List of Nevada state parks
Map of Nevada state parks (blue), state recreation areas (green), and state historic sites (red).
This list of Nevada state parks comprises protected areas managed by the U.S. state of Nevada , which include state parks , state historic sites , and state recreation areas . The system is managed by the Nevada Division of State Parks within the Nevada Department of Conservation and Natural Resources . The Division of State Parks was created by an act of the Nevada Legislature in 1963. The system manages 23 state park units, some of which have multiple units. The Division is headquartered in Carson City and has two management regions statewide: the Northern Region (Fallon Office) and the Southern Region (Las Vegas Office).[ 1] [ 2]
Nevada state parks and state recreation areas
Park name
Image
County
Area[ 3]
Elevation
Estab- lished[ 4]
Remarks[ 4]
acres
ha
ft
m
Beaver Dam State Park
Lincoln
2,182
883
5,395
1,644
1935
Preserves a section of Beaver Dam Wash in eastern Nevada's most remote state park.
Berlin–Ichthyosaur State Park
Nye
1,116
452
6,975
2,126
1957
Preserves in situ ichthyosaur fossils and the ghost town of Berlin .
Big Bend of the Colorado State Recreation Area
Clark
2,093
847
500
150
1996
Overlooks the Colorado River within the town limits of Laughlin .
Cathedral Gorge State Park
Lincoln
1,756
711
4,819
1,469
1935
Showcases a gorge with soft bentonite walls eroded into dramatic spires.
Cave Lake State Park
White Pine
4,063
1,644
7,198
2,194
1973
Features a 32-acre (13 ha) reservoir in the northern Schell Creek Range .
Dayton State Park
Lyon
152
62
4,360
1,330
1977
Features a stretch of the Carson River and the site of an 1861 mill built to process silver ore from the Comstock Lode .
Echo Canyon State Park
Lincoln
1,055
427
5,348
1,630
1970
Adjoins a 65-acre (26 ha) reservoir.
Ice Age Fossils State Park
Clark
323
131
2,340
710
2017
Offers trails to fossil beds and archaeological sites. Opened January 2024.
Kershaw–Ryan State Park
Lincoln
1,696
686
4,805
1,465
1935
Features a verdant canyon first homesteaded in 1873.
Lahontan State Recreation Area
Churchill , Lyon
28,889
11,691
4,258
1,298
1971
Surrounds Lake Lahontan , a 10,000-acre (4,000 ha) reservoir on the Carson River .
Lake Tahoe – Nevada State Park
Carson City , Washoe County
14,301
5,787
7,880
2,400
1963
Comprises six units on the northeastern shore of Lake Tahoe and its backcountry.
Rye Patch State Recreation Area
Pershing
2,424
981
4,137
1,261
1971
Adjoins the 11,000-acre (4,500 ha) Rye Patch Reservoir on the Humboldt River .
South Fork State Recreation Area
Elko
3,903
1,579
5,226
1,593
1983
Surrounds the 1,650-acre (670 ha) South Fork Reservoir on the South Fork Humboldt River .
Spring Mountain Ranch State Park
Clark
539
218
3,727
1,136
1974
Preserves the historic Sandstone Ranch established in 1876.
Spring Valley State Park
Lincoln
916
371
5,869
1,789
1969
Adjoins the 65-acre (26 ha) Eagle Valley Reservoir.
Valley of Fire State Park
Clark
45,938
18,590
2,464
751
1934
Showcases red sandstone formations in Nevada's oldest and largest state park.
Van Sickle Bi-State Park
Douglas
558
226
6,283
1,915
2011
Managed in conjunction with the California Tahoe Conservancy; 575 acres lie within Nevada while 150 are within El Dorado County, California .
Walker River State Recreation Area
Lyon
12,312
4,982
4,580
1,400
2018
Includes five historic ranch units along a thirty-mile stretch of the East Walker River .
Washoe Lake State Park
Washoe
3,772
1,526
5,033
1,534
1977
Provides recreation opportunities on Washoe Lake , between Carson City and Reno .
Wild Horse State Recreation Area
Elko
120
49
6,250
1,900
1979
Provides water recreation on the northeast shore of 2,830-acre (1,150 ha) Wild Horse Reservoir on the Owyhee River .
Nevada state historic parks and sites
Park name
Image
County
Area[ 3]
Elevation
Estab- lished[ 4]
Remarks[ 4]
acres
ha
ft
m
Elgin Schoolhouse State Historic Site
Lincoln
1.8
0.73
3,402
1,037
2005
Preserves a rural schoolhouse used from 1922 to 1967.
Fort Churchill State Historic Park
Lyon
5,170
2,090
4,255
1,297
1957
Encompasses the ruins of a U.S. Army fort staffed 1860–1869, plus a waystation on the Pony Express and Central Overland Routes , and a corridor along the Carson River connecting to Lahontan State Recreation Area .
Mormon Station State Historic Park
Douglas
3.6
1.5
4,783
1,458
1955
Interprets Nevada's first permanent nonnative settlement, established in 1851 on the California Trail by Mormon pioneers .
Old Las Vegas Mormon Fort State Historic Park
Clark
3.16
1.28
1,923
586
1991
Interprets a partially reconstructed fort built by Mormon missionaries in 1855, the first nonnative structure in what would become Las Vegas .
Ward Charcoal Ovens State Historic Park
White Pine
861
348
7,054
2,150
1994
Preserves six 30-foot-high (9.1 m) charcoal ovens used from 1876–1879 to produce fuel for smelting silver ore.
See also
References
External links