Humboldt Sink

The sink and its surrounding area was a notorious and dreaded portion (called the Forty Mile Desert) of overland travel to California during the westward migrations of the mid-1800s, which were largely undertaken along the California Trail.

[1] Humboldt Sink is located between the West Humboldt Range (to the southeast) and the Trinity Range (to the northwest), on the border between Pershing and Churchill counties, approximately 50 miles (80 km) northeast of Reno.

A channel connecting it with the Carson Sink was cut by the Nevada Department of Transportation in 1984 to prevent I-80 and the town of Lovelock from flooding after heavy snowfall in the preceding three years.

Wetlands in and near the sink, such as the Humboldt Salt Marsh provide important nesting, foraging, and resting habitat to large numbers of migratory birds.

Evidence from these important archaeological sites suggests that Native Americans hunted and fished in the Humboldt Sink during wetter climatic periods.