The Carson Range is a spur of the

Sierra Nevada The Sierra Nevada () is a mountain range in the Western United States, between the Central Valley of California and the Great Basin. The vast majority of the range lies in the state of California, although the Carson Range spur lies primar ...

in eastern

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

and western

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 ...

that starts at Carson Pass and stretches north to the

Truckee River The Truckee River is a river in the U.S. states of California and Nevada. The river flows northeasterly and is long.U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed October 20, 2012 Th ...

near Verdi, Nevada.

Geography

The mountain range is about 50 miles (80 km) long and 5–10 miles (8–16 km) wide, with 3/4 of the range lying within the state of Nevada. The Carson Range, along with its parent the Sierra Nevada, together cast a

rain shadow A rain shadow is an area of significantly reduced rainfall behind a mountainous region, on the side facing away from prevailing winds, known as its leeward side. Evaporated moisture from water bodies (such as oceans and large lakes) is ca ...

over the Greater Reno Area and

Carson City Carson City is an independent city and the capital of the U.S. state of Nevada. As of the 2020 census, the population was 58,639, making it the sixth largest city in Nevada. The majority of the city's population lives in Eagle Valley, on th ...

. Unlike the main crest of the Sierra Nevada to the west of

Lake Tahoe Lake Tahoe (; was, Dáʔaw, meaning "the lake") is a freshwater lake in the Sierra Nevada of the United States. Lying at , it straddles the state line between California and Nevada, west of Carson City. Lake Tahoe is the largest alpine lake i ...

, the Carson Range loses its snow much earlier (April), and gains it much later (December). In fact, it receives about half the snowfall as mountains west of the lake. Meltwater from the range feeds into the

and West Fork Carson River, as well as Lake Tahoe and

Marlette Lake The Marlette Lake Water System was created to provide water for the silver mining boom in Virginia City, Nevada. These structures are now listed as a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark by the American Society of Civil Engineers, and ...

. ;Principal Mountains

Transportation

The western slopes of the range form the eastern shoreline of

, along which

US 50 U.S. Route 50 or U.S. Highway 50 (US 50) is a major east–west route of the U.S. Highway system, stretching from Interstate 80 (I-80) in West Sacramento, California, to Maryland Route 528 (MD 528) in Ocean City, Maryland, on the Atlantic ...

and NV 28 form a partial ring road around Lake Tahoe. Travel between Lake Tahoe and Carson City is possible via

over

Spooner Summit Spooner Summit is a mountain pass through the Carson Range, linking the Lake Tahoe Area to Carson City via US 50. The highest point of the pass is located just east of Spooner Lake just before the first set of curves when traveling eastbound ...

, or NV 207 over Daggett Pass. Winding through the northern half of the range lies NV 431, connecting

Incline Village Incline Village is a census-designated place (CDP) on the north shore of Lake Tahoe in Washoe County, Nevada, United States. The population was 8,777 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Reno− Sparks Metropolitan Statistical Area. Until the 2 ...

Reno Reno ( ) is a city in the northwest section of the U.S. state of Nevada, along the Nevada-California border, about north from Lake Tahoe, known as "The Biggest Little City in the World". Known for its casino and tourism industry, Reno is th ...

over

Mount Rose Summit Mount Rose Summit is a mountain pass located in the Carson Range near Mount Rose and Slide Mountain, northeast of Incline Village, Nevada, United States.Google Earth images. The pass is traversed by State Route 431, which is the highest poi ...

. The Tahoe Rim Trail traverses this mountain range.

References

Mountain ranges of the Sierra Nevada (United States) Mountain ranges of Nevada Mountain ranges of Northern California Humboldt–Toiyabe National Forest Mountain ranges of El Dorado County, California Mountain ranges of Douglas County, Nevada Mountain ranges of Washoe County, Nevada {{ElDoradoCountyCA-geo-stub

Geography

Transportation

See also

References