Hello fellow wanderers!
We wandered off and hiked the Wilson Canyon Trail located West of Yerington, NV. This trail is a favorite for a few reasons. Besides the fall colors, different rock formations, the Walker River running through it and the wildlife that we ran across, this trail has some crazy interesting history as well.
Wilson Canyon is a gorge that has been created by the Walker River cutting through it. The canyon consists of volcanic cliffs and rock formations. This trail is a loop trail that is 3.5 miles long with an elevation gain of 803 feet. We did the loop clockwise which put us walking along the river first and coming back through the canyons.
Rugged is a great definition for this trail as you will be scrambling over boulders and loose rock. A decent amount of water is required, especially if you hike this in the summer. We hiked this in November 2020 and it was a bit chilly but wear layers in the late fall and winter months.
Wilson Canyon Trail is an interpretive trail with lot of plaques and signage giving descriptions and the history along the way. You will find several kinds of native plants, wild flowers, petrified wood and different kinds of rock, including hoodoos. Be careful, we even found quite a few wild cat prints and we believe we found the cats den right off the trail. A few deer were spooked by the river and we caught them on video running up the hill. We believe the wild cat, or something similar, is what spooked the deer (we always carry bear spray just in case).
There is quite a bit of railroad history and Native American history along this trail as well. The Paiute Indians were the first people to live in this area and in the view from the sign below, there used to be a lake. Hard to image that this area was under water.
The area across the highway from the trail head is a popular BLM OHV area for everyone who loves everything about off-roading. You will find restrooms over in this OHV area as well picnic areas for day use only. No over night camping is allowed.
There is so much to see and learn on this trail that I hope if you are ever in the area and love this kind of stuff, that you will add it to your list.
Thanks for wandering through Wilson Canyon with us. Please watch our YouTube video for the full hike and let us know if would like more information about our adventures.
Chris and Brandi
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