US Route 6 to Moore's Station, NV

Overview: Take a trip back in time! Use the AEC road, used to access the Project Faultless drill site, to visit one of Nevada's oldest orchards at a stage stop on the Belmont-Tybo-Eureda stage route.


Warning: This area is very remote and takes more self reliance than other similar length drives/bike trips. There is no gas for 100 miles. At Moore's Station you are 17 miles from the highway. Use appropriate caution and common sense.History: Moore's Station was established as a stage stop along the Belmont-Tybo-Eureda stage route in the early part of the 1870s at a natural spring. The spring, the creek it feeds, and the stage stop all get their name from the Moore brothers who established the ranch that would later host the stage. They knew water was scarce in central Nevada so they built a reservoir to capture the flow from the spring. They also imported fruit trees, making Moore's Station one of the earliest known orchards in the state of Nevada. Supposedly these trees still exist and producing fruit, much like the fruit trees of Lonely Dell Ranch at Lee's Ferry in Arizona. Sadly for the Moores the good times lasted for only about a decade. In the 1880s the stage route was abandoned. Owing to the perpetual water source and good shade trees, however, the ranch prospered. Today all the old buildings are fenced off and lay on private property. The ranch is still a going concern. From the road you can't see the old reservoir but it is still there according to maps and aerial photographs. The current route in abandoned the old Austin stage route down Moore's Creek for the Atomic Energy Commission's flat, graded road. This whole area was set to be turned into a nuclear test site, but the failure of the one bomb that was detonated, Project Faultless, scuttled the whole thing.

Drive/Ride: Start out on US-6. Turn north onto the signed Moore's Station road. This is a very good road - probably one of the best dirt roads in the West. Is it because it gets graded more often than it gets driven? Who can say. All I know is that 50mph is safe on this route in a truck (if you are biking your speed may be lower). The route heads north, basically paralleling the butte to the west (take note of all that fancy electronic equipment on the top. What are they watching?). The road curves to the west and then drops down into Moore's Wash on a well constructed incline. At the base of the incline, turn right. The road curves back across the wash bottom and parallels the eastern canyon wall. There is an opportunity to cross the wash soon after, but watch the signs. The left fork is washed out. Stick right. This same advice holds as you get to the "narrows" of Moore's Creek. Unless taking a side trip to Petroglyph Butte, stick to the right and head towards the Cottonwoods. You will see the stage house and ranch buildings on the right, tucked under all the shade trees. Once you have reached the station, you can either continue on up the road or turn around. There are some hiking opportunities in the area - make this part of a trip including Project Faultless and Petroglyph Butte for a fun afternoon in the backcountry of central Nevada!

Water Sources: Moore's Creek is flowing year-round near the station. Cows know this - if you use this water, treat it!

Camping: Camping is allowed on the surrounding BLM land. Make sure you are not camping on private property near the station.

2012-06-26 PaleoRob