Fish Lake Valley
Fall 2024
Retreat to the olden days in this western Nevada outpost.
BY CORY MUNSON
Fish Lake Valley is a green stretch of high desert straddling the Nevada-California border. Even by Nevada standards, this is rural country. Beyond the tiny town of Dyer—home to one gas station and no stoplight—only farms and weathered homesteads dot the landscape.
The valley has all the best parts of the Great Basin. It’s a collage of sagebrush plains, alkali flats, alfalfa fields, and hot spring oases. In the foothills, herds of antelope graze while raptors patrol above. On the valley’s eastern flank lies the Silver Peak Range: a mass of hills flush with stubby pines and dry-creek canyons. To the west are the absolutely dominating White Mountains—the tallest range in the state.
Beautiful and isolated, Fish Lake Valley is a popular draw for travelers who want to get a little out there. However, this is also a place where heritage and tradition are literally on display. It’s a valley with a rich history, and thanks to the lifelong efforts of one resident, that story is ready to be told.
The Curator
“I want visitors to know we didn’t crack out of an egg,” says Linda Williams with a laugh. “We have a history here.”
Williams is a near-lifelong resident of the valley. Her family moved to Dyer in the 1950s, settling into a lifestyle that was—even back then—a bit off the grid. Initially, they lived in a two-room, dirt-floor cabin with no electricity or running water. As a young girl, one of her favorite activities was to travel across the valley collecting curios—both natural and manmade.
“If something was decaying in the desert, I picked it up; it didn’t take much for something to twinkle in my eye. After a while, my dad would say, ‘Oh my gosh, that’s a leaverite!’ And I’d say, ‘Oh, wow, that must be special!’ and he’d say, ‘It is! It means you leave it right where you found it,’” says Williams. “Somebody had to put some kind of control on me.”
From as early as she can remember, her dream was to build a community museum. Fish Lake never had a museum, and much of its history was buried, forgotten, or dispersed. So, Williams spent the next few decades scavenging old dumpsites, acquiring (and moving) historic buildings, and unearthing a remarkable collection of the valley’s relics. Today, her dream is now reality at the Fish Lake Valley Heritage Center and Museum.
History & Heritage
The charming heritage center is in a shaded grove directly off Dyer’s main highway. There are no signs up (yet), but it’s on the same property as the Wagon Wheels RV Park. If you’re having trouble spotting it, pull over when you see something that looks like an old mining village.
“Lots of people stop to check the museum out not knowing what it is. Since this is Nevada, many assume it’s a ghost town,” says Williams.
The main visitor center is surrounded by a half-dozen structures set in a semicircle. These historic buildings are organized from newest to oldest—a 1947 Westwood travel trailer at one end and an 1870s cowboy cabin at the other.
From the houses to the décor, almost everything visitors see is from the valley. The gas station was the area’s first. Next to it is one of the original Dyer post offices (there have been seven in total).
Each building tells a piece of the valley’s story. Even the visitor center is historic, though it originated 50 miles north as part of the train depot in Mina. The visitor center offers the true overview of the valley’s history, featuring everything from fossils to American Indian craftwork to branding irons.
Most of the artifacts are from Williams’ collection, but plenty were donations given by decedents of the original pioneers. They were happy to have a place to display their heritage.
Williams prides the museum on being hands-on and allowing visitors to touch and interact with artifacts. Because of this, the heritage center is a popular field trip destination—earlier this spring, around 40 students visited all the way from Ely.
“Kids need to touch things,” she says. “When they close an old cash register or move around the wires on the operator switchboard, they remember that.”
Dyer Overnighter
Adjacent to the heritage center sits the Wagon Wheels RV Park, which Williams also owns and built on a 5-acre parcel of her family’s old farm. And while she might be a museum curator, Williams also considers herself the unofficial town host.
“I want you to know this is your home. Even if you’re just staying one night, you should feel comfortable and secure that you’re not alone in the middle of the desert,” she says.
The tidy RV park reflects her hospitality, providing the perfect place to settle in for an extended Fish Lake Valley adventure. Amenities include picnic tables, mature landscaping, 23 spaces—all hookups included—onsite laundromat, and heated bathrooms.
Because Williams is the owner, the history doesn’t stop at the museum next door. The RV park boasts three cabins—all built in 1905—which were originally from a mountain retreat in California’s Owens Valley. Outside of a few modern conveniences like power and plumbing, the cabins remain unchanged with original screen doors, redwood flooring, and covered porch. They also come fully furnished and include a kitchenette and bathroom with a shower.
Fish Lake Fun
Despite—or perhaps because of—its remote setting, people flock to Fish Lake Valley to mountain bike, hike, rockhound, explore ghost towns, and plenty more.
“We have some of the best bird watching out here and get a lot of bird clubs,” Williams says. “Plenty of people come out here to stargaze, too. I had an astronomer from Canada come down last year and stay the whole month of October.”
One of the most popular activities is off-roading, especially the Silver Peak Range just outside town. A particularly popular event is the valley’s 62-mile poker run—a fundraiser for the fire department and ambulance.
For more extreme adventurers, Dyer offers easy access to Boundary Peak, Nevada’s tallest mountain.
“Climbers want to get up the tallest mountain in every country or every state, so I get people here from all over the world,” Williams says.
As the valley host, Williams is happy to suggest other rentals in the area. Next door is the Queensland Bed and Breakfast, an actual vineyard that offers rooms and an in-house breakfast. She’s also honest about when not to visit.
“March is not a good time to come. Our typical weather is rain, snow, wind, sun, heat, cold: It’s all over the board and crammed in a month.”
For a list of things to do and experience in Fish Lake Valley, check out the Wagon Wheels RV Park website.
