You never know what strange sights you’ll come across when driving down Nevada’s dusty old highways. After all, our weird state is home to all sorts of bizarre landmarks, including alien-themed brothels and neon-painted boulders. One of the weird destinations you may come across during your next desert adventure is Nevada’s famous Shoe Tree. This tree is the stuff of legends and seeing it for yourself is a Nevada experience unlike any other.
Check out a real Nevada icon when you swing by the legendary Shoe Tree along the Loneliest Road in America, aka US Highway 50. Located just outside the blink-and-you'll-miss-it town of Middlegate, this unique destination is worth seeking out.
The iconic Shoe Tree is exactly what it sounds like: a tree completely covered in shoes. Located against a backdrop of vast desert landscape, the Shoe Tree makes for a peculiar sight in what seems to be the middle of nowhere.
All sorts of questions come to mind upon seeing this strange landmark, mainly "Why?" Well, there are lots of stories regarding the Shoe Tree's beginnings and how it officially came to be, but the version that's most commonly agreed upon goes like this:
Decades ago, a couple was driving along Highway 50 shortly after getting married at a wedding chapel in Reno. Their marital bliss didn't last very long because they got into an argument while on the road. They pulled over next to an outcropping of trees on the side of the road and the woman stormed off, stating that she'd rather walk home.
The man reacted by angrily grabbing her shoes and tossing them up into a nearby tree before driving away in a huff. He drove directly to the nearest bar and with the help of a bartender was convinced to return to the tree and make up with the woman.
He did just that and, rumor has it, the couple lived happily ever after. They would even return to the Shoe Tree on their anniversary every year and toss another pair of shoes up to the tree as a symbol of their unbreakable love for each other.
It turns out the original Shoe Tree was cut down by no-good vandals back in 2010, but that didn't stop Nevadans from quickly creating a new Shoe Tree nearby. Driving past Middlegate today, you're bound to spot this bizarre tree with hundreds upon hundreds of dangling shoes. It's a hard sight to miss!
