The West Walker River is a 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 ...

, approximately long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data
The National Map
accessed March 17, 2011 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

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 ...

range along the California-Nevada border 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 ...

. The river derives its name from

Joseph R. Walker Joseph R. Walker (December 13, 1798 – October 27, 1876) was a mountain man and experienced Reconnaissance, scout. He established the segment of the California Trail, the primary route for the emigrants to the gold fields during the Californ ...

, a mountain man. It rises from snowmelt in the Sierras of northwestern

Mono County 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 ...

, north 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 ...

approximately south-southwest of

Walker Walker or The Walker may refer to: People *Walker (given name) *Walker (surname) *Walker (Brazilian footballer) (born 1982), Brazilian footballer Places In the United States *Walker, Arizona, in Yavapai County *Walker, Mono County, California * ...

in the snowfields on the northeast faces of Tower Peak and Forsyth Peak on the Sierra crest in the Toiyabe National Forest. It flows north, along the west side of the

Sweetwater Mountains The Sweetwater Mountains (highest peak: Mount Patterson ) are a small mountain range in northern Mono County, California and western Lyon County, Nevada, separating the West Walker River from the East Walker River. Most of the range is only acce ...

, emerging into the

Antelope Valley The Antelope Valley is located in northern Los Angeles County, California, and the southeast portion of Kern County, California, and constitutes the western tip of the Mojave Desert. It is situated between the Tehachapi, Sierra Pelona, and the ...

, a ranching region around Walker. It flows north past Coleville and

Topaz Topaz is a silicate mineral of aluminium and fluorine with the chemical formula Al Si O( F, OH). It is used as a gemstone in jewelry and other adornments. Common topaz in its natural state is colorless, though trace element impurities can mak ...

and enters southern

Douglas County, Nevada Douglas County is a county in the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Nevada. As of th2020 Census the population was 49,488. Its county seat is Minden. Douglas County comprises the Gardnerville Ranchos, NV Micropolitan Statistical Area, wh ...

southwest of

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 ...

. In Nevada it flows northeast, joining the

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

from the west 7 mi (11.3 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. The river is heavily used for

irrigation Irrigation (also referred to as watering) is the practice of applying controlled amounts of water to land to help grow Crop, crops, Landscape plant, landscape plants, and Lawn, lawns. Irrigation has been a key aspect of agriculture for over 5,00 ...

in the ranching valleys along its lower course. Its waters are diverted along its upper course to form

Topaz Lake Topaz Lake is a reservoir located on the California-Nevada border, about south of Reno. The census-designated place of Topaz Lake, Nevada, is located along its northwest shore. The modern reservoir was formed by diverting waters from the West ...

along the California-Nevada border. It receives the

Little Walker River The Little Walker River is a tributary of the West Walker River, approximately 15 mi (24 km) long, in eastern California in the United States. It drains part of the Sierra Nevada mountains in the watershed of Walker Lake. It rises from ...

from the south near its source in the mountains.

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 West Walker River Valley, connecting it 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 East Walker River;

Sonora Pass Sonora Pass (el. 9,624 ft. / 2,933 m.) is a mountain pass in the Sierra Nevada in California. It is the second-highest in California and in the Sierra Nevada. lower by 321 ft. (about 98 m.) than Tioga Pass to the south. State Route 108 ...

and

Monitor Pass Monitor Pass (el. 8,314 ft / 2,534 m) is a high mountain pass in California in the Sierra Nevada southeast of Lake Tahoe. It is traversed by State Route 89 near that highway's southern terminus at U.S. Route 395 near the community of Topaz. W ...

lead from the valley into the Sierra Nevada and 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 ...

valley. In January 1997 a record-setting flood along the West Walker River destroyed of U.S. 395. This section of road was rebuilt in six months. The silt carried by the river settled in Topaz Lake, hurting the trout population there.

Notes

{{authority control Rivers of Mono County, California Rivers of Nevada Rivers of Northern California Rivers of the Great Basin Rivers of Douglas County, Nevada

See also

Notes