2018 Map of Smith Canyon

About this map

The Smoke Creek Desert dominates the northwest portion of this landscape, where the stark, flat terrain of the playa gives way to the rising elevations of the Fox Range. This area of Washoe County is defined by dramatic topographic shifts, moving from the desert floor into the high ridges that shelter Smith Canyon and the Cottonwood Basin. Seasonal watercourses like Dry Creek and Cottonwood Cr provide the primary drainage for the uplands, tracing narrow paths through the western slopes. The map reflects a modern record of the Public Land Survey System, showing the township and range boundaries that organize this part of the Great Basin, where the land is largely shaped by geologic forces rather than dense human settlement.