Destination West!
  • Home Page
  • Arizona
  • California
  • Colorado
  • Idaho
  • Montana
  • Nevada
    • Las Vegas
  • New Mexico
  • Oregon
  • South Dakota
  • Utah
  • Washington
  • Wyoming
  • Route 66
  • YouTube Channel
  • About
  • Get In Touch
  • Archive Albums
DestinationWest.Org

A free western tourism resource featuring majestic destinations and lesser known places!   

Water Canyon Recreation Area ~ Nevada

10/13/2021

0 Comments

 
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Water Canyon Recreation Area ~ Winnemucca

The benefits of touring Great Basin BLM destinations far outweigh the lengthy travel time involved with exploring this vast desolate expanse. While the mainstream tourists fight over parking spaces in the overcrowded National Parks, a Great Basin visitor can explore points of interest all day long without seeing another person. The hassle of making campsite reservations is practically unheard of in sagebrush country, so the vacation experience becomes timeless, since there is no need to stay on schedule. As long as the vehicle is loaded with fuel, food and water, there will be no need for heading back to civilization anytime soon. For those who seek the definitive great escape in modern times, the Great Basin certainly lives up to its reputation of offering endless public lands to explore and there are many convenient jumping off points on the map to choose from.

One of the most popular basecamp towns for Great Basin adventures is Winnemucca, Nevada, which is conveniently located on Interstate Highway 80 at the intersection of Highway 95 North. Both of these highways are major western tourism routes that go to all sorts of majestic places, so logistically this is a nice spot to be. For those who plan on touring the lesser known destinations in the desert expanses, Winnemucca will be the last vestige of civilization where goods and services can be found. This town is also the home of a unique BLM Recreation Area which acts as a good primer course for what lies in store deeper in this vast arid environment.

The Water Canyon Recreation Area is located just a few miles uphill from the Winnemucca city limits. Even though this destination is within cel phone range, Water Canyon offers the definitive wide open spaces that one would expect in the Great Basin region, so the experience will not disappoint! Water Canyon Road parallels a stream uphill into the high elevations, so a variety of desert ecosystems can be experienced along the way. Where there is water in this arid environment there will be wildlife, which makes this destination even more interesting, since bighorn sheep, elk and mule deer roam in the hills.

There are developed campsites with basic facilities along the stream in the lower elevations of Water Canyon and there are currently no fees, so this is a great spot for an overnighter. The cottonwoods provide some shade, while the aspens turn light into a mesmerizing visual spectacle when the slightest breeze rustles the leaves. I have camped here several times through the years and from experience, camping in the cool autumn season is best because the pesky creekside bugs can be intense during summer. The dirt road is fairly smooth in the developed creekside camping area, but it does get rougher the further one goes uphill. The higher elevations of Water Canyon certainly boast picturesque landscapes and the best way to enjoy the view is to just leave the vehicle behind in favor of a hike. The Water Canyon Recreation Area is well worth checking out, so be sure to keep this lesser known spot in mind when passing through Winnemucca!  

0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Leave no trace!
    New!
    ​Destination West YouTube channel!
     https://www.youtube.com/@DestinationWestOrg
    *The Destination West website upgrading project is well underway. Unique YouTube slideshows are replacing the outdated Flickr photo galleries. The new videos feature modern graphics and alternative music instrumentals that enhance the viewing experience. Some articles are being condensed, while others are getting much needed edits. As everybody knows, the bulk of the original articles and photos were published on the fly during the Covid camping venture and there were limitations. Upgrading is the way to go and more articles will receive a makeover each week until this project is completed. After that, I will be able to gather new material. There is light at the end of the tunnel!

    ​JD Lane

    Archives

    July 2025
    June 2025
    May 2025
    April 2025
    March 2025
    February 2025
    January 2025
    December 2024
    November 2024
    October 2024
    September 2024
    August 2024
    July 2024
    June 2024
    April 2024
    March 2024
    February 2024
    January 2024
    December 2023
    November 2023
    October 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020

    Donations help the Destinaton West project continue into the future! 
    Go Fund Me!

    This website uses marketing and tracking technologies. Opting out of this will opt you out of all cookies, except for those needed to run the website. Note that some products may not work as well without tracking cookies.

    Opt Out of Cookies
© COPYRIGHT 2015. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
  • Home Page
  • Arizona
  • California
  • Colorado
  • Idaho
  • Montana
  • Nevada
    • Las Vegas
  • New Mexico
  • Oregon
  • South Dakota
  • Utah
  • Washington
  • Wyoming
  • Route 66
  • YouTube Channel
  • About
  • Get In Touch
  • Archive Albums