Carson Sink

The 40 mile Carson Sink desert is plainly visible to the northwest of the summit and this 40 mile stretch made the wagon trains of the gold rush era pay a terrible price to cross. It was feared by the ones who had to cross it and their suffering is well told in the book "Fearful Crossing" by Harold Curran. Well worth your time is a visit to the California Trail Center found about ten miles west of Elko. It will make you appreciate what people had to deal with when they crossed Nevada in the 1845-60's (before the railroad).