Cave Lake State Park
Cave Lake from the Overlook Trail
Cave Lake State Park Location in Nevada
Location	White Pine County, Nevada, United States
Nearest city	Ely, Nevada
Coordinates	39°11′23″N 114°43′21″W / 39.18972°N 114.72250°W / 39.18972; -114.72250
Area	4,081.40 acres (1,651.68 ha)[1]
Elevation	7,198 ft (2,194 m)
Established	1973
Administered by	Nevada Division of State Parks
Visitors	17,718 vehicles (in 2017)[2]
Designation	Nevada state park
Website	Official website

Cave Lake State Park is a public recreation area occupying more than 4,000 acres (1,600 ha)^[1] in the Schell Creek Range, adjacent to Humboldt National Forest, in White Pine County, Nevada. The state park is located at an elevation of 7,300 feet (2,200 m) five miles (8.0 km) southeast of Ely and is accessed via U.S. Route 50 and Success Summit Road.^[3] It features a 32-acre (13 ha) reservoir for fishing and flat-wake boating.^[4]

History

The Cave Creek Dam which created Cave Lake was constructed in 1932. The facility was purchased by the Nevada Department of Wildlife in 1971 for $10. Two years later it was transferred to Nevada State Parks.^[5] The park saw an increase in size of 2,980 acres (1,210 ha) with the completion of a land transfer from the U.S. Forest Service in 2015.^[6]

Activities and amenities

The park is popular for brown and rainbow trout fishing, ice fishing, crawdadding, camping, and picnicking. Hiking is offered on four developed trails, three to five miles in length. For overnight stays, the park offers a yurt and two designated campgrounds, Elk Flat and Lake View, with modern facilities. Winter activities include ice fishing, ice skating, cross-country skiing, and snowmobiling.^[4] The park hosts events as part of Ely's annual Fire and Ice Festival held in January, sufficient ice and snow permitting.^[7][8] The event, which began in 2003, features an ice and snow sculpture contest, and concludes with a fireworks show.^{[9][10][11][12]}