The Carson River is a northwestern Nevada river that empties into the Carson Sink, an endorheic basin. The main stem of the river is 131 miles (211 km) long although addition of the East Fork makes the total length 205 miles (330 km), traversing five counties: Alpine County in California and Douglas, Storey, Lyon, and Churchill Counties in Nevada, as well as the Consolidated Municipality of Carson City, Nevada.
Archaeological finds place the eastern border for the prehistoric First Nations Martis people in the Reno/Carson River area, apparently the first humans to enter the area about 12,000 years ago. By the early 1800s, Northern Paiute tribes lived near the lower Carson River and the present Stillwater National Wildlife Refuge, and the Washoe people inhabited the upper watershed region. This beautiful river and valley were both named for the legendary Kit Carson, who guided John C. Frémont's expedition westward up the Carson Valley and across Carson Pass in winter, 1844.