Quinn Canyon Wilderness

Located in the Humboldt National Forest in Nevada.

The 27,000-acre Quinn Canyon Wilderness, established December 5, 1989, is located approximately 70 air miles southwest from Ely, Nevada in Nye County, Nevada. The Northeast/Southwest oriented Quinn Canyon Wilderness is bordered by Railroad Valley on the west and Garden Valley on the east.

An exceptional attribute of this area is the opportunity for solitude and isolation. The extreme isolation of this wilderness, combined with other scenic and special places, make this wilderness unique.

Many ridges and side drainages extend east and west from the main ridgeline. Drainages are long and narrow and have large watershed basins that collect and concentrate snowmelt and summer rainfall into narrow "V" shaped canyons. Pinyon and juniper trees, sagebrush, white fir, aspen, and mahogany blend to form natural shaped mosaics. The lower elevations are dominated by pinyon and juniper trees the upper elevations by sagebrush. Limber pine and bristlecone pine can be found along the crest.

Hunting, photography, wildlife viewing, camping, and hiking are the dominant recreation uses of the area. There are no developed recreation sites in the wilderness. Most of the recreational use is along Little Cherry Creek and Hooper Canyon. Approximately 20.8 miles of poor or very poor condition trails receive light or no use.

A variety of wildlife including mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians inhabits this area. Mule deer summer at the higher elevations and some deer winter on the very western edges of the wilderness. Desert bighorn sheep once inhabited this area; however, except for a very occasional sighting, there doesn't appear to be a viable population at this time.

For more information contact: The Humboldt National Forest