Wilson Canyon in Lyon County, Nevada, is a narrow volcanic gorge carved by the Walker River as it passes through the Singatse Range toward Mason Valley. Over about two miles, the river drops roughly 120 feet, a steeper gradient than on its course to the west, giving the canyon its confined, rocky character. The canyon was named for "Uncle Billy Wilson," a miner and rancher also associated with the Wilson Mining District, and it was later crossed by the Nevada Copper Belt Railroad. In 1997 New Year's floods, the canyon's narrow width intensified major damage that destroyed sections of Route 208 and closed the highway for two months.