To be clear, it seems that the event may be a joke, and even supposed attendees acknowledge that. In one comment detailing an elaborate “game plan,” the event’s poster concludes by addressing the “government” directly.

“Hello US government, this is a joke, and I do not actually intend to go ahead with this plan,” the person wrote. “I just thought it would be funny and get me some thumbsy uppies on the internet.”

For decades, Area 51, which is located in Lincoln County, Nevada, has been shrouded in mystery and tied to conspiracy theories. People have long associated it with aliens and UFOs, in particular.

The US Airforce also has a highly classified base in the area, which has only served to fuel the UFO speculation. The US government first acknowledged the base in 2013.

Here’s What Would Happen If Thousands of People Really Did “Storm Area 51”?

The first real obstacle anyone faces trying to enter the restricted area surrounding the Nevada Test Range is distance. If you start your trip to Area 51’s outer perimeter from Las Vegas and head toward Creech AFB in Clark County, Nevada, you drive about 45 miles on US 95. The last place you’ll be able to buy gas along the route before skirting the massive southwestern perimeter of the Nevada Test and Training Range is across from Creech AFB in Indian Springs. From here, the drive gets serious. Interstate 95 between Indian Springs and the next town, Beatty, is 73 miles of the worst driving in the world. The area is remarkably desolate, with no cell service during most of the trip. Daytime temperatures in the summer are almost always above 100-degrees. There is little traffic on the road and nothing on either side of the road but empty desert.

The second obstacle is the terrain. The area is remarkably unforgiving. With loose sand, rock, cactus, venomous snakes and a series of desert mountains surrounding the Nevada Test and Training Range, only a well trained and equipped person experienced in desert travel could cover the distance from the outer perimeter to get anywhere near Groom Lake where Area 51 is located. Most people untrained in desert travel would have difficulty crossing even a single mile on foot during the day in the open desert, let alone the 26 miles from Highway 95 near Goldfield to the classified airfield at Area 51.

Finally, there is the issue of logistics. Every town surrounding the Nevada Test and Training Range is very small, most with either one or two small stores stocking water and food with public bathroom facilities. There are very few hotels in the area since there is little to see and such oppressive security. The few convenience stores around the outer perimeter of the area likely only have a few hundred bottles of water in stock, nowhere near enough food and water to support a crowd of more than 50 people at a time. So, if you plan to be one of the several hundred thousand people “storming Area 51”, be sure to bring your own snacks and a cooler. And ice. Plenty of ice.

Area 51 tour bus accidentally crosses the border into the base and gets an unfriendly welcome