Schurz, Nevada - Shoe Tree

It's a dead tree with shoes thrown into it, yes, but the real story behind it is why the shoes are there:

When I was a boy there were a lot more branches and a boat-load more shoes. People have been throwing shoes in that tree since my dad was little and he's 53 now. The reason you are supposed to throw your shoes into that tree is kinda a rite of passage, or more bluntly put, you lost your virginity.

The county cut most the branches off and took all the shoes down when I was 14; it stayed shoe free for like 2 days, and people that had shoes up there before went and threw a new pair up there. That happened twice -- finally the county gave in and just let the shoes stay. Even I have a pair of shoes in that tree somewhere.

That is the story behind the tree. [Brad McConnell, 11/12/2008]

This is a few miles north of Hawthorne, Nevada near Walker lake. It is a dead tree with hundreds of shoes hanging from it. No signs, we didn't stop and ask but we did stop to take pictures.

It has no sign it just appears on the side of the road and you will want to turn around to make sure you saw what you thought you saw.

There is an asphalt parking area around the tree. [B. Lillis, 07/25/2008]

The Walker Lake Shoe Tree is another example of this unique American art form. It is along US 95 north of Walker Lake, NV. It has been there for many years, and is a favorite sight as I travel up and down that lonely road.

This is a sparsely-populated area, so it seems to be the home of every discarded shoe from people for miles around. It gets a fresh infusion each year at high school graduation. It stands alone in a pull-off, surrounded by miles of grazing land.

Today, it appeared to have about 100 pairs of shoes, and one new feature - a bra. [SoccerFanatics, 04/09/2008]

Located in between Schurz and Walker Lake Nevada, this tree was "modified" recently by the wonderful folks from NDOT. We thought this was a horrible downfall and an end to the many interesting selections flung into the great tree. But folks being the way they are here... branches chopped to the "bare bones" now are lovingly redecorated with footwear again! Long live the local Shoe Tree on Highway 95! [Tinae, 08/10/2007]

There is a shoe tree a few miles South of Schurz, NV on Highway 95 on the left side of the freeway if you are headed South toward Hawthorne. The tree now has hundreds of pairs of shoes on it. [Jimmie Whittaker, 09/19/2005]

[RA: This sighting adds to a flap in the region -- shoe trees in Middlegate and Hawthorne.]