The South Fork State Recreation Area is a short 20 minutes south of downtown Elko, Nevada. The Park provides an ideal camping and staging base for year-round outdoor activities including boating and fishing, hiking, mountain biking, and horseback riding. This is also a popular winter location for ice fishing, and cross-country skiing. At approximately 5,200 feet, the terrain near South Fork SRA is primarily the sagebrush typical of the high desert environment.
The trails at the south end of the reservoir transition into beautiful meadows and wetlands, following the river. There are many private properties adjacent to the southwest portion of the Recreation Area, so please be respectful of neighboring property owners.
The park has 31 improved campsites, some with full RV hookups. Dispersed camping is also allowed at several open sites along the shore of the reservoir. There are a limited number of cabins available at the south end of the reservoir. See the State Park website for more information on fees and reservations.
OHV use is not allowed in the park, except to access the unmaintained roads in the Fisherman's Point area. Riders must trailer in and out of the park in order to access the motorized trails outside of park boundaries.
For more detailed information on the Recreation Area, along with specific camping, fishing and hunting regulations, see the State Parks website.
Nevada Department of Wildlife's South Fork Reservoir website for fishing and boating information.
For the latest fishing report, check out Fish NV!
For things to do in and around nearby Elko, see the Elko Convention & Visitors Authority’s Explore Elko website.
TravelNevada’s website also has some good historic information on South Fork.
From Elko, take the Lamoille Highway (SR227) southeast for 7 miles. Turn right onto SR228 and head south for about 5.5 miles to South Fork Road. Go another 4 miles to the main park entrance.
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