Nevada State Route 373
Encyclopedia
State Route 373 is a 16.304 miles (26.2 km) state highway
in Nye County
, Nevada
, USA. It is a highway connecting California State Route 127
to U.S. Route 95, providing southern Nye County access to the eastern areas of Death Valley National Park
.
state line, approximately 8 miles (12.9 km) north of the town of Death Valley Junction, California
on California SR 127. The highway heads almost due north from this location, passing through the Amargosa Valley
. On the west side of the highway, the farm lands and homes of the community of Amargosa Valley
come into view. The route continues north from here to its terminus at US 95, near the former site of Lathrop Wells.
An unimproved road through Amargosa Valley, connecting Nevada to Death Valley Junction, appears on state maps as early as 1927. This route crossed the state line roughly where the current highway crosses now, but instead veered northwest to State Route 5 (now US 95) southwest of Beatty
near the now defunct town of Caracca. The road, which paralleled the tracks of the Tonopah and Tidewater Railroad
to the west, was recognized as State Route 29 by 1932. By 1935, SR 29 had been moved to a new, paved roadway resembling the alignment of the present-day highway.
SR 29 remained unchanged for several years, until July 1, 1976. At that time, it was rechristened as State Route 373 as part of the 1976 renumbering of Nevada's state highways. State highway maps first reflected this change in 1978.
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 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:...
, 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. It is a highway connecting California State Route 127
California State Route 127
State Route 127 is a California state highway that connects Interstate 15 to Nevada State Route 373, passing through Death Valley National Park....
to U.S. Route 95, providing southern Nye County access to the eastern areas of Death Valley National Park
Death Valley National Park
Death Valley National Park is a national park in the U.S. states of California and Nevada located east of the Sierra Nevada in the arid Great Basin of the United States. The park protects the northwest corner of the Mojave Desert and contains a diverse desert environment of salt-flats, sand dunes,...
.
Route description
State Route 373 begins at the CaliforniaCalifornia
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
state line, approximately 8 miles (12.9 km) north of the town of Death Valley Junction, California
Death Valley Junction, California
Death Valley Junction is a tiny Mojave Desert community in unincorporated Inyo County, California, at the intersection of SR 190 and SR 127, just east of Death Valley National Park. The zip code is 92328, the elevation is , and the population fewer than 20. The city limits sign reports a...
on California SR 127. The highway heads almost due north from this location, passing through the Amargosa Valley
Amargosa Valley
The Amargosa Valley is a Nevada landform east of the Amargosa Range that is the eponym for the town of Amargosa Valley, Nevada. The Tonopah and Tidewater Railroad ran through the valley from 1906 to 1940.-Solar thermal plant:...
. On the west side of the highway, the farm lands and homes of the community of Amargosa Valley
Amargosa Valley, Nevada
Amargosa Valley is an unincorporated community in Nye County, in the U.S. state of Nevada.-Description:The community is named for the Amargosa River which flows through the valley from its origination in Nevada to its terminus in Death Valley, California...
come into view. The route continues north from here to its terminus at US 95, near the former site of Lathrop Wells.
History
Beatty, Nevada
Beatty is a census-designated place along the Amargosa River in Nye County in the U.S. state of Nevada. U.S. Route 95 runs through the CDP, which lies between Tonopah, about to the north, and Las Vegas, about to the southeast. State Route 374 connects Beatty to Death Valley National Park, about ...
near the now defunct town of Caracca. The road, which paralleled the tracks of the Tonopah and Tidewater Railroad
Tonopah and Tidewater Railroad
The Tonopah and Tidewater Railroad, the T&T, was a class II railroad extending through remote reaches of the Mojave Desert from the Santa Fe Railway railhead at Ludlow, California, through Death Valley and Amargosa Valley, terminating at the Mining towns of Tonopah and Goldfield in the Great Basin...
to the west, was recognized as State Route 29 by 1932. By 1935, SR 29 had been moved to a new, paved roadway resembling the alignment of the present-day highway.
SR 29 remained unchanged for several years, until July 1, 1976. At that time, it was rechristened as State Route 373 as part of the 1976 renumbering of Nevada's state highways. State highway maps first reflected this change in 1978.