Walker Valley

    We started out the morning driving on Highway 395 through Walker Valley on our way to Mono Lake. When Highway 395 was constructed, the Walker River had already been diverted to help fulfill the water demands of California causing erosion of the mountains on either side of the road.  The effects of this diversion included rockslides that washed out roads and a lower water level of the Walker River. Boulders were placed along the road to prevent further deposition of loose materials. However, this process has to be repeated when even the boulders can't control the erosion caused by rockslides and rain such as the floods of 1997 when much of the highway through this area was washed out despite the boulders.

         A rockslide that has taken place in Walker Valley             The diverted Walker River

The Devil's Pass as you exit Walker Valley

Manmade additions of rocks and stumps put in for  wildlife habitat and to prevent erosion of the river banks