The canyon runs along the Humboldt River roughly between
State Route 278 upstream (about south–southwest of
Carlin), and a point about west of
Beowawe and
State Route 306 downstream (about east–southeast of
Battle Mountain). The Humboldt River, rather than flowing into the ocean, eventually loses all its water to evaporation in the
Humboldt Sink, and stream-gauge measurements undertaken by the
United States Geological Survey suggest that Palisade Canyon is the point where the river's flow ceases to increase and begins to decrease. The canyon was named from a fancied resemblance to the
Hudson River Palisades. ==References==