Snake Range
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Snake Range is a line of high mountains in eastern White Pine County, in east-central Nevada in the western United States. Typical of other ranges in the Basin and Range Province, it runs in a north-south direction, in this case for approximately 60 miles (96 km). To the west are Spring Valley and the Schell Creek Range, while to the east are the border with Utah, Snake Valley, and the Confusion Range.
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 (11,218 ft, 3419 m) just 10 miles (16 km) to the north. From there the range continues to rise, passing Lincoln Peak (11,597 ft, 3535 m), Mt. Washington (11,658 ft, 3553 m), Pyramid Peak (11,926 ft, 3635 m), Baker Peak (12,298 ft, 3748 m), Jeff Davis Peak (12,771 ft, 3893 m), and finally reaching its apex at Wheeler Peak (13,063 ft, 3981 m). This area also includes the 83-foot (25 m) span of Lexington Arch, and Lehman Caves, both cut into limestone. Several large groves of Great Basin Bristlecone Pines thrive in this region.
In 1986 this southern section of the range was selected as the location of the Great Basin National Park, recognizing both the unique geologic features of these mountains as well as their representation of the region as a whole.
From Wheeler Peak the range begins to drop, reaching 7154 feet (2180 m) at Sacramento Pass, just 11 miles to the north. Here is where U.S. Route 50, the "Loneliest Highway in America", crosses the range, and provides the principal means of access to this area of eastern Nevada.
Sacramento Pass is also where the more remote northern section of the range begins. In just 12 miles (19 km) it rises past Silver Creek and Hendrys Creek Canyons to the summit of photogenic Mt. Moriah (12,067 ft, 3678 m). To the north of this peak is an unusual formation, a flat surface of sub-alpine tundra called "The Table", covering about 2 square miles and lying at an elevation of 11,000 feet (3350 m). Nestled on this surface near the mountain is a grove of ancient Bristlecone Pines.
North of 'The Table' is yet 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 3000-foot cliffs, 6000 feet below (and just 6 miles away from) the summit of Mt. Moriah. The higher elevations of this northern section of the Snake Range is protected as the Mt. Moriah Wilderness Area.
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