Wild Nevada Season 1, Episode 9: Carson City to Topaz Lake

1

Austin Adventures

Hosts Dave Santina and Chris Orr take you on an adventure beginning at Grimes Point Archaeological Park just outside of Fallon and following Highway 50 to Austin. Enjoy a dune buggy ride at Sand Mountain, a visit to The Shoe Tree and a beautiful mountain hike with guide Alvin McLane, plus a cycling excursion on the back roads of Austin.

2

Ghost Towns & Snow Storms

The adventure is a trip of just over 110 miles from Beatty, Nevada, to the ghost town of Belmont with stops in Rhyolite, Gold Point and Goldfield. But, as happens in Nevada, the weather sometimes has plans of its own, and hosts Chris Orr and Dave Santina must decide what to do.

4

Mount Charleston & Red Rock Canyon

Chris and Dave begin their journey at Indian Springs and travel up into the Spring Mountain National Recreation Area. The adventure includes a rock climbing lesson, as well as a visit to the Red Rock Canyon Conservation Area.

5

Death Valley & Pahrump

Chris and Dave travel into Death Valley State Park. The trip travels through some of the park and includes a visit to Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge before heading into Pahrump, where they tour Pahrump Valley Vineyards

6

Pyramid Lake & Black Rock

We begin in Wadsworth, then head to Nixon to check out the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe Museum. From there, we stop at Pyramid Lake for a boating excursion and end our trip at the Black Rock Desert.

7

Dayton to Yerington

This trip begins in the historic district of Dayton, one of the oldest settlements in the state. We ride camels through the desert near Stagecoach, tour Fort Churchill State Historic Park, birdwatch at the Mason Valley Wildlife Management Area and see our trip end abruptly while mountain biking south of Yerington at Wilson Canyon.

8

Baker to Ely

Chris and Dave’s adventure begins with some incredible caving near the Nevada-Utah border and Great Basin National Park. Then, they go on a hike in the Park and follow the Alpine Lakes Loop Trail which leads to the gorgeous Stella Lake. After a night in Ely, the team searches for gems in nearby Ruth and end up at the impressive Beehive Ovens of the Ward Charcoal Ovens outside town.

9

Carson City to Topaz Lake

Chris and Dave take you on an adventure that begins in Carson City, Nevada’s state capitol. From there, they sight-see through Toiyabe National Forest, bike the Pine Nut Range, attempt to fly fish near Desert Creek Ranch, and complete their journey with an exploration of the Missouri Flat.

10

Hawthorne to Gabbs

Chris and Dave investigate reports of desert lobster outside Mina, with surprising results. We also meet up with Alvin McLane for a hike to some ruins in the Gabbs Valley Range, then stop in Gabbs for some local flavor. Later, we bike through ghost town Grantsville and ride our way to check out Berlin-Ichthyosaur State Park.

11

Silver Springs to Lovelock

This time, Chris and Dave journey takes us horseback riding along the water at Lahontan Reservoir. They then examine some ancient petroglyphs at Grimes Point before heading to the northeast to explore Lovelock Cave just outside of town. Finally, visiting Fossil Hill and find evidence of Nevada’s prehistoric days.

12

Carlin to Eureka

This adventure takes Chris and Dave on a journey through Palisade, an old railroad town, then past Telegraph Canyon for an exploration of the amazing Emerald Lake Cave. Next up is a hike into the oddly named Tollhouse Cave and a tour of historic Eureka, now going through extensive restoration.

13

Best of Wild Nevada, Vol. 1

As Chris and Dave hike the Incandescent Rock Preservation Area just north of Reno, they take a look back at some of their most memorable adventures, including the Shoe Tree, the Black Rock Desert and the underground cave near Great Basin National Park.

14

Elko to Lamoille

Hosts Chris and Dave begin this trip in Elko and then head to South Fork State Recreation Area for some fishing. Next is a visit to Ruby Lakes National Wildlife Reserve, where they hike a memorable trail before heading into Lamoille for the night. The next morning offers a gorgeous drive and hike in the stunning Lamoille Canyon.

15

Highland Ridge Route

On this adventure, hosts Chris and Dave go backpacking right up the spine of Great Basin National Park. The journey begins near a historic mining district, and soon becomes very vertical as the party scales Mt. Washington. Darkness comes fast, so the hike is cut short and everyone descends to Johnson Lake for the night. After a night’s sleep, the group heads out through more historic mining ruins.

16

Henderson to Searchlight

This trip begins with Chris and Dave traveling south from Henderson to Nelson and the Techatticup Mine. There’s also hiking in search of bighorns and a Searchlight museum tour. The trip ends with a visit to Christmas Tree Pass and the petroglyphs of Grapevine Canyon.

17

Desert and Mountain Fun

In this episode, hosts Chris and Dave start in Sparks and head north to Spanish Springs for a hike through a canyon decorated with petroglyphs. They also head up toward Mt. Rose for some snowshoeing, then west past Verdi for a hike in the shadows of the Donner Party, and finally a journey to Needle Rock near Pyramid Lake.

18

Walker Lake to Manhattan

For this adventure, our hosts Chris and Dave are joined by Nevada author and explorer Rich Moreno. The trio visit Walker Lake, the ghost town of Candelaria, and “The Sump,” multicolored marvel. On day two of the trip, they tour Tonopah Historic Mining Park and take a drive to Manhattan, Nevada.

19

Red Rock Canyon

Hosts Chris and Dave spend two days at the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area. It’s a fun trip with lots of hiking through incredibly beautiful scenery, rock-climbing in a spectacular environment and a mountain biking excursion through stunning Cottonwood Valley.

20

Pioche to Caliente

Hosts Chris and Dave begin this trip with a walking tour of the charming town of Pioche. They then head for the fantastic Cathedral Gorge, followed by some cycling through the very scenic and historic Rainbow Canyon.

21

Winnemucca to Unionville

In this episode, Chris and Dave start out in Winnemucca. They take a walking tour of the town's historic structures, before mountain biking the Bloody Shins Trail and stop for the night in secluded Unionville. After Dave's attempt at goat milking and a tour of the town's charms, they end their trip with a journey into the hills to the historic town site of Star City and Santa Clara.

24

Arc Dome Wilderness

Host Chris Orr turns some of her favorite activities into a grand adventure. She spends two days riding mustangs through the Arc Dome Wilderness. On the second day, she climbs Arc Dome where she enjoys the view of Toiyabe National Forest below.

25

Elko to Mountain City

Hosts Chris and Dave head to northeastern Nevada to explore ghost towns. Beginning in Elko, they head north to Gold Creek, then Island Mountain before traveling on to Placerville. After overnighting in Mountain City, they head to Rio Tinto and tour its remaining structures, before continuing to Patsville. The trip concludes with a scenic drive through the Columbia Basin on the way to Tuscarora.

26

Best of Wild Nevada, Vol. 2

In this special episode, Chris and Dave hike along the Tahoe Rim Trail, enjoying the amazing lake views and revisiting some of their favorite trips from the past season. included ares trips to petroglyphs in Spanish Springs, the ghost town of Santa Clara, the surprisingly colorful Sump and the beautiful hike along the Highland Ridge Trial in Great Basin National Park.