Lahontan State Recreation Area is a public recreation area surrounding

Lake Lahontan Lake Lahontan was a large endorheic Pleistocene lake of modern northwestern Nevada that extended into northeastern California and southern Oregon. The area of the former lake is a large portion of the Great Basin that borders the Sacramento Rive ...

, a impoundment of the

Carson River The Carson River is a northwestern List of Nevada rivers, Nevada river that empties into the Carson Sink, an endorheic basin. The main stem of the river is long although the addition of the East Fork makes the total length , traversing five co ...

, located approximately west of Fallon,

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 ...

. The reservoir features of shoreline and of water when full. Much of the park lies below in elevation and is dominated by high desert sagebrush. Wooded areas of native cottonwoods and

willow Willows, also called sallows and osiers, from the genus ''Salix'', comprise around 400 speciesMabberley, D.J. 1997. The Plant Book, Cambridge University Press #2: Cambridge. of typically deciduous trees and shrubs, found primarily on moist s ...

trees can be found along the shore of the lake. Primary access points to the park are along

U.S. Route 50 U.S. Route 50 or U.S. Highway 50 (US 50) is a major east–west route of the U.S. Highway system, stretching from Interstate 80 (I-80) in West Sacramento, California, to Maryland Route 528 (MD 528) in Ocean City, Maryland, on the Atlanti ...

near the

Lahontan Dam The Lahontan Dam is a dam situated on the Carson River in the Carson Desert between Carson City, Nevada and Fallon, Nevada in the United States. Its impoundment is known as the Lahontan Reservoir or Lake Lahontan. It is currently operated by ...

and off

U.S. Route 95 US Route 95 (US 95) is a major north–south United States Numbered Highways, US Highway in the western United States. It travels through the states of Arizona, California, Nevada, Oregon, and Idaho, staying inland from the Pacific Coast ...

in the town of Silver Springs. A corridor known as Carson River Ranches connects Lahontan with

Fort Churchill State Historic Park Fort Churchill State Historic Park is a state park of Nevada, United States, preserving the remains of a United States Army fort and a waystation on the Pony Express and Central Overland Routes dating back to the 1860s. The site is one end of the ...

History

Following passage of the

Newlands Reclamation Act The Reclamation Act (also known as the Lowlands Reclamation Act or National Reclamation Act) of 1902 () is a United States federal law that funded irrigation projects for the arid lands of 20 states in the American West. The act at first covere ...

of 1902, the

was constructed along the Carson River between Fallon and

Carson City Carson City is an Independent city (United States), independent city and the capital of the U.S. state of Nevada. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population was 58,639, making it the List of cities in Nevada, sixth largest ...

. The dam, measuring high and long, was completed in 1915. The reservoir was named after ancient

which covered much of Nevada during the last ice age. Submerged beneath the water were parts of stagecoach routes which existed during the 1800s including Williams Station, the scene of the

Battle of Williams Station The Battle of Williams Station was a minor skirmish during the Pyramid Lake War of 1860. The fight took place following the defeat of Major William Ormsby at the First Battle of Pyramid Lake as U.S. Volunteers entered the war. Battle When Major ...

, a minor skirmish during the

Paiute War Paiute (; also Piute) refers to three non-contiguous groups of indigenous peoples of the Great Basin. Although their languages are related within the Numic languages, Numic group of Uto-Aztecan languages, these three groups do not form a single set ...

. Originally operated by

Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 187424 January 1965) was a British statesman, soldier, and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from 1940 to 1945 during the Second World War, and again from 1 ...

and

Lyon Lyon,, ; Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' also spelled in English as Lyons, is the third-largest city and second-largest metropolitan area of France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of t ...

counties, Lahontan became a state-operated recreation area in 1971.

Activities and amenities

Park activities include boating, water skiing, fishing and camping. The park has two developed picnicking areas as well as a developed campground at Silver Springs Beach #7. Primitive camping is allowed in most other areas. Multiple trails can be found along the length of the reservoir.

References

External links

Lahontan State Recreation Area
Nevada State Parks {{authority control State parks of Nevada Protected areas of Churchill County, Nevada Protected areas of Lyon County, Nevada Protected areas established in 1971 1971 establishments in Nevada