The Steptoe Valley is a long basin located in

White Pine County White Pine County is a largely rural, mountain county along the central eastern boundary of the U.S. state of Nevada. As of the 2010 census, the population was 10,030. Its county seat is Ely. The name "(Rocky Mountain) white pine" is an old ...

, in northeastern

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a state in the 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. Nevada is the 7th-most extensive, ...

in the western

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 primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...

. From the historic community of

Currie Currie ( gd, Currach, IPA: �kʰuːᵲəx is a village and suburb on the outskirts of Edinburgh, Scotland, situated south west of the city centre. Formerly within the County of Midlothian, it now falls within the jurisdiction of the City of Edi ...

, the valley runs south for approximately 100 miles (160 km). To the west are the high

Egan Range The Egan Range is a line of mountains in White Pine County, in eastern Nevada in the western United States. From Egan Creek near the historic community of Cherry Creek, the range runs south for approximately 108 miles (173 km), extending so ...

and the Cherry Creek Range, while to the east is the even higher

Schell Creek Range The Schell Creek Range is a linear mountain range in central White Pine County, in east-central Nevada. Its length is approximately in a north-south direction. Most of the range is contained within the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest, with so ...

U.S. Route 93 U.S. Route 93 (US 93) is a major north–south numbered highway in the western United States. The southern terminus is at US 60 in Wickenburg, Arizona. The northern terminus is at the Canadian border north of Eureka in Lincoln Co ...

passes through much of the northern section of the valley, past the historic mining town of Cherry Creek and the communities of McGill and

Ely Ely or ELY may refer to: Places Ireland * Éile, a medieval kingdom commonly anglicised Ely * Ely Place, Dublin, a street United Kingdom * Ely, Cambridgeshire, a cathedral city in Cambridgeshire, England ** Ely Cathedral ** Ely Rural District, a ...

, before crossing the Schell Creek Range at Connors Pass. Also found in this valley are the

Ward Charcoal Ovens State Historic Park Ward Charcoal Ovens State Historic Park is an area designated for historic preservation and public recreation located south of the town of Ely in White Pine County, Nevada. The state park protects beehive-shaped charcoal ovens constructed in ...

, the Steptoe Valley Wildlife Management Area, and

Cave Lake State Park Cave Lake State Park is a public recreation area occupying more than in the Schell Creek Range, adjacent to Humboldt National Forest, in White Pine County, Nevada. The state park is located at an elevation of southeast of Ely and is accessed ...

. At Egan Canyon and Schellbourne Pass (near Cherry Creek), the

Overland Stage Line The Overland Trail (also known as the Overland Stage Line) was a stagecoach and wagon trail in the American West during the 19th century. While portions of the route had been used by explorers and trappers since the 1820s, the Overland Trail was ...

and the subsequent

Pony Express The Pony Express was an American express mail service that used relays of horse-mounted riders. It operated from April 3, 1860, to October 26, 1861, between Missouri and California. It was operated by the Central Overland California and Pik ...

and Transcontinental Telegraph made their way through the mountains of central Nevada in the 1860s. The valley is named after Colonel Edward Steptoe, who explored the region in 1854. The White Pine Energy Station and the Ely Energy Center, proposed in 2004 and 2006, were planned coal-fired power plants that were to be built in Steptoe Valley, but both projects were delayed in 2009.

References

{{Commons category Valleys of Nevada Valleys of White Pine County, Nevada