, 83 miles north-northwest of Las Vegas, Area 51 has always been shrouded in mystery. It’s known that the U.S. Air Force tests aircraft there, but some believe the aircraft–including the supposed remains of the Roswell flying saucers–are not of this planet.
The work being done at Area 51 is highly classified, so rumors are to be expected. Although it was established in 1955, the government didn’t publicly acknowledge its existence until 2013.
Fueling the fire, in 1989, a man named Bob Lazar told KLAS investigative journalist George Knapp he had worked at Area 51 to reverse-engineer one of nine captured alien spacecraft.
In 2023, former United States Air Force (USAF) officer David Grusch told the U.S. Congress about secretive government programs used for reverse engineering “non-human” spacecraft and their dead pilots. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) denied the claims.
Officially called Homey Airport or Groom Lake, Area 51 isn’t publicly accessible. Its entry gates are remote and heavily guarded with signs warning looky-loos to stay out.
These warnings aren’t to be taken lightly. In 2019, a man trespassed at a security point south of Area 51, led security officers on an 8-mile chase, and was ultimately shot dead by Nevada National Security Site officers and local sheriff’s deputies.
It isn’t illegal to visit the gates as long as you don’t trespass or cause trouble. The Area 51 North or Back Gate is located at the end of a 10-mile dirt road, about 1.5 miles southeast of Rachel, Nev. There is also a gate to the west.
A trip to the stars in Southern Nevada
The E.T. Highway runs 98 miles east-west between the small town of Hiko and the ghost town of Warm Springs. The tiny town of Rachel sits near the halfway point on the east side of the highway.
While its population is only about 50, Rachel’s motel, bar, restaurant, and gift shop, the Little A’le’Inn, 9631 Old Mill St., attracts visitors from around the world, and possibly other worlds, too.
Michael (last name not given) is a bartender at the quirky inn. He calls it a welcoming hub for believers.
“At most bars, even in Vegas, you start talking about UFOs and people kind of look at you funny,” he says. “Here, if you don’t believe or don’t know, then you get looked at funny, which is kind of cool.”
Along with tons of alien paraphernalia and souvenirs, the property has two big books filled with eyewitness reports of alien encounters from visitors. About 80 to 90 percent of the clientele come from other countries, while some, Michael says, “weren’t from this planet.”
Michael moved to Rachel after attending Alien Stock, an impromptu music festival that grew out of a satirical Facebook invite billed as “Storm Area 51, They Can’t Stop All of us” in 2019. More than 2 million people RSVPd to attend, while an additional 1.5 million were “interested” to “see them aliens.”
The creator of the viral post ultimately distanced himself from the event, but the Lincoln County community and law enforcement proactively prepared for an influx of visitors due to the viral nature of the invite.
Rachel became a popular lodging spot for RVers, campers, and other visitors who ventured to Lincoln County for the alien-themed event. Basecamp was the Alien Research Center, 100 Extraterrestrial Highway, Hiko. The souvenir shop hosted a music festival with artisan vendors and food booths on the property. Guests were shuttled to the shedlike shop, fronted by an oversized alien statue, from a nearby parking lot at the E.T. Fresh Jerky store, 12600 US-93, near the eastern entrance to the E.T. Highway.
Despite sky-high expectations, actual attendance at Alien Stock was somewhere between 3,000 and 10,000, depending on who you ask. About 150 people or so ventured to Area 51’s gates, and none of them trespassed.
While anyone can explore the E.T. Highway on their own, the state’s tourism bureau, Travel Nevada, offers a free, downloadable Area 51(ish) Adventure that allows you to digitally check in at 10 locations throughout Southern Nevada while racking up points toward exclusive UFOs (Uncommon Free Objects) like a glow-in-the-dark Extraterrestrial Highway license plate frame.
Along with the Little A’Le’Inn, the Alien Research Center, and E.T. Fresh Jerky, stops include:
- Outpost 51 Alien Museum, 1300 Boulder City Pkwy., Boulder City
- Area 51 Alien Center, 2703 E. Highway 95, Amargosa Valley
- The Black Mailbox in Rachel
- Extraterrestrial Highway signs in Rachel, Warm Springs, and Crystal Springs
