2018 Map of Wildhorse Pass

About this map

The West Humboldt Range dominates the eastern half of this landscape, rising sharply from the valley floor to form the high ground of the Wildhorse Pass. This area of Churchill County exhibits a stark contrast between the steep, unpopulated terrain of the mountains and the heavily managed water systems of the western plains. The Humboldt River and its associated irrigation network, including the Seven Ditch, Seventeen Ditch, and Sommers Ditch, trace the complex history of water rights and agricultural development in this arid region. Traces of early westward migration remain visible along the Old California Trl, which skirts the base of the mountains. The engineering of the Big Five Reservoir and Big Five Canal further illustrates the 20th-century efforts to reclaim and cultivate this part of the Nevada desert through a sophisticated system of drains and diversions.