The Carson Range is a spur of the

Sierra Nevada The Sierra Nevada ( ) is a mountain range in the Western United States, between the Central Valley of California and the Great Basin. The vast majority of the range lies in the state of California, although the Carson Range spur lies primari ...

in eastern

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

and western

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a landlocked state in the Western United States. It borders Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the seventh-most extensive, th ...

that starts at Carson Pass and stretches north to the

Truckee River The Truckee River is a river in the U.S. states of California and Nevada. The river flows northeasterly and is long.U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed October 20, 2012 Th ...

near Verdi, Nevada.

Geography

The mountain range is about 50 miles (80 km) long and 5–10 miles (8–16 km) wide, with 3/4 of the range lying within the state of Nevada. The Carson Range, along with its parent the Sierra Nevada, together cast a

rain shadow A rain shadow is an area of significantly reduced rainfall behind a mountainous region, on the side facing away from prevailing winds, known as its leeward side. Evaporated moisture from body of water, bodies of water (such as oceans and larg ...

over the Greater Reno Area and

Carson City Carson City, officially the Carson City Consolidated Municipality, is an independent city and the capital of the U.S. state of Nevada. As of the 2020 census, the population was 58,639, making it the 6th most populous city in the state. The m ...

. Unlike the main crest of the Sierra Nevada to the west of

Lake Tahoe Lake Tahoe (; Washo language, Washo: ''dáʔaw'') is a Fresh water, freshwater lake in the Sierra Nevada of the Western United States, straddling the border between California and Nevada. Lying at above sea level, Lake Tahoe is the largest a ...

, the Carson Range loses its snow much earlier (April), and gains it much later (December). In fact, it receives about half the snowfall as mountains west of the lake. Meltwater from the range feeds into the

and West Fork Carson River, as well as Lake Tahoe and Marlette Lake. ;Principal Mountains

Transportation

The western slopes of the range form the eastern shoreline of

, along which US 50 and NV 28 form a partial ring road around Lake Tahoe. Travel between Lake Tahoe and Carson City is possible via US 50 over Spooner Summit, or NV 207 over Daggett Pass. Winding through the northern half of the range lies NV 431, connecting Incline Village to Reno over Mount Rose Summit. The Tahoe Rim Trail traverses this mountain range.

References

Mountain ranges of the Sierra Nevada (United States) Mountain ranges of Nevada Mountain ranges of Northern California Humboldt–Toiyabe National Forest Mountain ranges of El Dorado County, California Mountain ranges of Douglas County, Nevada Mountain ranges of Washoe County, Nevada {{ElDoradoCountyCA-geo-stub

Geography

Transportation

See also

References