Nearly 30 miles of river that’s been largely locked away from the public could become the next jewel of Nevada’s state parks system. It’s one of two new parks included in the budget proposal by Republican Governor Brian Sandoval.
The Reno Gazette Journal reports the proposed Walker River State Recreation area would be created on three former ranch properties, which total about 12,000 acres into a state park with camping, fishing and hiking.
It would also provide public access to 28 miles of the East Walker River that’s long been in private hands. The governor’s budget also includes a proposal to use state land near North Las Vegas to create the Tule Springs State Park.
That park is on state land that’s surrounded by the recently created Tule Springs Fossil Bed National Monument, which is managed by the National Park Service.
The Tule Springs and Walker Basin parks would be the first major new state parks in Nevada since Big Bend of the Colorado was added in 1996.