List of Nevada state parks

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 nameImageCountyArea[3]ElevationEstab-
lished[4]
Remarks[4]
acreshaftm
Beaver Dam State ParkLincoln2,1828835,3481,6301935Preserves a section of Beaver Dam Wash in eastern Nevada's most remote state park.
Berlin–Ichthyosaur State Park Nye1,1164526,9752,1261957Preserves in situ ichthyosaur fossils and the ghost town of Berlin.
Big Bend of the Colorado State Recreation AreaClark2,1058525001501996Overlooks the Colorado River within the town limits of Laughlin.
Cathedral Gorge State Park Lincoln1,6326604,8191,4691935Showcases a gorge with soft bentonite walls eroded into dramatic spires.
Cave Lake State Park White Pine4,0811,6527,1982,1941973Features a 32-acre (13 ha) reservoir in the northern Schell Creek Range.
Dayton State ParkLyon152624,3601,3301977Features 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 Lincoln1,0554275,3481,6301970Adjoins a 65-acre (26 ha) reservoir.
Ice Age Fossils State ParkClark3151272,3407102017Offers trails to fossil beds and archaeological sites. Opened January 2024.
Kershaw–Ryan State Park Lincoln2651074,8051,4651935Features a verdant canyon first homesteaded in 1873.
Lahontan State Recreation Area Churchill,
Lyon
28,89211,6924,2581,2981971Surrounds Lake Lahontan, a 10,000-acre (4,000 ha) reservoir on the Carson River.
Lake Tahoe – Nevada State Park Carson City, Washoe County14,3015,7877,8802,4001963Comprises six units on the northeastern shore of Lake Tahoe and its backcountry.
Rye Patch State Recreation Area Pershing2,4499914,1371,2611971Adjoins the 11,000-acre (4,500 ha) Rye Patch Reservoir on the Humboldt River.
South Fork State Recreation Area Elko3,9031,5795,2261,5931983Surrounds the 1,650-acre (670 ha) South Fork Reservoir on the South Fork Humboldt River.
Spring Mountain Ranch State Park Clark5392183,7271,1361974Preserves the historic Sandstone Ranch established in 1876.
Spring Valley State Park Lincoln9273755,8691,7891969Adjoins the 65-acre (26 ha) Eagle Valley Reservoir.
Valley of Fire State Park Clark45,93818,5902,4647511934Showcases red sandstone formations in Nevada's oldest and largest state park.
Van Sickle Bi-State ParkDouglas7252936,2831,9152011Managed in conjunction with the California Tahoe Conservancy; 575 acres lie within Nevada while 150 are within El Dorado County, California.
Walker River State Recreation AreaLyon12,8565,2034,5801,4002018Includes five historic ranch units along a thirty-mile stretch of the East Walker River.
Washoe Lake State Park Washoe3,7751,5285,0331,5341977Provides recreation opportunities on Washoe Lake, between Carson City and Reno.
Wild Horse State Recreation Area Elko120496,2501,9001979Provides 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 nameImageCountyArea[3]ElevationEstab-
lished[4]
Remarks[4]
acreshaftm
Elgin Schoolhouse State Historic Site Lincoln0.70.283,4021,0372005Preserves a rural schoolhouse used from 1922 to 1967.
Fort Churchill State Historic Park Lyon3,9441,5964,2551,2971957Encompasses 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 Douglas3.51.44,7831,4581955Interprets Nevada's first permanent nonnative settlement, established in 1851 on the California Trail by Mormon pioneers.
Old Las Vegas Mormon Fort State Historic Park Clark31.21,9235861991Interprets 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 Pine7002807,0542,1501994Preserves six 30-foot-high (9.1 m) charcoal ovens used from 1876–1879 to produce fuel for smelting silver ore.

Former Nevada state parks

See also

References