List of Nevada state parks

Map of State Parks of Nevada
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State parks; State historic parks; State recreation areas

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. There are currently 24 state park units, including Van Sickle Bi-State Park which opened in July 2011 and is operated in partnership with the state of California.[1]

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.[2] Their mission statement reads: "The Division of State Parks plans, develops and maintains a system of parks and recreation areas for the use and enjoyment of residents and visitors. The Division also preserves areas of scenic, historic and scientific significance in Nevada."[2] The parks are grouped into a Northern Region and a Southern Region.[3]

List of current state parks

Park name Image County or
counties		 Area[4] Elevation[5] Year established[4] Remarks[4]
acres ha ft m
Beaver Dam State Park Lincoln 2,393 9685,348 1,630 1935 Preserves a section of Beaver Dam Wash in eastern Nevada's most remote state park.
Berlin–Ichthyosaur State Park Nye 1,540 620 6,975 2,126 1957 Preserves several in situ ichthyosaur fossils and the ghost town of Berlin.
Big Bend of the Colorado State Recreation Area Clark | | 1996 Overlooks the Colorado River within the town limits of Laughlin.
Cathedral Gorge State Park Lincoln 1,608 651 4,819 1,469 1935 Showcases a gorge with soft bentonite walls eroded into dramatic spires.
Cave Lake State Park White Pine 4,160 1,680 7,198 2,194 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 1,080 440 5,348 1,630 1970 Adjoins a 65-acre (26 ha) reservoir.
Elgin Schoolhouse State Historic Site Lincoln | 3,402 1,037 2005 Preserves a rural schoolhouse used from 1922–1967. Closed since 2008 due to unrepaired flood damage on Nevada State Route 317.
Fort Churchill State Historic Park Lyon | 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.
Kershaw–Ryan State Park Lincoln | 4,805 1,465 1935 Features a verdant canyon first homesteaded in 1873.
Lahontan State Recreation Area Churchill and Lyon | 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 and Washoe 14,301 5,787 7,880 2,400 1963 Comprises six units on the northeastern shore of Lake Tahoe and its backcountry.
Mormon Station State Historic Park Douglas 3.5 1.4 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 | 1,923 586 1991[6] Interprets a partially reconstructed fort built by Mormon missionaries in 1855, the first nonnative structure in what would become Las Vegas.
Rye Patch State Recreation Area Pershing | 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 4,000 1,600 5,226 1,593 Surrounds the 1,650-acre (670 ha) South Fork Reservoir on the South Fork Humboldt River.
Spring Mountain Ranch State Park Clark 520 210 3,727 1,136 1974 Preserves the historic Sandstone Ranch established in 1876.
Spring Valley State Park Lincoln | 5,869 1,789 1969 Adjoins the 65-acre (26 ha) Eagle Valley Reservoir.
Valley of Fire State Park Clark 34,880 14,120 2,464 751 1935 Showcases red sandstone formations in Nevada's oldest and largest state park.
Van Sickle Bi-State Park Douglas 725 293 6,283 1,915 2011 Managed by the Nevada Division of State Parks in conjunction with the California Tahoe Conservancy (formerly with California State Parks). 575 acres lie within Nevada while 150 are within El Dorado County, California.
Ward Charcoal Ovens State Historic Park White Pine 160 65 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.
Washoe Lake State Park Washoe 8,053 3,259 5,033 1,534 1977 Provides recreation opportunities on Washoe Lake, between Carson City and Reno.
Wild Horse State Recreation Area Elko 140 57 6,250 1,900 Provides water recreation on the northeast shore of 2,830-acre (1,150 ha) Wild Horse Reservoir on the Owyhee River.

Former state parks

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Van Sickle Bi-State Park". Sierra Nevada Geotourism MapGuide. National Geographic Society. Retrieved 2012-09-11.
  2. 1 2 "About". Nevada Division of State Parks. Retrieved 2012-09-11.
  3. ↑ "Nevada State Parks Contacts and Regional Offices". Nevada Division of State Parks. Retrieved 2012-09-11.
  4. 1 2 3 All data come from respective Nevada State Parks webpage unless otherwise noted.
  5. ↑ "Geographic Names Information System". United States Geological Survey.
  6. ↑ Puit, Glenn (1997-12-14). "Living History". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Las Vegas, Nev. pp. 1B.
  7. ↑ "Parks and Recreation". Nevada Magazine. Retrieved 2012-09-11.

External links

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