Area 51 occupies Groom Lake, a dry lake bed perfect for runway extensions and surrounded by mountains that shield testing from outside observation. The site was selected in 1955 for U-2 development; its remote location and restricted airspace made it ideal for testing aircraft the public couldn't know about. The base expanded as projects multiplied: A-12 Oxcart, SR-71 Blackbird, F-117 Nighthawk, and programs still classified. The facility has grown from a small camp to a substantial installation, visible on satellite imagery but closed to every unauthorized approach.

For decades, the U.S. government neither confirmed nor denied Area 51's existence. Maps showed blank space; pilots filed false flight plans; workers commuted on unmarked aircraft from Las Vegas. When people reported strange aircraft over the Nevada desert, the government said nothing - which fueled UFO theories more effectively than any cover story. The silence made sense during the Cold War, when adversaries couldn't be allowed to know what America was testing. It made less sense afterward, but institutional momentum kept the secret long after it served any purpose.

The UFO theories aren't entirely crazy. People really did see strange aircraft over Nevada - because Area 51 was testing strange aircraft that hadn't been publicly acknowledged. The U-2 flew at 70,000 feet when commercial aircraft topped out at 25,000; witnesses who saw it assumed nothing human-made flew that high. The SR-71's performance seemed impossible because it nearly was. Stealth aircraft looked like nothing that should fly. Area 51 produced UFO sightings because it was developing aircraft that defied observers' understanding of what was possible.

The CIA acknowledged Area 51 in 2013, releasing declassified documents about the U-2 program that named the base. The acknowledgment changed nothing practical - the area remains restricted, the current projects remain classified - but it did confirm what everyone already knew: Area 51 exists, it tests advanced aircraft, and the government kept it secret for 58 years. The UFO theories haven't diminished; if anything, official acknowledgment intensified interest. What else is the government hiding? Probably more advanced aircraft. Possibly something stranger.

You can't visit Area 51, but you can approach it. The Extraterrestrial Highway (Nevada State Route 375) passes through the area; the Little A'Le'Inn in Rachel serves alien-themed food and sells souvenirs. The front gate (Groom Lake Road) is accessible but heavily monitored - cameras track approaching vehicles; armed guards maintain a discretionary response distance. Do not cross the boundary signs; consequences range from substantial fines to arrest. The best public viewing is from Tikaboo Peak, a 2.5-mile hike to a summit 26 miles from the base - binoculars reveal distant buildings. Las Vegas is 130 miles south with full services.