Shaun Hunter
Photo Date: 
12/28/2017
Parking is down a gravel road that lies off of Highway 773 about two-fifths of a mile from where it intersects with Highway 264. Vehicles with high clearance and all-wheel drive may be able to continue driving up the sandy wash to park closer to the Sump.
Shaun Hunter
Photo Date: 
12/28/2017
A hike of about 1.5 miles up a soft sandy wash is required to get from the parking area to the Sump.
Shaun Hunter
Photo Date: 
12/28/2017
Clay land formations flanking the wash mark the beginning of the core area of interest.
Shaun Hunter
Photo Date: 
12/28/2017
A loop through the Sump can be travelled by continuing further up the narrow sandy wash and returning through the higher ground formations on the opposite side.
Shaun Hunter
Photo Date: 
12/28/2017
Erosion is responsible for creating the interesting formations throughout the Sump.
Shaun Hunter
Photo Date: 
12/28/2017
The Sump can be viewed by sticking to the flat bottom, or by heading into the contours and folds of the cliffs, slot canyons, mounds and stone formations throughout the area.
Shaun Hunter
Photo Date: 
12/28/2017
It is possible to find stone and minerals of interest lying throughout the area.
Shaun Hunter
Photo Date: 
12/28/2017
Minerals in the ground can paint areas of the landscape in hues of green orange, purple and white.
Shaun Hunter
Photo Date: 
12/28/2017
The Sump can have an eerily silent feel to the air in this little-visited corner of western Nevada.
Shaun Hunter
Photo Date: 
12/28/2017
The Sump's positioning at the base of a mountainous landscape gives its perimeter the feeling of a amphitheater of canyon walls.
Shaun Hunter
Photo Date: 
12/28/2017
The vastness of the landscape makes it easy to lose track of the scale - there are slot canyons and mounds that are far larger than what can be easily climbed.
Shaun Hunter
Photo Date: 
12/28/2017
Hoodoos rise from the white mineral surface of the canyon's northern wall.
Shaun Hunter
Photo Date: 
12/28/2017
Clay spires in a landscape formed by sediment deposit and a lengthy period of erosion have led to some of the formations here.
Shaun Hunter
Photo Date: 
12/28/2017
Aside from the physical uniqueness of the area, the quiet seclusion is another appealing detail about the Sump.