The East Humboldt Range is a
mountain range
A mountain range or hill range is a series of mountains or hills arranged in a line and connected by high ground. A mountain system or mountain belt is a group of mountain ranges with similarity in form, structure, and alignment that have arise ...
in
Elko County,
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, ...
,
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 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
. It is located along the eastern edge of the upper
watershed of the
Humboldt River
The Humboldt River is an extensive river drainage system located in north-central Nevada. It extends in a general east-to-west direction from its headwaters in the Jarbidge, Independence, and Ruby Mountains in Elko County, to its terminus in th ...
, which flows to the southwest from its source just north of the range. The range reaches a maximum elevation of atop
Hole in the Mountain Peak. Most of the range is included within the Ruby Mountains Ranger District of the
Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest. In 1989, the
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is bicameral, composed of a lower body, the House of Representatives, and an upper body, the Senate. It meets in the U.S. Capitol in Washing ...
passed the
Nevada Wilderness Protection Act establishing over of the range as the
East Humboldt Wilderness. The range takes its name from the Humboldt River.
The name ultimately is derived from the
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
** Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ge ...
naturalist
Alexander von Humboldt
Friedrich Wilhelm Heinrich Alexander von Humboldt (14 September 17696 May 1859) was a German polymath, geographer, naturalist, explorer, and proponent of Romantic philosophy and science. He was the younger brother of the Prussian minister, ...
.
The East Humboldts run north-to-south for approximately . To the north are
Interstate 80 and the community of
Wells, while to the south are Secret Pass, the larger
Ruby Range, and
Ruby Valley
{{coord, 40.400, -115.300, display=title
Ruby Valley is a large basin located in south-central Elko and northern White Pine counties in the northeastern section of the state of Nevada in the western United States. From Secret Pass it runs south- ...
. To the east are
Clover Valley and
U.S. Route 93, and to the west are Starr Valley and Dennis Flats.
These mountains were formed by a tilted
fault-block
Fault blocks are very large blocks of rock, sometimes hundreds of kilometres in extent, created by tectonic and localized stresses in Earth's crust. Large areas of bedrock are broken up into blocks by faults. Blocks are characterized by relat ...
process, with gradual slopes and valleys to the west and a steep
escarpment
An escarpment is a steep slope or long cliff that forms as a result of faulting or erosion and separates two relatively level areas having different elevations.
The terms ''scarp'' and ''scarp face'' are often used interchangeably with ''esca ...
to the east. Both sides of the range show extensive evidence of
glaciation
A glacial period (alternatively glacial or glaciation) is an interval of time (thousands of years) within an ice age that is marked by colder temperatures and glacier advances. Interglacials, on the other hand, are periods of warmer climate be ...
during recent
ice age
An ice age is a long period of reduction in the temperature of Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in the presence or expansion of continental and polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers. Earth's climate alternates between ice ages and gre ...
s, including
U-shaped canyons,
moraines, and steeply carved granite
mountains,
cliffs
In geography and geology, a cliff is an area of rock which has a general angle defined by the vertical, or nearly vertical. Cliffs are formed by the processes of weathering and erosion, with the effect of gravity. Cliffs are common on co ...
, and
cirques. All of these features can be seen from the
paved road
A road surface (British English), or pavement (American English), is the durable surface material laid down on an area intended to sustain vehicular or foot traffic, such as a road or walkway. In the past, gravel road surfaces, hoggin, cob ...
from Wells to scenic
Angel Lake
Angel Lake is a glacial tarn in the northern part of the East Humboldt Range, in central Elko County in the northeastern part of the state of Nevada. It is located at approximately , and at an elevation of 8378 feet (2553 m). It has an area of a ...
.
The range begins with a dramatic rise from a point near the source of the Humboldt River and the community of Wells, at an elevation of , to the summit of
Greys Peak at . From there, the range continues south for nearly as a high crest, staying mostly above . The center section of this crest includes the range high point, Hole in the Mountain Peak. The southernmost high summit of the range is
Humboldt Peak (), after which the main crest begins a gradual descent, forming the northeastern slopes of Secret Pass and the eastern side of North Ruby Valley.
The range includes many
glacial
A glacial period (alternatively glacial or glaciation) is an interval of time (thousands of years) within an ice age that is marked by colder temperatures and glacier advances. Interglacials, on the other hand, are periods of warmer climate betwe ...
tarns, including
Angel Lake
Angel Lake is a glacial tarn in the northern part of the East Humboldt Range, in central Elko County in the northeastern part of the state of Nevada. It is located at approximately , and at an elevation of 8378 feet (2553 m). It has an area of a ...
, Smith Lake, Greys Lake, and Winchell Lake to the north, and Lizzie's Basin, Boulder Lakes, and Steele Lake in the central section.
Hiking trails run from Secret Pass up the western side of the range all the way around to Angel Lake, from Angel Lake to nearby Smith Lake, and from a trailhead near Angel Lake down the east side of the range to Winchell Lake and Lizzie's Basin. Public access is principally found at Angel Lake, a trailhead at the west end of Secret Pass, and via a primitive road at Weeks Canyon/Lizzie's Basin.
Image:ChimneyRockNV.jpg, Chimney Rock, above Angel Lake
Image:SmithLakeNV.jpg, Smith Lake (with Wells in the distance)
File:2015-10-27 14 56 50 View of the East Humboldt Range, Nevada from an airplane.jpg, View of the range from an airplane
See also
*
West Humboldt Range
References
External links
Angel Lake in the East Humboldt Range
{{Authority control
Mountain ranges of Nevada
Mountain ranges of Elko County, Nevada