Natural Resources and Climate
Nevada's 27 state parks, recreation areas, and historic sites are stretched across terrains as diverse as alpine forests and bone-dry deserts. Among them are natural lakes and man-made reservoirs, such as world-famous, 22-mile-long Lake Tahoe or the much smaller Echo Canyon and its 35-acre reservoir. Other parks provide glimpses into the past. Valley of Fire is one of the state’s oldest, with 3,000-year-old petroglyphs carved in sandstone and breathtaking views of maroon-colored rock formations created during the age of the dinosaurs. Mormon Station in Genoa and the Old Las Vegas Mormon Fort feature replicas of 19th-century fortifications and visitor centers explaining regional history. The climate in Nevada varies from hot and dry in the south to mild summers and snowy winters in the north.
