Wilson Canyon

Located between Yerington, NV and Wellington, NV, Wilson Canyon is a dramatic natural cut through the heart of a desert mountain range, made by the West Walker River in northwest Nevada. It contains a rich & beautiful juxtaposition of Great Basin wilderness, verdant river habitat & an artist's palette of colorful cliffs & hills. It's also one of the few places for many miles around where the public has access to the West Walker River.

Over the past few years Wilson Canyon has become more popular than ever as a place to camp, fish, hike, picnic and ride off-highway vehicles (OHV). With this increased use has come increased pressure on the natural resources of the area, particularly the Walker River corridor. Vegetation has been destroyed and soils have eroded and washed into the river. In cooperation with other federal and state agencies, Lyon County and citizen groups, the BLM will be fencing and signing along the bed and banks of the river in the near future. Pedestrian access to the river will continue, however, in order to protect this fragile resource motorized vehicles and camping will not be allowed inside the fence.

It is good to see that efforts to maintain this beautiful area are underway. I makes for a lovely ride. We plan on stopping here for a picnic lunch on our next trip to Lake Tahoe.