Pyramid Lake Scenic Byway
Pyramid Lake Scenic Byway is a National Scenic Byway in Nevada. Within Nevada it covers roughly 40 miles. The map below shows its route. Use “Plan a drive” to open it in the Road Sorties route planner — already routing along Pyramid Lake Scenic Byway with scenic roads turned on, ready to add your own stops.
The Pyramid Lake Scenic Byway forms a roughly 40-mile Y-shaped route on NV 445, 446, and 447, tracing the shore of Pyramid Lake about 30 miles north of Reno. The entire route lies within the Pyramid Lake Paiute Reservation, and the tribe sponsors the byway, a National Scenic Byway that stays open year-round. Pyramid Lake itself — one of the largest desert lakes in the world, landlocked and fed by the Truckee River — shifts color across the day from green to turquoise to deep blue, and takes its name from a pyramid-shaped tufa rock formation rising from the water. Anaho Island, a National Wildlife Refuge within the lake, hosts one of only a handful of American white pelican breeding colonies anywhere in North America. In Nixon, the Pyramid Lake Museum and Visitor Center covers both the lake's geology and the Paiute tribe's history and culture; a day-use permit is required for most recreational activities on tribal land.
- ~40-mile Y-shaped route, NV 445/446/447
- Entirely within the Pyramid Lake Paiute Reservation
- National Scenic Byway, open year-round
- One of the world's largest desert lakes
- Anaho Island pelican breeding colony
- Pyramid Lake Museum and Visitor Center, Nixon
Plan a drive on Pyramid Lake Scenic Byway →
What is a National Scenic Byway?
National Scenic Byways are roads recognized at the federal level for at least one outstanding quality — scenic, natural, historic, cultural, archaeological or recreational — that gives travelers a reason to seek them out rather than just pass through.
Where to Stay along Pyramid Lake Scenic Byway
No campgrounds are listed close to Pyramid Lake Scenic Byway yet, but there are rooms near the route.
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