Lamoille Canyon is the largest valley in the

Ruby Mountains The Ruby Mountains are a mountain range, primarily located within Elko County with a small extension into White Pine County, in Nevada, United States. Most of the range is included within the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest. The range reache ...

, located in the central portion of

Elko County Elko County is a county in the northeastern corner of Nevada, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 53,702. Its county seat is Elko. The county was established on March 5, 1869, from Lander County. Elko County is the fourth ...

in the northeastern section of the state of

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, 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. N ...

, 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 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. Approximately in length, it was extensively sculpted by

glaciers A glacier (; ) is a persistent body of dense ice that is constantly moving under its own weight. A glacier forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. It acquires distinguishing features, such as ...

in previous

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 gree ...

s. Lamoille Canyon begins at

Liberty Peak Liberty Peak is the name given to the officially unnamed mountain peak west of Liberty Pass in the Ruby Mountains of Elko County, Nevada, United States. It is located within the Ruby Mountains Wilderness of the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest. T ...

at an elevation of . It quickly descends to a glacial basin now occupied by

Lamoille Lake Lamoille Lake is a glacial tarn in the Ruby Mountains of Elko County, Nevada, United States. It is within the Ruby Mountains Ranger District of the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest. The lake is located at the head of Lamoille Canyon, at approxi ...

. A nearby granite shelf contains the picturesque Dollar Lakes. Further down the canyon is a large stand of

Whitebark pine ''Pinus albicaulis'', known by the common names whitebark pine, white bark pine, white pine, pitch pine, scrub pine, and creeping pine, is a conifer tree native to the mountains of the western United States and Canada, specifically subalpine ...

and the Road's End Trailhead, the high point () of

Lamoille Canyon Road Lamoille Canyon Road, also known as Lamoille Canyon Scenic Byway, is a National Forest Scenic Byway in Elko County, Nevada in the western United States. The road traverses Lamoille Canyon in the Ruby Mountains of northeastern Nevada, and it is ...

, which is a

National Forest Scenic Byway The National Forest Scenic Byways are roads that have been designated by the U.S. Forest Service as scenic byways. Many are also National Scenic Byways (NSB). The program was initiated in 1987. __TOC__ List The following roadways were listed b ...

. This is also the northern terminus of the

Ruby Crest National Recreation Trail Location of the Ruby Crest Trail within Nevada. Overland Lake North Furlong Lake Lamoille Lake (near) and Dollar Lakes The Ruby Crest National Recreation Trail is a National Recreation Trail in the upper elevations of the central Ruby Mounta ...

, and the start of the much shorter trail to Island Lake. A Snowy Lamoille Canyon

Road's End is where Lamoille Canyon begins a sweeping turn around the flanks of

Thomas Peak Thomas Peak is the second highest named mountain in both the Ruby Mountains and Elko County, in Nevada, United States. It is the thirty-fourth highest mountain in the state. The peak is located about southeast of the city of Elko in the Ruby ...

, . The glaciers have deeply carved the canyon, leaving a

U-shaped Many shapes have metaphorical names, i.e., their names are metaphors: these shapes are named after a most common object that has it. For example, "U-shape" is a shape that resembles the letter U, a bell-shaped curve has the shape of the vertical ...

cross section and, high on the side of Thomas Peak, four

hanging valley A valley is an elongated low area often running between hills or mountains, which will typically contain a river or stream running from one end to the other. Most valleys are formed by erosion of the land surface by rivers or streams ove ...

s (including Island Lake). The road then passes the Terraces Picnic Area (featuring more glacial remnants) and Verdi Peak. A nearby nature trail exhibits the diverse plant life in the canyon bottom. The canyon continues to descend to its junction with Thomas Canyon, which enters from the south. At the head of Thomas Canyon is Mount Fitzgerald (), and at its outlet is the Thomas Canyon Campground. About a mile below the campground, Lamoille Canyon passes through a narrow slot and then drops quickly to its junction with

Right Fork Canyon Right Fork Canyon is a major branch of Lamoille Canyon, located in the Ruby Mountains of Elko County, in the northeastern section of the state of Nevada in the western United States. Approximately 5 miles (8 km) in length, it was extensiv ...

, which also enters from the south. Near this point are Lamoille Falls, Camp Lamoille (available for group rental), and the north face of Mount Gilbert (). At Camp Lamoille the canyon has descended to . In the remaining 3 miles it descends another and exits the range at the Powerhouse Picnic Area, the site of a powerhouse built in 1913 for the Elko-Lamoille Power Company. It burned down in 1971, leaving only the foundation. Nearby are the communities of Lamoille and

Spring Creek A spring creek is a type of free flowing river whose name derives from its origin: an underground spring or set of springs which produces sufficient water to consistently feed a unique river. The water flowing in a spring creek may additionally be ...

Panorama

External links

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Lamoille Canyon
information for visitors {{Coord, 40.6915939, -115.4742251, format=dms, region:US-NV_source:gnis, display=title Landforms of Elko County, Nevada Ruby Mountains Valleys of Nevada

Canyons and gorges of Nevada This category contains canyons in the U.S. state of Nevada. 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 ...