Great news! Cave Lake is well on its way to being back online for anglers and watercraft users in 2025. Cave Lake has an interesting and unique history that many Nevadans and outdoor enthusiasts would appreciate.
Originally constructed in 1939 and enlarged in 1961, the reservoir’s main use was for irrigation and livestock water and the fishery was a nice benefit of impounding water. Even in the 1950s and 1960s, Cave Lake was a popular fishing attraction to many people, so in 1968 NDOW worked with White Pine County to purchase the 2640 acres of land, of which included Cave Lake and its associated water rights. In 1973, the land was transferred to the Nevada Division of State Parks to develop more recreational opportunities, creating Cave Lake State Park.
State Parks has done an outstanding job developing the area around Cave Lake. They developed several day-use facilities, a fish cleaning station, 18 campsites at the Lake View Campground and an additional 18 campsites at Elk Flat Campground. The campgrounds have hot water showers and flush toilets. The lake is equipped with a boat launch and dock on the west end of the lake, as well as a float tube launch on the east end of the lake.
Beginning in 2014, NDOW began developing design plans, conducting preliminary studies, and completing multiple evaluations to fix long-standing issues with the dam at Cave Lake. While this initial phase was being completed, monitoring of the dam was also taking place. In 2019, NDOW had to drop water levels to mitigate some of the risks associated with the dam issues. The lake level was kept down from 2019 through October 2021, when the decision was made to drain the rest of the water. The lake was set at a minimum pool for all of 2022, and in May of 2023 construction started to repair the dam.
Construction crews excavated nearly 50% of the dam and replaced the primary low-level outlet to the lake. In addition to replacing the outlet of the dam, design plans called for (1) increasing the width of the buttress of the dam to eliminate any movement that could take place, (2) installation of drainage to control seepage, (3) increasing the elevation of the dam to ensure that there is enough free board in a flood event,(4) construction of a parapet wall, (5) riprap both sides of the dam, and (6) deepening and widening the spillway of the dam to encapsulate all flow during a flood event.
As with any construction project, there were some unforeseen issues that resulted in the project extending into 2024. Construction was completed in November 2024 with filling starting shortly afterward. The dam and spillway were designed to meet all requirements of a “high hazard dam,” to operate safely.
Although it seemed liked like a lot longer than 6 years, there was a significant amount of work completed to get Cave Lake back up and running. Now that the lake is full, it is time to rebuild the fishery and enjoy our beautiful lake once more. To rebuild and enhance the Cave Lake fishery, 17,000 fish will be stocked throughout the spring—an important step in ensuring a thriving and sustainable resource for anglers.