Nevada State Route 165

State highway in Nevada, United States

State Route 165 (SR 165) is a state highway near the southern end of the U. S. state of Nevada. The road connects the town of Nelson to U. S. Route 95. The road originated in the 1940s and was one section of former State Route 60 until the 1970s.

SR 165 begins at a junction with US 95 approximately 10 mile (16 km) south of Boulder City. From there, the state highway follows Nelson Road in a southeasterly direction through Eldorado Valley 11 mile (18 km) to its end just outside the town of Nelson. The town of Nelson was established in 1905 following several mining claims being discovered in the valley. Although the small community is still inhabited, the remains of many mining operations and abandoned structures can still be seen in the vicinity.

The route first appears on state highway maps in 1941 as part of State Route 60, a three pronged route with each spoke connecting to the town of Nelson. The 16 mile (26 km) northwest leg connected to US 95 about 4 mile (6 km) south of Boulder City while the 10 mile (16 km) southwest leg reached US 95 further south via the Nelson Cutoff Road. The third leg of SR 60 ran east from Nelson 7 mile (11 km) to the Colorado River. Both the northwest and eastern legs of the route were completely paved by 1951. State Route 60 remained largely unchanged until the Nevada began renumbering of its state highway system on July 1, 1976. The northwest leg of old SR 60 was renumbered to State Route 165 in this process, and by this time was realigned to be only 12 mile (19 km) long. The remaining legs of SR 60 have since gone unnumbered.