2021 Map of Smith Canyon

About this map

The Smoke Creek Desert dominates the northwestern reaches of this Nevada landscape, where the arid basin floor meets the rising elevations of the Fox Range. This transition from desert flat to high terrain is defined by Smith Canyon, a prominent geological feature that cuts through the central portion of the sheet. The drainage patterns here are seasonal and sparse, marked primarily by the intermittent flow of Dry Creek in the north and Cottonwood Cr which feeds into the Cottonwood Basin to the east. This 2021 survey by the U.S. Geological Survey provides a modern topographic record of this corner of Washoe County, capturing the remote and undeveloped character of the Great Basin terrain as it exists today, free from significant human settlement or modern infrastructure.