1966 Map of Alkali Lake

About this map

Long Valley (Depression) defines the arid landscape of northern Washoe County in the mid-1960s. This high-desert basin is dominated by the seasonal expanse of Alkali Lake, a large playa where water availability is marked only by scattered seeps and springs, including Warm Springs at the northern end of the valley. Human presence in this isolated region is represented by Bandy Ranch and a nearby Gravel Pit at the southern edge of the survey area. The network of transportation is limited to an unimproved Jeep Trail, illustrating the remote nature of the terrain before modern infrastructure development. The topography reveals a sharp contrast between the flat lake bed and the rising slopes of the surrounding hills, where the basin floor sits at an elevation of roughly 5,500 feet.