Despite its remoteness, Cedar Gate Road from State Hwy. 375, mile marker NY 43.6 just north of Queen City Summit to the Cedar Gate of the Nellis Ranges is quite interesting in several ways.
One reason is exactly that remote location. Railroad Valley is uninhabited, and there are only a few cars per day passing by on Hwy. 375. This allows vehicles to enter the Nellis Ranges virtually unnoticed here. Cedar Gate Road used to be a maintained dirt road, just like Groom Lake Road and the Rachel Back Gate Road. Then, in late June of 1999 it was paved and became a smooth asphalt highway, easily wide enough for two trucks, leading into the northern part of the Nellis Range Complex.
Now, we all know how much our government hates wasting money ;-), so there has to be a reason for this. Most likely is a planned increase of activity on this road. And sure enough, since the road was paved, it is used by a fairly large number of white unmarked trucks with unknown cargo, going in and out of the Ranges every day. On a regular weekday we have observed four trucks within a couple of hours. Since the truck photos below seem to be quite popular (especially among the fine people driving the trucks, if you know what I mean...) I have added a few closeups. Click on the links under the pictures.
There are also several new radar sites around the Cedar Gate, and a new airfield under construction northeast of Cedar Pass. Please see the links below for more information.
![]() The newly paved Cedar Gate Road, on 7/30/1999. The Cedar Gate Guard Shack is in the background, on the right side of the road. There is a small parking area across the road from it, where some local employees park and carpool into TTR or Area 51. The fence with the warning signs in the foreground is easy to miss, but you should not go beyond it.
|