Download
Discover
Just outside of Winnemucca, Water Canyon Recreation Area provides many different recreational opportunities including OHV usage. The trails leading from the recreation area go around the foothills of the Sonoma Range with offshoots that allow you to climb into the mountains along switchbacks and atop ridgelines. Scenic vistas await you at the top, and once you are finished, cool down amongst the quaking aspens and cottonwoods that surround the stream throughout the campground. Expect lengthy hill climbs with many obstacles, and arrow wooded trails when driving along Whites Creek within Water Canyon.
Other recreational opportunities available from within the Water Canyon Recreation Area are camping, hiking, biking, and a 9-hole disc golf course. Mountain bikers (and other non-motorized travelers) have access to the Bloody Shins trail network from the campground that goes through the Santa Rosa Mountain Range.
Camping is free within the designated sites up to the three-day limit, see the Bureau of Land Management for full list of rules and regulations.
Directions
From Winnemucca, Nevada head northeast on W. Winnemucca Blvd toward Bridge St, turn right onto S Bridge St, turn right onto S Highland Dr, turn left onto Water Canyon Rd and continue to the campground for about 3 miles.
Rules of the Road
Land Manager: Bureau of Land Managment
BLM Field Office - Humboldt
5100 East Winnemucca Blvd.
Winnemucca, NV 89445
Telephone: (775) 623-1500
Motor vehicles are permitted on designated trails only. For local regulations regarding OHV use on county roads, visit the BLM OHV Website https://www.blm.gov/programs/recreation/OHV.
Always plan ahead and prepare for uncertainty. Travel with warm clothing, first aid, food, water and appropriate tools to fix a problem.
Traveling in groups is always a good idea, as well as informing someone of where you will be going.
- Register Your Vehicle
- Make sure your vehicle is equipped with a spark arrestor
- Plan Ahead and Prepare
- Travel and Camp on Durable Surfaces
- Dispose of Waste Properly
- Leave What You Find
- Minimize Campfire Impacts
- Respect Wildlife
- Be Considerate of Other Trail Users
