Ruby Mountains

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For the Canadian volcano, see Ruby Mountain.

Location of the Ruby Mountains within Nevada

The Ruby Mountains comprise one of the many mountain ranges of the Great Basin in the western United States. They are the predominant range in Elko County, in the northeastern section of the state of Nevada. To the north is Secret Pass and the East Humboldt Range, and from there the Rubies run south-southwest for about 80 miles (130 km). To the east lies Ruby Valley, and to the west lie Huntington and Lamoille Valleys. The highest peak is Ruby Dome (11,387 ft, 3470 m), located at 40°37.3'N and 115°28.5'W in the central core of the range, about 21 miles southeast of the community of Elko.

Central Ruby Mountains, with Ruby Dome (middle)

The 'Rubies' were named after the garnets found by early explorers. The central core of the range shows extensive evidence of glaciation during recent ice ages, including U-shaped canyons, moraines, hanging valleys, and steeply carved granite mountains, cliffs, and cirques. All of these features can be seen from the 12-mile paved National Scenic Byway up Lamoille Canyon, which enters the range near the town of Lamoille.

Lamoille Canyon

Major valleys include Lamoille Canyon (and its branches Thomas and Right Fork Canyons), Seitz, Echo, Box, and Kleckner Canyons. Canyons to the north drain into the Humboldt River, while a group of canyons above the Te-Moak tribal lands constitute the headwaters of the South Fork of the Humboldt River. Major summits include Ruby Dome, Ruby Pyramid, Thomas Peak, Liberty Peak, Mount Fitzgerald, Verdi Peaks, Snow Lake Peak, Mt. Silliman, and Mt. Gilbert. Prominent peaks further south are Wines, King, Tipton, and Pearl Peaks. To the north are Old-Man-of-the-Mountain and Soldier Peaks.

Liberty, Favre, and Castle Lakes

The glaciers often gouged out basins that are now alpine lakes. The larger of these include Echo, Liberty, Favre, Lamoille, Castle, and Griswold Lakes, while smaller tarns include the scenic Island, Dollar, Verdi, Snow, Box, and Seitz Lakes. Further to the north are Cold, Hidden, Soldier and Robinson Lakes, while to the south are North Furlong and Overland Lakes. Water collected by the southern section of the Rubies seeps into the adjacent Ruby Valley to form the Ruby Lake National Wildlife Refuge.

Mt. Gilbert and Right Fork Canyon

The higher altitude sections of the range were designated as the 90,000 acre (364 km²) Ruby Mountains Wilderness Area in 1989. The isolated Seitz and Echo Canyons are further preserved as an ecologically special Research Natural Area. The Ruby Crest National Recreation Trail winds from Harrison Pass northward about 40 miles (64 km) to the Road's End Trailhead high in Lamoille Canyon. Principal recreational access can be found at Lamoille and Soldier Canyons on the west side of the range, and at the Overland Lake Trailhead to the east.

Mountain Goats on the Ruby Crest

The eastern Great Basin is wetter than the western part in the rain shadow of the Sierra Nevada (U.S.) range. Moisture collected by this high range promoted the heavy Pleistocene glaciation and still supports a wide variety of flora and fauna. Lower elevations are covered by aspen trees, while higher up the whitebark and limber pines predominate. Mountain goats, bighorn sheep, mule deer, mountain lions, marmots, beaver, and pikas are common residents. A population of Himalayan Snowcock was introduced from Pakistan, and is thriving among the high cliffs.