One of Nevada’s newest state parks facilities is all about ranching. Known as the East Walker River State Recreation Area, located about 14 miles south of Yerington, the park is devoted to celebrating the ranching culture of western Nevada, while offering plenty of recreational opportunities. The park, along with Ice Age Fossil State Park near Las Vegas, are the only new state parks that have been established in the past two decades. The East Walker River Recreation Area encompasses nearly 30 miles of river corridor and 12,856 acres of land. It was created when the Walker Basin Conservancy, a non-profit environmental group seeking to restore Walker Lake, bought four historic ranches that border the East Walker River. According to the group, the goal was to secure the water rights from the ranches in order to return more water to the lake, which has been receding in recent decades. The group gifted the land, estimated to be worth more than $8 million, to the state for the park. The ranches included the Pitchfork, Nine Mile, Rafter 7 and Flying M ranches, which can trace their roots back more than 125 years. At the present time, only the Pitchfork (originally known as the Strosnider Ranch) and the Nine Mile are open to the public. The Flying M Ranch, owned by Barron Hilton, remains under a life lease and will become available for public use after his death. The Rafter 7 Ranch, which includes a large ranch house is still being developed as a large group setting. The initial phase of the park’s development began on the Pitchfork Ranch property in 2018, with the opening of a visitor’s center (in an attractive stucco building that was the original ranch house) and completion of campsites, some with RV hook-ups, and covered picnic areas. Additionally, the park offers four one bedroom, one-bathroom cabins (with additional bunkrooms accommodating two twin bunkbeds) at a place called Antelope Acres, which is about a mile and a half from the main entrance. Cabins can be reserved using a form found on the state park service web site parks.nv.gov/parks/walker-river. Cabins cost $95 per night on weeknights and $120 for weekends. A stop into the visitor’s center is a chance to ask park staff any questions about the area, view a handful of exhibits, and pay the $5 day-use fee. One of the best ways to enjoy the park is by kayaking on the East Walker River (bring or rent your own). Currently visitors can float for about six miles, but the route will eventually stretch some 50 miles. A good account about kayaking at the park recently appeared on Public Broadcasting’s Wild Nevada television show at www.pbsreno.org/watch/wildnevada/s5-episode1/. The park also offers trails as well as roads for off-road vehicles, horseback riding, and mountain bikes. Private working ranches surround the park’s property, so pay attention to signs marking no trespassing. To reach East Walker River Recreation Area, head south of Yerington on State Route 208 for about eight miles, then head east on a marked, graded dirt road for another six miles or so. The road can be wash-boarded and a little rough for passenger cars but easy for a higher clearance four-wheel drive vehicle.
