July 9, 2026 - Inlay, NV You must stop here if you are passing by on I-80. Right off the freeway, Thunder Mountain Monument, near Imlay, Nevada, is an unusual roadside attraction. Built beginning in 1969 by Frank Van Zant, who called himself Chief Rolling Mountain Thunder, the sprawling folk art site features towering concrete structures and more than 200 sculptures made from discarded materials found within a 50-mile radius of the site. Stop, read the info posted In the kiosk, leave a $2 donation, and take a gander at one man's mission to educate others. read more

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In the middle of the Nevada desert, a stones throw from I-80 is a monument. I guarantee that any person that visits it, will be affected. It was put together by a man named Frank Van Zant, the son of a Native American who was a member of the Creek tribe. Frank Van Zant served in WWII. There is a TON of YouTube and Wikipedia about the guy and his work. By the time I finished deep diving into this, I am convinced that the man held a lot of beliefs that many wouldn't understand fully. I think he was a good man at his core and he lived his life the way HE wanted to live it. The site is literally in the middle of nowhere (Nevada Desert) but right off the 1-80. Yes it is the oddest monument I have ever seen. The man claims to pay homage to Native Americans but there is way more going on here then just that. Fact is, we weren't sure what to think, other than this place was one of a kind. We stayed about an hour looking at all of the work he had done. 2 days later, I'm still thinking about this. There are two short movies (about 30 minutes) showing Frank talking about his place as you get a bit of insight to his minds eye. If you ever come upon Imlay Nevada, you absolutely need to stop here. We definitely will see it again. read more

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Very interesting monument and a great stop to stretch your legs on I-80. The concept that inspired the buildings here is really cool.

Quirky is good! A great pit stop in the middle of nowhere if you need to stretch your legs, walk the dog, and want to do a bit of photography of a place you just can't ignore. I threw in $5 as a donation for upkeep. Worth it for the great photographs I was able to get. Due to random vandals and to protect the property, unfortunately, much of what used to be accessible is no longer open to the public. I loved it. read more

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On our road trip across America, we stumbled upon this Nevada desert gem! What a unique experience. This is a very historical, feel good little site on the side of Highway 80 on the way towards Utah! It's clearly well kept, and very cared for. It's free, but you should definitely leave a donation to help keep this cool place open to the public. It's a little creepy at first, but when we walked around towards the little information area and learned about how much the owners care about this property & what it means to the community... it really made me feel at home. I'm happy we took the time to check it out, it was a great place to get out, stretch, and look at all the unique sculptures & things. read more

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Have driven by several times on 80. The first time had no idea what it was, second time missed the exit. This time we made sure to plan ahead and stop. Cool place to walk around and stretch. Very interesting history. Hope to see where it is in a few more years. read more

Thunder Mountain Monument - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Imlay, Nevada

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I have driven by this place many times and never thought I could stop and check it out. Well I found out you can. It is a state historic site now. A really odd yet cool place to check out. I am not sure of this sites history, but I know it is connected the the Native Americans of the area. They ask for a two dollar donation to help the restoration. Not much to pay for a place that is Burning Man cool. read more

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I love weird, artistic, historical places. I found this one on a cool website/app called Roadside America that told the story of the guy who built this place. Check out the back story if you want to visit; won't bother to repeat it here. The site itself is a bit on the creepy side since it was abandoned and now seems to be in the process of being restored. It was especially the case since I was alone. It looks like the family spends time here (there are newish structure on the property too). I wish I has seen it before the fence was put around the main structure and you could go inside. Maybe some day it will be in good enough shape to allow people to do so again. A ton of cool stuff to look at-- the detail is pretty incredible. Right off the highway and down a dirt road, this is easily accessible and a fun stop on the way to Utah from CA. Junk melded with concrete and other natural and synthetic substances. Lots of carvings. Made to resemble the bottle house in Southern Nevada. read more

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I've driven by this thing a few times. And you probably have too! It's along highway 80 between Fallon and Lovelock, right before you get to Puckerbrush. I noticed it on the way to and from Elko for work, then again yesterday on the way to Winnemucca for work with a friend. On the way back, it was still light and we had a little extra time, so we decided to stop and check it out. We had no idea what to expect - maybe it's someone's house - an eccentric hermit or something like that that. We weren't sure if we would even be able to get near it. But, we pulled off the freeway to check it out. Turns out it's the Thunder Mountain Indian Monument Historical Site! So fun! So we drove slowly by, taking pictures of the surroundings, and parked next to the gate. We read all signs making sure it was okay to go inside, and found that visitors are encouraged! There was a sign on the gate saying to keep it closed so "Butch" doesn't get out...hmmm... I have to admit, I am a little scared of dogs (mainly large dogs that I don't know!), so that freaked me out a bit, but it turns out butch is a sweet dog that is inside another interior fence around the main monument. Once inside, there is a little gazebo with a guest book and a little history of the site, along with a donation box - recommended donation is $2 per group. Then, you are free to just walk around and appreciate everything there is to see there. Walk slowly, and really take in all of the details...it's pretty interesting. Five stars because that stretch of highway 80 is pretty boring, and this is a quick and inexpensive way to break up the monotony of the drive and stretch your legs on your way from wherever to wherever! read more

Thunder Mountain Monument - Quick detour on our way home from Winnemucca! - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Imlay, Nevada

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This place is such a hidden treasure. There are so many cool things to look at! The history in this place is incredible and the architecture is astonishing. You really have to take the time to look carefully at all the detail that consists of this place. It is so wonderful that it is trying to be kept up and alive. A must see! read more

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Kinda weird and has a serial killer vibe. But it's pretty cool as well. DONT TAKE APPLE MAPS. It doesn't bring you here, takes you down a dirt road to some old guys house. If you get off exit 145, turn south, then go east on frontage road and it'll take you right to it. Make sure to donate some money even if it's pocket change. read more

Thunder Mountain Monument - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Imlay, Nevada

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A quick stop to a historical road side attraction is always interesting and take some time to wander and stretch your legs here. Interesting story. read more

This is the strangest "historical site" I've ever seen.One man's trash is truly another man's treasure by this place's standards. Built by Frank Van Zant, as a shelter from the oncoming apocalypse, he covered a trailer with cement and then built a three-story construct made from cement and junk into a home. There are lots of signs around warning of broken glass on the ground. You can walk around the area and see the crazy architecture he built. It's close to the freeway and a great way to break up your trip if you are driving along i-80. Note: The address on Yelp is wrong. It's actually located on Star Peak Rd and not 800 Highway Drive. Made the mistake of following directions from the address on Yelp and ended up driving down a dirt road into a field next to the train tracks, nowhere near the monument. It's on the south side of the freeway, not the north. read more

Stop by on our drive. Brought our one and ahalf year-old son spent about 15 minutes exploring the sites. Some very cool things to look at and wonder about. Make sure to bring some cash for a donation and don't plan on spending too long here in the summer it gets hot! Also do not trust your GPS directions go south off the 145 and then head east on the frontage road. read more

We watched "Living in the Big Empty" and it inspired us to take a closer look at Thunder Mountain. The art work out here is simply incredible. I'm so glad I went before the desert reclaims anymore of it. You can't take a bad picture out here! We'll be back. read more

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There's not much else to do along this stretch, so a good place to stop during a long drive. It is an interesting building but it was disappointing to the kids that it is fenced off with barbed wire. They were really looking forward to looking closer. read more

So glad we finally stopped here, I read the history to my husband in the drive up here and it's really touching! I think it's a story that every heart can relate to today about relationships, family, hobbies, occupations, finding meaning in life, and starting over! It's truly fascinating what one man did with everyone's garbage! It's. It's very unique and I hope this gets kept for future viewers! read more

Thunder Mountain Monument - Super neat what one man can do with everyone's trash!!! - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Imlay, Nevada

This free monument recognizes the owners of this land, the tribes that were destroyed by whites. I would like this monument to stay open for a long time so people do not forget. read more

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Weird place out in the desert. That should be enough to entice many of you desert lovers.

I remember seeing this off the freeway on the cross country (Ca.-Mass.) trips my mom & I made growing up, but never stopped. In 1997, I was the driver & decided we needed to check it out. It was just fascinating! I have since made several road trip's of my own (mom has since passed) & this has become a must stop along the way. There have been some additional fencing put up over the years but is worth the time to stop & spend some time. There's also a lot of great information & video's avail. on the website & should be checked out. read more

People do some weird stuff in the desert. If you've ever been to Salvation Mountain this is along the same lines. Several structures built out of all sorts of junk and concrete. It's odd and beautiful at the same time. Definitely worth a stop, and it's free (although you should leave a few bucks in the donation box). read more

Worth stopping by for! Super weird and super cool. Spend 15 min walking around. I'll stop by again but next time I would love to have some sort of a tour guide or something. read more

This place is odd, unique, weird, and every other adjective for "defies description". I wouldn't make a special trip to come see it. But, if you are driving past it is a nice break from the monotony of I80. read more

My daughter and I were driving from California to Utah and happened to see this place as we zipped by. We knew we had to make sure to stop and see it on the way back. A week later, and we could not remember where "The Cool-Looking Place" was...we were very sad. Daughter fell asleep, I kept driving, happened to look over and there it was! A total must see place! It was 2:30pm on a Sunday, and it was a little creepy...you have to drive down a gravel road, and there is no sign of anything or anyone living. A mom and her teenage daughter alone....my protective bells were ringing away, but when we entered the actual site, you feel no harm can come to you there...I know, weird. My daughter and I explored at our leisure...we had a brief sighting of a tourist, but then they were gone. I don't know how you can go to this place without exploring and trying to see everything. It is a thing of beauty! Chief Rolling Thunder had a story to tell/something inside that just had to come out. I would have loved to have seen it in its hey day, before some of the buildings burned down and people vandalized it. Before we knew it, we had spent over an hour in the place! Later when we got home, I became obsessed and had to know more...made me a little sad to find out what happened to the artist. This is something that is a must do kinda thing...I highly recommend seeing it! read more