The Snake Range is a

mountain range A mountain range or hill range is a series of mountains or hills arranged in a line and connected by high ground. A mountain system or mountain belt is a group of mountain ranges with similarity in form, structure, and alignment that have ari ...

in White Pine County,

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. N ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

. The south-central portion of the range is included within

Great Basin National Park Great Basin National Park is an American national park located in White Pine County in east-central Nevada, near the Utah border, established in 1986. The park is most commonly entered by way of Nevada State Route 488, which is connected to U ...

, with most of the remainder included within the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest. The range reaches a maximum elevation of at the summit of Wheeler Peak, the tallest independent mountain within Nevada and the second highest point within the state (the highest point being Boundary Peak). The range also contains four of the five highest mountain peaks in Nevada, including all peaks greater than except for Boundary Peak.

Geography

Typical of other ranges in the

Basin and Range Province The Basin and Range Province is a vast physiographic region covering much of the inland Western United States and northwestern Mexico. It is defined by unique basin and range topography, characterized by abrupt changes in elevation, alternating ...

, the Snake Range runs in a north-south direction, for approximately . To the west are Spring Valley and the Schell Creek Range, and to the east across the

Utah Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to its ...

border are Snake Valley and the

Confusion Range The Confusion Range is a north-south trending mountain range in west-central Utah, United States. It is bounded by Snake Valley to the west, Tule Valley to the east, the Great Salt Lake Desert to the north, and the Ferguson Desert to the south ...

. Sacramento Pass () is where U.S. Route 6- 50, the "Loneliest Highway in America", crosses the range. It is the principal means of eastbound access to this part of eastern Nevada. Wheeler Peak and Snake Range

Natural history

is located in the southern section of the Snake Range. Established in 1986, it protects the unique geologic and habitat features of the mountain range and

Great Basin Desert The Great Basin Desert is part of the Great Basin between the Sierra Nevada (U.S.), Sierra Nevada and the Wasatch Range. The desert is a geographical region that largely overlaps the Great Basin shrub steppe defined by the World Wildlife Fund, a ...

, and their representations of the

Central Basin and Range ecoregion The Great Basin Desert is part of the Great Basin between the Sierra Nevada (U.S.), Sierra Nevada and the Wasatch Range. The desert is a geographical region that largely overlaps the Great Basin shrub steppe defined by the World Wildlife Fund, a ...

. The southern section also includes the natural rock

Lexington Arch Great Basin National Park is an American national park located in White Pine County in east-central Nevada, near the Utah border, established in 1986. The park is most commonly entered by way of Nevada State Route 488, which is connected to U ...

( span), and the Lehman Caves, both formed from the range's

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms w ...

. Several large groves of ancient

Great Basin Bristlecone Pine ''Pinus longaeva'' (commonly referred to as the Great Basin bristlecone pine, intermountain bristlecone pine, or western bristlecone pine) is a long-living species of bristlecone pine tree found in the higher mountains of California, Nevada, an ...

(''Pinus longaeva'') trees thrive in the

Great Basin montane forests The Great Basin montane forests is an ecoregion of the Temperate coniferous forests biome, as designated by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). Geography The Great Basin montane forests ecoregion is located in the Great Basin region of Nevada, easte ...

of the range's higher elevations. The higher elevations of the Snake Range in the northern section are protected by the Mount Moriah Wilderness Area, and in the southern section by the Highland Ridge Wilderness.

Peaks

Southern

The Snake Range includes two groups of peaks. The southern section rises quickly from a point near the border with Lincoln County, reaching the summit of Granite Peak () just to the north. From there northwards the range continues to rise, passing Lincoln Peak (), Mt. Washington (), Pyramid Peak (), Baker Peak (), and

Doso Doyabi Wheeler Peak is the tallest mountain in the Snake Range and in White Pine County, in Nevada, United States. The summit elevation of makes it the second-highest peak in Nevada, just behind Boundary Peak. With a topographic prominence of , Whee ...

(). It finally reaches its apex at Wheeler Peak ().

Northern

North of Wheeler Peak the range begins to drop, reaching at Sacramento Pass, just to the north. Sacramento Pass is where the more remote northern section of the range begins. In just the range rises past Silver Creek Canyon and Hendrys Creek Canyon to the summit of photogenic Mt. Moriah (). To the north of this peak is an unusual formation, a flat

plateau In geology and physical geography, a plateau (; ; ), also called a high plain or a tableland, is an area of a highland consisting of flat terrain that is raised sharply above the surrounding area on at least one side. Often one or more sides ...

of sub-

alpine tundra Alpine tundra is a type of natural region or biome that does not contain trees because it is at high elevation, with an associated harsh climate. As the latitude of a location approaches the poles, the threshold elevation for alpine tundra gets ...

called "The Table", covering about at an elevation of . A grove of ancient Great Basin Bristlecone Pines grows on this plateau near the peak. North of "The Table" is another unusual geologic feature. Deadman Creek and Smith Creek, draining eastward into Snake Valley, combine to carve a deep canyon into the range. The mouth of this canyon lies below cliffs, below and away from the summit of Mt. Moriah.

References

External links

Peakbagger.com (Snake Range)

Summitpost.org (Mt. Moriah)
{{Authority control Mountain ranges of Nevada Mountain ranges of the Great Basin Mountain ranges of White Pine County, Nevada Great Basin National Park