Unexpected Adventures in Yerington, Nevada
Far beyond a night in the country!
Story and Photos By: Betsy Fessler
The small town of Yerington, Nevada is known for their annual “Night in the Country” festival held in July of each year where thousands of people convene on the small city to camp, listen to country music headliners, and let their hair down transforming the quiet farming town into one of the largest camping parties in the world. Ironically, the town is also known as a premier geocaching destination drawing in geocachers from all over the world to find thousands of geocaches throughout the surrounding areas trail systems. Less known, is that the hundreds of miles of mountain and desert trails are all open to off-roaders.
At almost 4,400 feet of elevation, Yerington offers great riding year around, but most desireable weather comes during the spring and fall. There is likely no snow throughout the area during the colder months. However, the trails surrounding Yerington can take you to elevations at over 9,000 feet, allowing the chance for snow even into the springtime. Either way, if you visit, be prepared for climate changes.
We stayed at the Weed Heights RV Park located on the west side of Highway 339. The 115 site park have plentiful full hook-up spots that can accommodate long rigs, as well as additional room for tent camping. The park is simple but enjoyable and the rates are a very reasonable at only $22.50 per night. With no online reservations, or even a website at all, you’ll need to pick up that phone to make a reservation and be ready with cash or check, as they do not accept any credit cards! The phone number is (775) 463-4634.
A stay at the park does give you access to the clubhouse, which has a gathering space, bathrooms, showers, and laundry. The park also has horse shoe pits, shuffleboard, and access to a nearby (somewhat run down) miniature golf course, all for no additional charge. You just have to ask the park managers for whatever equipment necessary. Our experience with the park managers was very pleasant in every way, incredibly nice, and extremely accommodating.
The city center of Yerington is about 4.5 miles away from the park, which has to be by licensed vehicle as you are not legally to ride your UTV into town. Another option is to jump aboard a streetcar or truck to get into town for groceries, gas, and auto parts. There are a handful of restaurants to choose from, including pizza and even a McDonalds. If you are of the gambling type, you’ll find your fix at the Pioneer and Dini’s casinos located in town.
Heading to the trails, you’ll find access to them going north, west, or south from Weed Heights. Almost immediately outside the park you’ll find quite a few mines, including the Minnesota Mine, and the enormous Anaconda Mine.
The Anaconda Mine, which is how Weed Heights began, is a defunct copper mine within a short distance of the RV park. It is now a 1 mile wide, ½ mile long pit that holds 450 feet of water. From the RV Park, you can drive your UTV or walk to an observation deck that offers a view of the reservoir, as well as interpretive panels with interesting history and facts about the mine.
With so many destinations in mind, we stayed and rode for 4 days. One of our first big rides led us south of Yerington, past the Walker River Resort, into the Toiyabe National Forest and the historical Pine Grove Mining District. Gold was discovered in Pine Grove during the 1860’s and the area quickly turned into a bustling mining community with all of the day’s amenities. Sadly, it was abandoned by the 1930’s due to the falling price of gold. Thankfully, today you can visit to see the school house, the stamp mill, the cemetery, and other assorted buildings. Thankfully for us, there are also several geocaches in the immediate area to occupy some time while you are on your tour.
Our second day was spent exploring the area north of Yerington. We found trails that took us through valleys, by natural springs, over a rough and rocky section, and eventually to a fenced dead-end at the Carson River that was a perfect spot to stop for lunch. Along our travels we spotted an eagle in flight, and a pair of wild horses. The wildlife is plentiful in the area, and we felt lucky to experience some of it.
Continuing into the trip we decided to spend a day riding part of the Pine Nut Mountain area. We drove by Artesia Lake, and continued south through Smith Valley to the beautiful Red Canyon. From Red Canyon, we climbed to an elevation of 9,200 feet to get to the top of Oreana Peak. As you could imagine, we were treated to a beautiful view of the surrounding area that included a sight of the remaining snowpack even in late May.
From Oreana Peak, we continued our loop on Pinenut Road and Lone Pine Creek Road, encountering standing burned forests, multiple stream crossings, and more wild horses. We also stopped to pick up a few geocaches along the way. Without a doubt, it was by far the most exciting, most challenging, and most scenic ride of our Yerington trip.
Rain plagued us for a day which forced us to stay near camp, riding when we could, and took short but enjoyable trips close to the RV park. It was really nice for those that were into taking shorter rides, as it showed us that there is plenty of hills to climb, mines to check out, and wildlife to see just west of Yerington.
We were very glad that we had contacted the BLM office in Carson City to aide in the planning of our trip to Yerington. We had questions about the Yerington area that they provided answers to, and even sent maps of the area that helped us stay out of closed areas. If you’re interested in a set of maps, you can contact them as well at (775) 885-6000.
As usual, I had just a few days to explore an area that I did not get to fully cover during my visit. After reviewing the GPS tracks I saved from our rides, I quickly discovered that if I want to see more of the area, another trip is definitely going to be necessary. We had an incredible experience in Yerington, largely due to the conveniences and hospitality of Weed Heights RV Park. The amount of exploring and riding opportunities there are plentiful, and could occupy the time of even an extended stay. If you are looking for a new adventure that is off the beaten path, consider a visit to Yerington, NV and tell them the crew at UTV Sports Magazine sent ya!
