U.S. Highway 395 passes through the West Walker River Valley, connecting it via Devil's Gate Pass to the East Walker River; Sonora Pass and Monitor Pass lead from the valley into the Sierra Nevada and the Carson River valley. In January 1997 a record-setting flood along the West Walker River destroyed of U.S. 395. This section of road was rebuilt in six months. The silt carried by the river settled in Topaz Lake, hurting the trout population there.