Nevada's first designated wilderness, anchored by deep canyons and rugged high country in the Jarbidge Mountains.
Jarbidge Wilderness
The Jarbidge Wilderness is a federally designated wilderness area in the remote Jarbidge Mountains of northeastern Nevada, within Elko County. Managed by the U.S. Forest Service as part of the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest, it encompasses over 113,000 acres of rugged high-country terrain carved by deep river canyons, forested ridges, and high mountain peaks. It was the first area in Nevada to receive wilderness designation under the 1964 Wilderness Act, giving it an unusual place of honor in the state's conservation history.
The wilderness protects a mosaic of habitats ranging from sagebrush steppe in the lower elevations to subalpine forests higher up. Its defining features include the headwaters of the Jarbidge and Marys Rivers, the secluded Emerald and Jarbidge Lakes, and nearly a dozen peaks rising above 10,000 feet. The combination of cool mountain climate, varied forest types, and dramatic canyon scenery gives Jarbidge its distinctive character among Nevada's protected lands.
The name itself reflects the area's deep cultural resonance, derived from a Shoshone word meaning 'devil.' According to local Indigenous tradition, the mountains here were considered haunted, a belief that infuses the landscape with a sense of mystique. Today, Jarbidge Wilderness stands as both a refuge for wildlife and plant communities and a destination for visitors seeking solitude in one of Nevada's most remote and storied natural settings.
