Unit 043 covers the country between Pyramid Lake and the Truckee River, including pieces of the Lake Range and the Pah Rah Range north of Sparks. Elevations run from about 3,800 feet on Pyramid Lake to over 7,400 feet on Pah Rah Mountain. This is a transition zone—western slopes show the Sierra influence with scattered Jeffrey pine and bigger aspen, while east faces are pure Great Basin sage and pinon-juniper. The country is steep where it counts, gentle where it doesn't. The Pyramid Lake Paiute Reservation forms the northern boundary and that's a hard line—closed without tribal permits and they actively check. Mostly BLM with private parcels around water sources and the Reno-Sparks suburban edge creeping in from the south. Highway 445 (Pyramid Highway) is the paved spine; gravel branches reach the back country. Reno is right there for everything. Cell service is good near the urban edge and falls off fast as you move north. Mule deer hold in the canyons and California bighorn use the cliff bands above the lake—those tags are gold and rare. The unit gets pressure because of proximity, but if you walk a half mile from any road you lose most of it. Wind off the lake is brutal in the afternoons; fall mornings can be calm and beautiful and tell you nothing about what's coming.