Sportsmans Beach Walker Lake Recreation Area

The 30,000-acre, 12 mile long by 5 mile wide lake has a shoreline that varies from steep and rocky on the west side to sandy beaches on its east side. Walker Lake and the Sportsman's Beach Recreation Site is located in Mineral County, Nevada. This lake is a rare perennial lake of the Great Basin and is important for a variety of resident and migratory wildlife species. Approximately 38,000 acres in size, Walker Lake is the most prominent geographical feature in the region and the primary focal point for recreation in the area. Walker Lake offers a variety of recreational opportunities including swimming, picnicking, boating, bird watching, water-skiing and camping. Sportsman's Beach provides thirty one individual camp sites plus two undeveloped camping areas that accommodate RV and tent campers. Facilities include vault toilets, covered picnic tables, grills, pull through and back-in camp sites, paved access and a public boat ramp area. There is no potable water available at Sportman's Beach. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Carson City District-Stillwater Field Office, manages a Recreation Fee Program at Sportsman's Beach Recreation Site. Authorized by Congress, this program has been effective in collecting fees to help maintain facilities and enhance visitor services. We reinvest all fee money collected to improve and expand facilities at the site where it is collected. We plan to improve the facilities at Sportsman's Beach and to make facilities accessible to and usable by individuals with disabilities. User fees at Sportsman's Beach are collected for overnight use of the area under the following schedule: Developed Camp Site: $6/night/vehicle $36/week/vehicle $2/night/vehicle Primitive Camp Area: $4/night/vehicle $22/week/vehicle America the Beautiful Senior and Access Passes are honored. Walker Lake is an oasis for migratory birds including the common loon, snow geese, and white pelicans, several species of grebe, brants, and harlequin ducks. Snowy plovers feed along the shoreline and American avocets and black-necked stilts wade the shallows. Desert Bighorn sheep are often seen on the cliffs along the west side of the lake during the summer months and the occasional pronghorn antelope or wild horse can be spotted browsing along the eastern shore. Due to the declining water levels and the increase in salinity, fishing for Lahontan Cutthroat trout is no longer available. Sportsman's Beach provides 34 developed campsites with cabanas, picnic tables and vault toilets. Tamarack Beach and Twenty Mile Beach provide opportunities for dispersed camping for RV or tents along the shoreline.