Cave Lake State Park

Cave Lake State Park offers camping, picnicking and hiking with a 32-acre reservoir for boating, trout fishing and crawdads. The Park is adjacent to the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest in the middle of the Schell Creek Range. With an elevation of 7,300', Cave Lake is surrounded by outstanding scenery: something about sedimentary limestones and shales typical of Great Basin geology with shallow caves, narrow canyons and large upthrust formations all around...

Brown trout and crayfish now occur naturally in Cave Lake but the Nevada Division of Wildlife also stocks the lake with rainbow trout. You'll want a fishing license and trout stamp but fishing and crawdadding are allowed 24 hours a day.

Steptoe Creek Trail and Cave Springs Trail are 2 maintained trails in the Park. The Cave Springs Trail starts at the lower parking lot and meanders through the surrounding hills, offering up to 5 miles of moderately strenuous exercise. Steptoe Creek Trail starts below the dam, crossing the creek on a series of foot bridges for an easy 3-mile loop that returns via the Success Summit Road.

At this elevation, ice fishing, ice skating, snowshoeing, sledding, and cross-country skiing are pretty popular in season. Snowmobiling is not allowed within the Park, but snowmobiles can be unloaded at the turnout at the end of the pavement on Success Summit Road and at the parking area at the eastern end of the lake so that they can access the surrounding National Forest lands. The premier winter event in this area is the White Pine Fire & Ice Show with some incredible snow sculptures created every year in mid-January. Winters can see snow depths reach several feet with temperatures sometimes down to -30°F. Paved roads in the Park do get plowed but this may not happen for 1 or 2 days after a good snowstorm.

Cave Lake State Park has 2 designated campgrounds: Lake View Campground and Elk Flat Campground. Lake View Campground offers flush toilets and showers near the lake and is open year-round. Elk Flat Campground is off of Success Summit Road and offers flush toilets and hot showers, but is only open from May to mid-October. Campsites in each campground offer level parking, picnic tables and fire pits with grills. There is an RV dump station near Elk Flat Campground. Tables, fire grills, running water and restrooms are available at each of several picnic areas located along the lake shore.

Operation of ATV's and dirt bikes on Park property is prohibited, and bring your own firewood.

Boating on Cave Lake