Nevada State Route 338
state highway in Lyon County, Nevada, United States
State Route 338 (SR 338) is a state highway in Lyon County, Nevada, United States. It connects the towns of Smith and Wellington to the California state line north of Bridgeport, California. Much of the route has served as a road through this section of Nevada since at least 1919, and was known as State Route 22 from the 1920s until the late 1970s.
Route description
The majority of the route lies within the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest. The road begins as a continuation of California State Route 182 12 miles (19 km) north of Bridgeport. That route, which follows the East Walker River as it flows from the Bridgeport Reservoir, crosses the Nevada state line east of the Sweetwater Mountains. SR 338 follows the river northeast for about 3 miles (4.8 km) before diverting northwest, away from the water's course. The route eventually passes the former town of Sweetwater as it climbs up toward the 6,812-foot (2,076 m) Sweetwater Summit.
As SR 338 heads down from the summit, it passes between the Wellington Hills to the west and the Pine Grove Hills to the east. The route crosses several small creeks as it heads north entering the Smith Valley.
The public source identifies “Nevada State Route 338” as state highway in Lyon County, Nevada, United States. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Nevada, State and Route.
Why this record matters
A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Nevada State Route 338”, the useful work is to connect “state highway in Lyon County, Nevada, United States” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.
Maps, plans, fabric surveys and administrative records can establish how the site’s name, extent and function changed over time. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 30, 2025. The linked authority identifier is Q887188. Authority coordinates are 38.601, -119.235. 2 of 2 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1919.
A single description cannot reconcile every naming convention, rebuilding phase or administrative transfer associated with a place. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Nevada State Route 338”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Nevada State Route 338 primary sources, Nevada State Route 338 archive and Nevada research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Nevada State Route 338”?
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- What physical evidence or contemporary plan supports the description?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Nevada State Route 338” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.