Nevada State Route 431

State Route 431
Mount Rose Highway
Route information
Maintained by NDOT
Length:	24.413 mi[1] (39.289 km)
Existed:	1976 – present
History:	SR 27 by 1941, became SR 431 in 1976
Major junctions
West end:	SR 28 in Incline Village
	I‑580 / US 395 in Reno
East end:	US 395 Alt. / SR 341 in Reno
Highway system
Highways in Nevada Interstate U.S. State pre-1976 Scenic ← SR 430 SR 439 →

State Route 431 (SR 431), commonly known as the Mount Rose Highway, is a 24.4-mile (39.3 km) two-lane highway in Washoe County, Nevada, that connects Incline Village at Lake Tahoe with Reno. The highway, a Nevada Scenic Byway, takes its name from Mount Rose, which lies just off the highway. Prior to 1976, the highway existed as State Route 27.

View area along SR 431

Route description

View west from the east end of SR 431

Sign at the Mount Rose Summit

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 Mount 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).^[2] 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 the Washoe Valley. After several serpentine bends the highway arrives at an area of Reno called Galena. In Galena, the highway has a junction with Interstate 580 and US 395. It terminates at a junction with US 395 Alt. and SR 341, which continues towards Virginia City.

History

Reno as seen from the Mt. Rose Highway

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.^[3]

Approximately 20 miles (32 km) of SR 431 was designated as the Mount Rose Nevada Scenic Byway by the Nevada Department of Transportation on June 27, 1996.^[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]

Major intersections

The entire route is in Washoe County.

Location	mi [1][6]	km	Destinations	Notes
Incline Village	0.0	0.0	SR 28 – Crystal Bay, Carson City	Western terminus
	3	5	Country Club Drive
	8.06	12.97	View area – Lake Tahoe
	9	14	Mount Rose Wilderness access
	10	16	Mount Rose Ski Resort
	11	18	Slide Mountain Road (SR 878) – Mount Rose East Bowl
	17	27	Joy Lake Road
Reno	23	37	I‑580 / US 395 – Carson City, Reno, Susanville
	24.4	39.3	US 395 Alt. (S. Virginia Street) – Reno, Washoe City	Eastern terminus
			SR 341 (Geiger Grade) – Virginia City	Continuation beyond eastern terminus
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Route transition

See also

• Nevada portal
• U.S. Roads portal

References

1. "State Maintained Highways of Nevada: Descriptions and Maps – Quarter 3 Update". Nevada Department of Transportation. October 2011. Retrieved 12 Oct 2011.
2. "Mount Rose Scenic Byway". U.S. Department of Transportation - National Scenic Byways Program.
3. "The History of Mt. Rose Ski Tahoe". Mt. Rose Ski Tahoe. Retrieved 2008-02-17.
4. "Nevada's Scenic Byways". Nevada Department of Transportation. Retrieved 13 October 2011.
5. "Mt. Rose Scenic Corridor". Keep Washoe Wild. Retrieved 2008-02-17.
6. Integer miles derived from: Nevada Road and Recreation Atlas (Map). 1:250000. Benchmark Maps. 2003. ISBN 0-929591-81-X.

External links

• TravelNevada - Mt. Rose Scenic Byway