Coordinates: 41°18′36″N 115°44′53″W / 41.310°N 115.748°W / 41.310; -115.748
The North Fork of the Humboldt River has its origins on the north slopes of McAfee Peak in the Independence Mountains of northeastern Nevada. It quickly exits the mountains and turns southward for approximately 25 miles (40 km), joining its waters with numerous other streams. Making a sharp bend to the east, it flows through a small gorge called Devil's Gap, and then combines with Beaver Creek before resuming its southward course. After an estimated total of 70 miles (110 km), it flows into the main branch of the Humboldt River at approximately 40°55.4'W and 115°33.1'N and at an elevation of 5200 feet (1585 meters), about 15 miles (24 km) northeast of the city of Elko.
The North Fork watershed is remote. Some mining activity in the area took place in about 1870, followed by cattle ranching, and later sheep ranching in the 1890s. Problems of overgrazing and erosion in the Independence Mountains, which form the headwaters of the North Fork, prompted the federal government to establish the Independence Forest Reserve in 1906. This reserve has since been incorporated into the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest.
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