The Walker River is a river in west central Nevada in the United States, approximately 62 miles (100 km) long. It drains an arid portion of the Great Basin southeast of Reno, with a watershed that extends into the Sierra Nevada mountains. It flows within an enclosed basin. Due to excessive diversions, it no longer provides the principal inflow of Walker Lake. It does flow through and maintain Topaz Lake (West Fork). The river was named for explorer Joseph Reddeford Walker.