Through the Lens: Lamoille Canyon
November – December 2019
BY MEGG MUELLER
Nevada Magazine has run stories about Lamoille Canyon for more than 70 years. We’ve written about Lamoille Canyon in the winter, summer, spring, and fall. We’ve covered the hikes, the skiing, the camping, and the wildflowers. We’ve written about the Ruby Mountains where the 12-mile canyon was formed, dug many ice ages ago by glaciers.
It is one of the few places in the state that is mentioned in the magazine at least once a year, and it’s forever in the hearts of those who visit, which is proven by the number of photos we receive each year of this magical place.
At the end of September 2018, and leading into October 2018, Lamoille Canyon was on fire. The Range Two fire began Sept. 30, 2018 near Spring Creek and burned more than 9,000 acres. Much of the blaze traveled up Lamoille Canyon, destroying the Lamoille Camp lodge in the heart of the canyon, which was built in 1939 by the Boy Scouts of America. Picnic areas and other structures were lost to the flames, but the Thomas Canyon Campground near the top of the canyon was spared.
The Nevada Division of Forestry quickly conducted volunteer events aimed at reseeding the mahogany and sagebrush, clean up trash revealed by the fire, and fencing work. One event had a turnout of more than 140 volunteers, a testament to how Nevadans (and even folks from Utah) feel about the canyon.
Mother Nature will work her magic on Lamoille Canyon as she always does, though it will take many years before the scars are covered. Already, patches of green life are showing up amid the blackened hillsides. As she continues to heal, we pay homage to the beauty that is Lamoille Canyon.
