The Black Rock Desert Wilderness in western Humboldt County combines a striking landscape with a geological past: it is a large desert playa and a remnant of prehistoric Lake Lahontan. At 314,835 acres, it encompasses a vast area. Deserts, mountains and historic places give Humboldt County a range of distinctive features.
Desert Landscape and Wildlife
The East and West Black Rock Range Herd Management Areas are also in western Humboldt County. Mule deer, pronghorn, California bighorn sheep, brook trout, quail, chukar and sage-grouse are found there. The wildlife mentioned thus includes mammals, fish and birds.
The Black Rock Desert Wilderness also offers clear guidance on getting there: its main access is via BLM and county roads along its eastern and northern boundaries. Road conditions may vary; check them before you set out.
Mountains and Vast Landscapes
In the South Jackson Mountains Wilderness in western Humboldt County, a hike leads through rugged canyons to the 8,923-foot summit of King Lear Peak. The summit offers opportunities for scrambling and technical climbing.
The Pine Forest Range Wilderness is in Humboldt County. On December 19, 2014, it was added to the National Wilderness Preservation System through the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2015. The Santa Rosa Ranger District encompasses more than 280,000 acres in Humboldt County and provides another point of reference for the region’s expansive landscape.
Traces of History
Peter Skene Ogden of the Hudson’s Bay Company crossed Paradise Valley in November 1828; settlers arrived in the valley in 1863. From 1878 to 1920, Paradise Valley served as a supply center for mining. Cattle ranching later shaped the area. This chronology spans the valley’s crossing and settlement through its changing economic roles.
Individual historic listings also give places a firm place in Nevada’s history: Micca House in Paradise Valley is listed as a Nevada historic property. This listing offers a different way of exploring the past from the events and economic changes remembered in the valley.
Culture and Collections
The Humboldt Museum presents exhibits on the region’s Western, Basque, Chinese and Indigenous cultural history. Its collection includes a complete woolly mammoth skeleton and fossils of an ichthyosaur species discovered in the nearby Black Rock Desert. The exhibits thus bring cultural history together with finds from the history of the Earth.
The Humboldt Museum grounds include several historic buildings: the former Saint Mary’s Episcopal Church, built in 1907; the Greinstein Building, built in the 1880s; and the Richardson–Saunders House, built in 1899. Their different construction dates can be seen in the three buildings, without grouping them into a single period.
The Buckaroo Hall of Fame & Heritage Museum presents memorabilia and photographs related to more than 70 Hall of Fame members. For those interested in regional cultural history, it offers another thematic perspective alongside the Humboldt Museum’s exhibits.
Planning and Events
The Tri-County Fair & Stampede continues a tradition dating back to 1885. If you’d like to include the event in your trip plans, check the dates for your intended travel period.
Discover more destinations: Winnemucca, Paradise Valley, Churchill County, Storey County, Washoe, Clark, Douglas County, Carson City.
For the broader travel overview: Nevada.
