Mt. Rose Scenic Byway The Mount Rose Scenic Byway is just South of Reno, Nevada, State Rt. 431and 300 miles west of Elko, Nevada. The serpentine highway climbs up Mt. Rose Summit to the 8,911-foot pass, the highest in the state, then descends into the Lake Tahoe Basin, affording a magnificent first look at America’s greatest alpine lake. The 19.45 mile roadway rises from the Truckee Meadows, cresting the Carson Range of the Sierra Nevada Mountains at the 8,911 ft elevation. The Mt. Rose Highway is the highest all-season pass in the Sierra Nevada's. Just below it's summit, the highway wanders through the stunning, alpine Tahoe Meadows, an e all-season recreation favorite. The scenic route then makes it's way through alpine forests, finally intersecting Highway 28 at Incline Village on the north shore of Lake Tahoe. Breathtaking vistas are commonplace from almost every section of the Mount Rose highway. The stretch of asphault is the primary access to the 28,000-acre Mt. Rose Wilderness; the popular Tahoe Rim Trail; Mt. Rose Ski Resort; Diamond Peak Cross-Country Ski Resort; Galena Creek County Park; USFS summit campground; and too-many-to-list trail heads and creeks. Mt. Rose with its ever constant twists and turns, double-backs, cliff views, and steep climbs and descents would probably be my fave drive if it wasn't for the traffic. I have never been on the highway clear of other traffic. It makes driving a bit tedious and at times dangerous. You never appreciate life until stuck behind an out of state plated RV going 15 MPH up the summit. It is a pain. If you land on the stretch devoid of traffic you WILL have a wonderful time and the view of Lake Tahoe, Washoe Valley, and Reno from the summit and along the route are breathtaking. This is some of the best scenery anywhere in Nevada. return to road trip