The Sump (Esmeralda County, Nevada)

For a couple of months, my friends, Nick and Brent, and I have been planning a road and camping trip to see some of Nevada's lesser known wonders. Unfortunately, both of them had to cancel due to work obligations, but I wasn't going to let that dampen my desire to head out for my first trip of the year.

Leaving before dawn, I made my way to the first site, thirty miles west of Tonopah, NV. The Sump, as it is known to locals, was considered for state park status in the 1930's, but apparently the state legislature of the time elected not to grant park status. The area seems to have almost fallen out of public knowledge, which is a shame due to the beauty of the area.

Leaving the highway for a rugged road up into the hilly desert, I make my way to the northern end of the site. From this view, it looks something like a miniature grand canyon, though white in color instead of the rich reds and golds of the national park. From what I gather from the few sources I have found online, the Sump is essentially a collapsed dry lake bed. Long ago, the area flooded and covered a thriving forest with thick mud. Eventually, the lake dried up and the muddy bottom began to erode, leaving the feature in front of me now.

As I explore the area, I can't help but notice how crumbly and fragile the whole area is. What appears to be stone is simply hyper-dried mud, which makes me somewhat unsure of my footing as I climb around the area with some perilous drop offs below me.

Driving around to the southern side, I realize how thankful I for having a jeep. As I drive over sagebrush and through the sand, I get stuck in the loose earth and beginning ever so slowly sliding down the hill, which puts me in danger of rolling. Drop it in 4-low and the rugged beast pulls itself out. Now parked on more solid ground, I explore a bit more. This time I see the feature that most drew my attention to the site - petrified trees stumps.

It seems many of those trees of the ancient forest were buried in mud while still standing. Now exposed to the elements, the mud has eroded away to reveal partially petrified stumps still standing. In most cases, the stumps have shattered into thousands of what I can only describe as Lego blocks littering the area of the revealed stump. Quite an amazing site to see.

While the area is remote, I have to say the Sump was well worth the trip.