Virginia Range

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Virginia Range is a mountain range located in northwestern Nevada in the United States. Virtually all of it is in Storey County. The range is bounded to the west by the Truckee Meadows and the Washoe Valley, to the north by the Truckee River, to the south by the Carson River and to the east by the Lahontan Valley.

Unlike most mountain ranges in Nevada which consist of a distinct north-south running ridge, the Virginia Range has no single ridge and generally runs southwest-northeast. The Virginia Range is also unusual in that it has mostly acidic soils, whereas most of Nevada has alkaline soils. This has led to the dominance of Jeffrey Pine in areas where one would otherwise expect to see Single-leaf Pinyon Pine and Utah Juniper.

The Virginia Range is the site of the famous Comstock Lode and Virginia City.