Services, Getting There
Supplies: Elko is about 65 miles to the southeast.
Hikes & Trails
Benchmark Gazetteer, page 34.
Wilderness Area Status
Wilderness Study Area
Managing Agency: Bureau of Land Management
The Little Humboldt River Wilderness Study Area is a land of deep canyons and drainages, volcanic mesas, high rocky ridges and wide undulating planes. Elevations range from 5,079 to 7,772 feet. Names like the Snowstorm Mountains and Winters Creek indicate that the area is in the coldest region of Nevada where winter temperatures often plunge to 20 to 30 below zero (F). The South Fork of the Little Humboldt River winds twelve miles through a deeply-dissected, twisting canyon in the heart of the study area. The canyons are over 400 feet deep in places.
The area is a transition zone between the cold, sagebrush desert of the Owyhee plateau and the milder aspen forests of the basin and range. It supports aspen and willow. Wild roses line the watercourses. Conspicuously missing from the region is the typical pinyon-juniper element of the Great Basin environment.
Diverse wildlife species include California bighorn sheep, mule deer, Lahontan cutthroat trout, pronghorn antelope, sage grouse, quail and raptors. Wild horses roam here. The rugged rock formations and good riparian areas support large populations of cliff-nesting prairie falcons and golden eagles. The Little Humboldt River along with Snowstorm, Winters, and First creeks provide a haven for native Lahontan cutthroat trout and contribute to bountiful fisheries estimated to reach 400 trout per mile of stream.
This is a good place for hiking and camping, hunting and fishing, riding and rock climbing.
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