Cave Lake State Park

Nevada State Park Around A Small Reservoir In The Schell Creek Range East Of Ely, At About 7,300 Feet · Ely, Nevada

Cave Lake State Park surrounds a small reservoir high in the Schell Creek Range east of Ely, at roughly 7,300 feet, where Steptoe Creek was dammed to form a lake of a few dozen acres ringed by pinyon pine, juniper, mountain mahogany and aspen. It is a local favourite rather than a destination: Ely families come to fish for stocked rainbow and brown trout, paddle a kayak, camp for the weekend and walk a couple of forested trails, and in winter the lake freezes solid for ice fishing and, in some years, a winter festival with ice sculptures and fireworks. The park has two campgrounds, picnic areas, a small boat launch and trails that climb to views over the lake and the Steptoe Valley. It is cool in summer, cold and snowy in winter, and quiet most of the year. Plan on half a day or a night, and combine it with Ely's Nevada Northern Railway, the Ward Charcoal Ovens south of town and Great Basin National Park further east. A Nevada fishing licence is needed to fish, and the steep mountain road in can be snowy from late autumn to spring.

Success Summit Road (NV 486), Ely, Nevada, 89301, United States

NO OPENING TIME HERE WAS CHECKED. The typical pattern: the park is open all year, with day use commonly from around sunrise to sunset or set daytime hours, and campgrounds open to registered campers; in winter some loops, restrooms and water may be shut and only part of a campground kept open. The traps that ruin a day are driving the steep mountain road in winter without chains or four-wheel drive, towing a motorboat that the lake's rules do not allow, arriving to fish with no licence, walking onto ice without checking its thickness, and planning a trip around the Fire and Ice festival without confirming it is being held that year. Confirm current hours, road conditions and rules before relying on them.

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