The East Walker River is an approximately long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data
The National Map
, accessed March 17, 2011 tributary of the

Walker River The Walker River is a river in west-central Nevada in the United States, approximately long. Fed principally by snowmelt from the Sierra Nevada of California, it drains an arid portion of the Great Basin southeast of Reno and flows into the endor ...

, in eastern

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

and western

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. N ...

in the United States. It drains part of the eastern side of the

Sierra Nevada The Sierra Nevada () is a mountain range in the Western United States, between the Central Valley of California and the Great Basin. The vast majority of the range lies in the state of California, although the Carson Range spur lies primarily ...

in the watershed of

Walker Lake Several lakes are known as Walker Lake: Canada *Lake Walker in Quebec, Canada, the largest (by depth) lake in the province. United States

*Walker Lake (Haines, Alaska) *Walker Lake (Northwest Arctic, Alaska) *Walker Lake (Prince of Wales-Outer ...

in the

Great Basin The Great Basin is the largest area of contiguous endorheic basin, endorheic watersheds, those with no outlets, in North America. It spans nearly all of Nevada, much of Utah, and portions of California, Idaho, Oregon, Wyoming, and Baja California ...

History

Watershed and course

The East Walker River rises from snow melt in the Sierra Nevada of eastern California north of

Mono Lake Mono Lake ( ) is a saline soda lake in Mono County, California, formed at least 760,000 years ago as a terminal lake in an endorheic basin. The lack of an outlet causes high levels of salts to accumulate in the lake which make its water alk ...

and near the northeast boundary of

Yosemite National Park Yosemite National Park ( ) is an American national park in California, surrounded on the southeast by Sierra National Forest and on the northwest by Stanislaus National Forest. The park is managed by the National Park Service and covers an ar ...

. The mainstem begins in the south end of the

Bridgeport Valley The Bridgeport Valley is a large, fertile mountain basin between the eastern Sierra Nevada and the Bodie Hills of the U.S. state of California. The valley is long and wide, and is used primarily for ranching. The East Walker River is the main s ...

Mono County, California Mono County ( ) is a county located in the east central portion of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 13,195, making it the fourth-least populous county in California. The county seat is Bridgeport. The coun ...

, and flows from there north past

Bridgeport Bridgeport is the most populous city and a major port in the U.S. state of Connecticut. With a population of 148,654 in 2020, it is also the fifth-most populous in New England. Located in eastern Fairfield County at the mouth of the Pequonnoc ...

, where it is impounded to form the Bridgeport Reservoir. Perennial tributaries of the river above Bridgeport Reservoir begin with Green Creek (and its Summers Creek sub-tributary), then Virginia Creek (and its Dog Creek, Dunderberg Creek, and Clearwater Creek sub-tributaries). Next, Robinson Creek and Buckeye Creek (and its Swauger Creek sub-tributary) enter the reservoir. Below Bridgeport Reservoir, the East Walker River flows northeast through the Sweetwater Mountains, where it crosses the state line into southern

Lyon County, Nevada Lyon County is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of Nevada. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population was 59,235. Lyon County comprises the Fernley, NV Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is part of the ...

and skirts to the south of the Pine Grove Hills before flowing north to join the

West Walker River The West Walker River is a tributary of the Walker River, approximately long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed March 17, 2011 in eastern California and western Nevada in t ...

approximately 7 mi (13 km) south of

Yerington Yerington is a city in Lyon County, Nevada, United States. The population was 3,048 at the 2010 census. It is the current county seat of Lyon County, with the first county seat having been established at Dayton on November 29, 1861. It is nam ...

to form the Walker River.

U.S. Highway 395 U.S. Route 395 (US 395) is a U.S. Route in the western United States. The southern terminus of the route is in the Mojave Desert at Interstate 15 near Hesperia. The northern terminus is at the Canada–US border near Laurier, where the road ...

passes through the southern part of the East Walker River valley, connecting it via

Conway Summit Conway Summit ( el. 8,143 feet (2,482 m)) is a mountain pass in Mono County, California. It is traversed by U.S. Highway 395, which connects Bridgeport and the East Walker River on the north side of the pass to Mono Lake and Lee Vining to the s ...

to the

area and via

Devil's Gate Pass Devil's Gate Pass is a mountain pass in Mono County, California, traversed by U.S. Route 395. The pass is named for the Devils Gate, a granitic formation located west of the summit of the pass. Location Bridgeport and the East Walker River lie ...

to the

California State Route 182 State Route 182 (SR 182) is a state highway in the U.S. state of California in Mono County. The route connects U.S. Route 395 in Bridgeport to Nevada State Route 338 at the Nevada state line via the East Walker River valley. Route description S ...

(also known as the Sweet Water Road) and its continuation

Nevada State Route 338 State Route 338 (SR 338) is a state highway in Lyon County, Nevada, United States. It connects the towns of Smith and Wellington to the California state line north of Bridgeport, California. Much of the route has served as a road through this ...

head northeast along the southern East Walker River valley from their terminus on Highway 395 in Bridgeport but then diverge from the river and head northwest to the West Walker River valley.

Ecology and wildlife

By-Day Creek, a tributary to Buckeye Creek, is believed to contain the last pure native

Lahontan cutthroat trout Lahontan cutthroat trout (''Oncorhynchus clarkii henshawi'') is the largest subspecies of cutthroat trout, and the state fish of Nevada. It is one of three subspecies of cutthroat trout that are listed as federally threatened. Natural history ...

(LCT) ''Oncorhynchus clarkii henshawi'' population in the Walker River basin and was never stocked with other species of fish. The population estimated from electrofishing in 1986 was about 1,000, but subsequent drought conditions probably reduced the population to about 250 in the early 1990s. Much of the upper watershed of By-Day Creek has been a refuge for LCT managed by the

California Department of Fish and Wildlife The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW), formerly known as the California Department of Fish and Game (CDFG), is a state agency under the California Natural Resources Agency. The Department of Fish and Wildlife manages and protect ...

since 1979, and these fish are used to restock other parts of the watershed.

Recreation

The river provides continuous Class IV for kayaks and IK at high water. Ranchers have placed barbed wire across the river on both the California and Nevada sides.

References

* . * . {{authority control Rivers of Lyon County, Nevada Rivers of Northern California Rivers of Mono County, California Rivers of Nevada Rivers of the Great Basin