Thunder Mountain Monument: A Deeply Meaningful Roadside Oddity In Nevada
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Imagine you’re on a road trip through the Northern Nevada desert along Interstate 80. You go miles seeing nothing but rolling mountains, vast openness and the occasional small town.
You eventually reach one of those small towns; Imlay. A former railroad station 130-miles east of Reno with a population of 178 (as of the 2020 census).
You look around and at first, nothing sticks out. But soon after getting past the main stretch of town, something catches your eye on the side of the freeway. Something strange, but unique. That something is Thunder Mountain Monument.
We recently visited Thunder Mountain, not knowing much about it and thinking it was just another cool (and weird), roadside oddity.
As we explored the property, though, we discovered how meaningful this property was to the original owner, Frank Van Zant, and the current owner, his son, David.
In this post, we’re going to cover some quick details about the property, what you can expect and some other important information.
However, we’re going to encourage you to visit the monument’s website for a more detailed account of its history and background. We will share the link at the end of this post.
Quick Stats
Location: Imlay, NV
Fee/Permit: None, but a $2 donation per group is requested (cash or check)
Open: Year round, from dusk to dawn
For: All visitors
Parking: Semi-large, dirt lot.
Restroom: None
EV Stations: None
Drone Use: Not allowed
Difficulty: Easy
Popularity: Low
Time: An hour or more
Milage: N/A
Elevation Gain: N/A
Trail Condition: Somewhat maintained pathway.
Main Feature(s): The monument and art installations
Pets: Not allowed
Special Notes/Hazards: Broken glass scattered throughout the property. Rattlesnakes have also been spotted here
Our Visit(s): June 2022.
Directions, Parking, & Fees
Thunder Mountain Monument may be located in the middle of nowhere, but it’s easy to reach as it’s located directly off Interstate-80 in Imlay, NV.
There isn’t a whole lot to do, see and eat in Imlay. So if you’re making the trip here from a larger area, you may want to ensure your tank is full and bring plenty of water/food with you.
Additionally, the nearest EV charging stations to Thunder Mountain are in Lovelock (40-miles west) and Winnemucca (35-miles east).
From Reno (133-miles, one way)
From wherever you are in Reno, make your way to I-80 eastbound and continue straight for 133-miles.
Take exit #145 for Frontage road.
At the stop sign, turn right and then make an (almost) immediate left on Frontage road.
You’ll follow this road for slightly less than a mile and it’ll terminate at the monument’s parking lot.
From Winnemucca (36-miles, one way)
Start by jumping on I-80 westbound and continue straight for roughly 36-miles.
Take exit #145 for Frontage road.
At the stop sign, turn left and go under the freeway.
Turn left on Frontage road and continue straight until it terminates at the parking lot.
Shortly after turning onto Frontage road, it’ll turn into dirt. No need to worry if you have a compact vehicle, it’ll make it just fine. Our Chevrolet Cruze made it without issue.
The parking lot is fairly large and entirely dirt. There are no official parking spaces so just find a spot that makes sense and go with it.
There are no parking or hard entry fees. They do request a (totally reasonable) $2 donation per group. There’s nobody on site collecting these donations but they do have an iron ranger adjacent to the picnic table.
It’s cash or check only. So if you don’t have either on hand, you can send a donation to the following address when you get home:
Thunder Mountain Monument, LLC
P.O Box 162 Imlay, Nevada 89418
Any donations left at or mailed to the monument go towards to continued growth, rehabilitation and maintenance of the property.
Exploring Thunder Mountain Monument
To begin exploring the monument, simply look for the official entry to the grounds (pictured above). You can easily spot it from the parking lot.
If your only interest is the monument itself, turn left along the dirt/gravel path as you approach the picnic table. If you have the time though, we recommend heading right and exploring the rest of the grounds in a loop.
At the picnic tables, you’ll find binders containing printed information about the monument’s history and development, as well as information about its founder, Frank Van Zant.
We highly encourage you to stop here and learn about the monument. Its history is fascinating. This is also where you can drop your donation (if you’re able to).
From the picnic table, go right along the path (away from the monument) to check out a cool, but admittedly creepy, art installation on the far side of the property.
Over here, you’ll find rusted vehicles lined up like a barricade of sorts, a swing set made out of wood and mud, a model airplane also made from mud/plaster and a de facto fort in front of all that. It’s weird, but so cool at the same time.
After exploring this area, simply follow the dirt path running parallel to the freeway. After a short distance, you will arrive at the monument itself.
The monument was conceptualized and built by Frank Van Zant (with the help of hippies and passerby’s) after being inspired by a visit to a bottle house in Death Valley.
As you walk up to the monument, the first thing you’ll notice is it’s fenced off with ‘no trespassing’ signs dotted along the fence. This was done to protect the monument from vandalism.
Based on our research, once upon a time the general public was allowed to explore the interior of the monument, but weather damage to the roof has made it too dangerous.
The monument was once lived in by its founder, Frank Van Zant and his family and initially started out as a one-room travel trailer. Over time, it was rocked over and additional features like bedrooms, corridors, stairwells and levels were added.
The roof is adorned with multiple statues and arches, the tallest of which stands fifty-feet. The exterior walls are covered in bas-relief tableaux depicting many historic events, betrayals and massacres of the American Indian.
If you know your history, you’ll no doubt recognize the depictions in some of the statues. Some notable figures include Standing Bear, Quietzalcoati, and Sarah Winnemucca. There’s even one honoring Franks’s late son, Sid.
It’s important to note that the vast majority of the materials used to construct the monument was “trash” Frank found discarded in the desert. This was done to honor the Native Indian tradition of using what you have and not be wasteful.
Many of the windows are windshields from old cars, glass bottles line much of the top end of the monument and a wooden Eagle is perched at the very top.
Some other material used in the monument includes galvanized pipe, scrap iron, chicken wire and concrete. It’s truly amazing what Frank was able to accomplish with what many perceived to be trash.
When you’re done exploring the monument, simply head back up the trail towards the entrance where you came in and back to your vehicle.
There are a few other nooks and features of the property, but we want to leave those things a surprise when you visit for yourself. We highly encourage you to do so.
As promised at the beginning of the post, be sure to visit the monuments official website for more in-depth information of its history and the background of its creator, Frank Van Zant, as well as photos of the interior.
Your Thoughts
Have you visited Thunder Mountain Monument before? We’d really like to know what you thought of it. Or if you’ve never been there, have you been wanting to visit or have you even heard of it?
Either way, let us know in the comments below. We LOVE hearing from our readers!
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