The Long Way
Pershing County
A gravel picnic area with covered tables set against arid hills under a cloudy sky.
Plate I. Picnic shelters at Rye Patch State Recreation Area. From parks.nv.gov
A scenic view of a calm lake under a cloudy blue sky.
Plate II. Reservoir view, Rye Patch State Recreation Area. From parks.nv.gov
A scenic view of a river running through a valley with hills and mountains.
Plate III. Reservoir view at Rye Patch State Recreation Area. From parks.nv.gov
A river flows through a landscape with hills and distant mountains under a cloudy sky.
Plate IV. Reservoir landscape at Rye Patch State Recreation Area. From travelnevada.com
Large trees with yellow autumn leaves stand in a park.
Plate V. Autumn foliage, Rye Patch State Recreation Area. From parks.nv.gov
A calm body of water reflects arid landscape and distant mountains.
Plate VI. Reservoir landscape, Rye Patch State Recreation Area. From parks.nv.gov
A scenic landscape view of brushy hills and snow-capped mountains under a blue sky.
Plate VII. Desert landscape, Rye Patch State Recreation Area. From parks.nv.gov

Rye Patch State Recreation Area

Lovelock, Pershing County, Nevada. State Recreation Area; Open year-round.

Details

Map. Lovelock, Pershing County, Nevada. Larger map
Where
2505 Rye Patch Reservoir Rd, Lovelock, NV 89419. Directions
When
Always Open.
Fees
Day use entrance fee: $5.00 per vehicle (Non-NV Vehicles $10.00 per vehicle) Boat launch: $10.00 (Non-NV Vehicles: $15.00) Camping: $15.00 per vehicle, per night (Non-NV Vehicles: $20.00 per vehicle, per night) Camp and boat: $20.00 per night (Non-NV Vehicles: $25.00 per night) Bike in: $2.00 per bike.
Access
Rye Patch Reservoir, located in Rye Patch State Recreation Area, has been upgraded to a Harmful Algal Bloom (HAB) WARNING Advisory.
Walk-in or reserve
All other parks are open for day use without a reservation.
Phone
775-442-0135
Managed by
Nevada State Parks.
Established
1971.

Open year-round, Rye Patch State Recreation Area is situated on a 22-mile long reservoir that has 72 miles of shoreline and 11,000 acres of water surface when full. Visitors enjoy camping, picnicking, swimming and water-skiing, and fisherman delight in the available white bass, catfish, black bass and walleye.

Notable Events

  1. 1849With the discovery of gold in California, eager prospectors and immigrants established a well-traveled wagon trail following the Humboldt River. parks.nv.gov
  2. 1860sA small community called Rye Patch grew near the Humboldt River. nevadaappeal.com
  3. 1860sExploration of nearby mountain ranges led to a silver and gold boom, and towns such as Unionville, Rochester, Star City, Humboldt City and Rye Patch sprang from a sea of sagebrush. parks.nv.gov
  4. 1869Rye Patch became the site of a Central Pacific Railroad station. nevadaappeal.com
  5. 1870sThe nearby mines stopped producing ore, the Rye Patch mill closed, and the town soon disappeared. nevadaappeal.com
  6. 1877The mill processed $1,000,000 worth of gold and silver, then closed, leaving Rye Patch among the last towns to become a ghost town. parks.nv.gov
  7. 1912After three years of construction, the Pitt-Taylor Reservoirs were in service providing 49,000 acre-feet of water to the farmers in the Lovelock area. parks.nv.gov
  8. 1935The Bureau of Reclamation facility record dates the dam's original construction to 1935-1936. usbr.gov
  9. 1971Rye Patch became a Nevada State Recreation Area in 1971 after being operated by Pershing County's Water Conservation District and Parks Department. parks.nv.gov

People

  • Peter Skene Ogden, trapper for the Hudson Bay Company believed to be among the first white men to enter the region (1829).

Sources

  1. parks.nv.gov/parks/rye-patch
  2. parks.nv.gov/about/hab-advisory
  3. parks.nv.gov/news/harmful-algal-bloom-hab-warning-advisory
  4. parks.nv.gov/learn/park-histories/rye-patch-history
  5. parks.nv.gov/fees
  6. parks.nv.gov/about/reservations
  7. instagram.com/ryepatchrecreation
  8. facebook.com/profile.php?id=61561278224083
  9. parks.nv.gov/learn/park-histories/rye-patch-history
  10. usbr.gov/projects/index.php?id=268
  11. nevadaappeal.com/news/2019/sep/25/emigrant-trail-pioneers-could-only-dream-of-findin