Carlin Canyon in southwestern Elko County, Nevada, is a steep-sided passage cut by the Humboldt River that has long served as a natural corridor across this region. Because travel is funneled through its narrow route, several major western transportation lines passed here over time, including the California Trail, the first transcontinental railroad, and the Victory Highway. The corridor remains important today as Interstate 80 and the Union Pacific Railroad continue to cross the canyon, each bypassing a sharp bend in the river by using the Carlin Tunnel.