The West Walker River is a tributary of the Walker River, approximately 95 miles (153 km) long, in eastern California and western Nevada in the United States. It drains part of the Sierra Nevada range along the California-Nevada border in the watershed of Walker Lake in the Great Basin.
It rises from snowmelt in the Sierras of northwestern Mono County, north of Yosemite National Park approximately 20 miles (32 km) SSW of Walker in the Emigrant Wilderness. It flows north, along the west side of the Sweetwater Mountains, emerging into the Antelope Valley, a ranching region around Walker. It flows north past Coleville and Topaz and enters southern Douglas County, Nevada southwest of Carson City. In Nevada it flows northeast, joining the East Walker River from the west 7 mi (11.3 km) south of Yerington to form the Walker River.
The river is heavily used for irrigation in the ranching valleys along its lower course. Its waters are diverted along its upper course to form Topaz Lake along the California-Nevada border. It receives the Little Walker River from the south near its source in the mountains.
U.S. Highway 395 passes through the West Walker River Valley, connecting it via Devil's Gate Pass to the East Walker River; Sonora Pass and Monitor Pass lead from the valley into the Sierra Nevada and the Carson River valley. In January 1997 a record-setting flood along the West Walker River destroyed 10 miles of U.S. 395. This section of road was rebuilt in 6 months. The silt carried by the river settled in Topaz Lake, hurting the trout population there.
Famous quotes containing the words west, walker and/or river:
“I cannot think that espionage can be recommended as a technique for building an impressive civilisation. It’s a lout’s game.”
—Rebecca West (1892–1983)
“For my people lending their strength to the years: to the gone
years and the now years and the maybe years, washing ironing cooking scrubbing sewing mending hoeing plowing digging planting pruning patching dragging along never gaining never reaping never knowing and never understanding;”
—Margaret Abigail Walker (b. 1915)
“Hard by the lilied Nile I saw
A duskish river dragon stretched along.
The brown habergeon of his limbs enamelled
With sanguine alamandines and rainy pearl:
And on his back there lay a young one sleeping,
No bigger than a mouse;”
—Thomas Lovell Beddoes (1803–1849)