William H. Nobles (1816 – December 28, 1876) was a U.S military officer, Treasury Agent, businessman, politician and trailblazer.

When they failed to find Gold Lake, Lassen returned, but Nobles continued eastward, accidentally scouting a shorter trail into California.

The Nobles Trail was a wagon route between Black Rock Desert in Nevada and the gold mining town of Shasta City in California.

He was named superintendent of construction for a wagon road for the Department of Interior from Fort Ridgely to south pass Nebraska Territory.

In 1859 Nobles put together an expedition in St. Paul to break a trail to Fraser River country in British Columbia where gold had been found.

On 3 December 1861 Nobles resigned his commission and General Thomas W. Sherman appointed him to collect and sell the abandoned cotton in Hilton Head and the Sea Islands for the Treasury Department.