Lahontan SRA & Surrounding Area
Sand Mountain Recreation Area
Sand mountain is a singing sand dune, two miles long, and 600 feet high. The full sand area is 3.25 square miles and originates from the ancient Lake Lahontan. Most of the lake dried up over 9,000 years ago; but we’ll see what’s left of it on this stop.
We’d planned to stop for lunch at the sand dune and spend our time watching people sledding/tubing down the hill. But, it is so windy today that there’s no one out playing. And, the sand is blowing so hard, that we don’t want to risk having the paint sandblasted off the truck.
So, we opt for a picture from the road and push on toward the campground.
Lahontan State Recreation Area
Named after ancient Lake Lahontan, the Lahontan Reservoir was created in 1915 when Lahontan Dam was constructed across the Carson River. The purpose was irrigation and hydroelectric power for the nearby city of Fallon. It became a Nevada State park in 1971 and has been a favorite place to camp and play along the 69 miles of shoreline. Which is never more evident as we approach the Memorial Day holiday weekend.
Lahontan Dam
This 110 year old Dam has achieved historical landmark status, even while it’s still serving it’s purpose.
We also get a really nice view of the northern end of the reservoir from here.
Campground & Reservoir
Our first few days here were extremely peaceful. The reservoir is beautiful and the campground/nearby shoreline has enough shade to make it very comfortable even on those hot summer days. However, as the holiday weekend approaches and the shoreline fills up, it gets quite noisy. Especially with the addition of a few cigarette boats zipping around the lake. But, we can’t begrudge anyone their fun on a holiday weekend, especially when they’re respectful of the posted quiet hours.
Pyramid Lake Scenic Byway
Our first foray out to explore the area is north to Fernly, NV. We need to get some wood, as the bottom fell out of our large drawer that holds all of our pots and pans. Too much weight and very bumpy roads over the last three years has taken it’s toll.
After visiting the hardware store and getting what we need, we decide to head up the Pyramid Lake Scenic Byway. And are we glad we did! The only word that comes to mind is… majestic.
The lake is the biggest remnant of ancient lake Lahontan; which is the inland sea that once covered Nevada. It’s 344 feet deep and covers 188 square miles. We were only able to see a portion of it today; but it’s an incredible sight that should not be missed. Here’s a few more pictures…
In the middle of the lake is Anaho Island; which is a National Wildlife Refuge providing a safe nesting habitat for one of the largest nesting colonies of the American White Pelican.
The hills surrounding the lake and also very picturesque…
Grimes Point/Hidden Cave Archaeological Site
Our second adventure is west of camp and includes a couple of hiking trails, some petroglyphs, an overlook, and a few caves. We also get a surprise on the way back to the truck.
Grimes Point is a 720 acre archaeological site that has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1972.
Petroglyph Trail
We begin exploring by heading up the 0.4 mile Petroglyph Trail. It has interpretive signs along the way, to help visitor learn about and enjoy the area. The petroglyphs here are varied and a few are even new to us.
Overlook Trail
Next we head up the Overlook Trail and take that across the top of the mountain ridge to the HIdden Cave site.
Connector Trail
Along the way we see a few familiar friends and get a very good look west.
Hidden Cave Trail
The Hidden Cave Trail is another short (0.7 mile) interpretive trail that highlights some of the unique geological formations that ancient Lake Lahontan left behind.
Cave with Tufa encrustations on the ceiling – calcium carbonate secretions left behind by underwater algae 
Remnant shoreline of Pleistocene Lake Lahontan. Formed by powerful waves crashing into the shoreline. 
Picnic Cave – one of several caves/rock shelters used by prehistoric hunter-gatherers 
More Tufa encrustations 
Petroglyphs at the start of the Hidden Cave Trailhead
Impromptu Airshow
On the way back to the truck we’re treated to an impromptu airshow from the nearby Naval Air Station. A couple of fighter jets and a C-130 military transport aircraft were practicing takeoffs and landings.
Sorry, the pictures aren’t great due to the distance and magnification required.
Fort Churchill State Historic Park
Our last adventure is a trip just southwest of camp, to revisit Fort Churchill State Historic Park. We stopped here briefly last year; but due to a flat tire didn’t walk around the fort, or along any of the trails.
So, today we take the time to walk the complete fort and along the nature trail which follows the Carson River.
I’ve included pictures of the nature trail; but won’t bore you with info about the fort since it was covered in last year’s trip. I did update that post with additional pictures taken today. If you’re interested… you can follow this link to revisit the updated post.
The 3 mile (round trip) nature trail begins at the southern end of the fort and follows the Carson River all the way to Buckland Station. It’s a beautiful trail that weaves in and out of thick trees, giving occasional glimpses of the Carson River, and leaves you wondering if you’re really in Nevada.
At first glance, there’s really not much to do in the area; but we thoroughly enjoyed our time here. It’s a good balance of unique historical places, nature, and relaxing beach/water activities.
Next stop… Rye Patch State Recreation Area
