The Goshute Canyon WSA is located in the Cherry Creek Mountains in east-central Nevada within White Pine and Elko Counties. The entire WSA is comprised of 35,594 acres of public land with one 15-acre patented mining claim inholding near the southern boundary.
The 13-mile long Goshute Canyon WSA is a rugged, uplifted range, with massive white limestone cliffs jutting from its slopes. The lower elevations are thickly forested by pinyon pine and juniper, while bristlecone and limber pine blanket the higher elevations. Aspens and cottonwoods in the
moist
drainages provide for a verdant, cool retreat. Large high elevation basins
rimmed by naked peaks contain pockets of aspen and white fir and are filled with
wild flowers in spring and summer. Snowmelt and numerous springs provide
riparian settings and water sources for a great number of wildlife species that
include Bonneville cutthroat trout in Goshute Creek, mule deer, mountain lions,
bobcats, owls, falcons, eagles, hawks, kestrels and marmots.
The WSA is a natural, harmonious composition of contrasts.
Brilliant yellow fall color and light-colored rock are juxtaposed with the dark
green foliage of the evergreen canopy. Distance becomes distorted, difficult to
judge because of the immense scale of topographic features, while the detail of
weathered rock, of small grassland riparian areas, and of stark white aspen
trees complete a nearly perfect tableau. No one who visits the area leaves
without a strong impression of the area's beauty.