The Road(!) Ahead...

Yes, this really is a "designated vehicle route," meaning it's open to motorized vehicles. It's the remnant of a uranium prospecting road, probably from the early 50s. My stock Wrangler wouldn't be able to make it, 4x4 or no, but when we were here later we did see specially equipped Jeep Wranglers on this road, with monster tires and (presumably) skid plates like battleship armor. Window stickers proclaimed them members of the "Battle Born Jeep Club," "Battle Born" being Nevada's state motto, in case you were wondering. The inset shows the road a bit farther up, when it makes a right turn up the draw just behind the last sunlit outcrop. You can see rubber skid marks here and there in both these pix! Painted Hills area, about 20 miles north of Reno, Nevada.