State Route 361 is a 62.853 miles (101.2 km) state highway

State highway

State highway, state road or state route can refer to one of three related concepts, two of them related to a state or provincial government in a country that is divided into states or provinces :#A...

 in central Nevada

Nevada

Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...

, USA. The highway serves the town of Gabbs

Gabbs, Nevada

Gabbs is an unincorporated community in Nye County, Nevada, United States. The population was 318 at the 2000 census, at which time it was a city. Since then, it has been dis-incorporated, effective May 8, 2001.-History:...

 following Gabbs Valley Road through the extreme northwestern tip of Nye County

Nye County, Nevada

-National protected areas:* Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge* Death Valley National Park * Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest * Spring Mountains National Recreation Area -Demographics:...

. Gabbs is isolated from the rest of the County, requiring travel on SR 361 through other counties in order to reach any other major town in Nye County. SR 361 was previously known as State Route 23.

Route description

State Route 361 in Mineral County

Mineral County, Nevada

Mineral County is a county located in the U.S. state of Nevada. As of the 2000 census, the population was 5,071. In 2009, it was estimated to have dropped to 4,662. Its county seat is Hawthorne.-History:...

 at a junction with U.S. Route 95 approximately 1 miles (1.6 km) northwest of Luning

Luning, Nevada

Luning is an Unincorporated Town in Mineral County, Nevada, in the United States. It is often listed as a ghost town, but it is not. The population of Luning, Nevada, as of 2005 is 87. The town ZIP Code of Luning is 89420....

. From there, the highway heads north towards the mountains of the Gabbs Valley Range. The route curves sharply east to climb up to Calavada Summit (elevation 6254 feet (1,906.2 m)), and then turns northward again to pass over Petrified Summit (elevation 6145 feet (1,873 m)) before leaving the mountain range. Route 361 then heads northeast, entering Gabbs Valley and Nye County as it approaches the town of Gabbs.

As the highway heads out of Gabbs it intersects State Route 844, providing access to Ione

Ione, Nevada

Ione, Nevada is an unincorporated community in Nye County, Nevada, located approximately 23 miles east of Gabbs, Nevada. Current services include one grocery store....

 and Berlin-Ichthyosaur State Park

Berlin-Ichthyosaur State Park

The environment of Nevada comprises diverse biotas, climates, and geologies. Environmental regulations and the environmental movement have aimed to respond to environmental threats.-Renewable Portfolio Standard:...

 via the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest

Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest

The Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest is the principal U.S. National Forest located in the U.S. state of Nevada. With an area of , it is the largest National Forest of the United States outside of Alaska...

. SR 361 continues north from here, reentering Mineral County briefly before entering Churchill County

Churchill County, Nevada

Churchill County is a county located in the western U.S. state of Nevada. As of the 2000 census, the population was 23,982. As of July 1, 2007, the population of Churchill County was estimated at 27,190. The county, named after Mexican-American War hero brevet Brigadier General Sylvester Churchill,...

. The route comes to an end at an intersection with U.S. Route 50 at Middlegate

Middlegate, Nevada

Middlegate is an unincorporated community in Churchill County, Nevada, United States.The local bar, gas station and restaurant of Middlegate were the location for Black Road, Gregory Hutton's award-winning 2002 short film starring William Nilon....

.

History

The general routing of present-day SR 361 first appeared on state highway maps in 1929 as an unpaved road, State Route 23. By 1939, the portion of the route in Mineral and Nye Counties had been realigned further east. The final alignment of SR 23, shown as a paved highway, was in place by 1946.

The route remained relatively unchanged until the 1976 renumbering of Nevada's highway system. On July 1st, the SR 23 designation was replaced by State Route 361. This change was first seen on the 1978–79 edition of the official highway map.

Major intersections

Note: Mileposts in Nevada reset at county lines. The start and end mileposts for each county are given in the county column.