Snake Range
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| Snake Range | |
|---|---|
 Wheeler Peak, highest mountain in the Snake Range | |
| Highest point | |
| Peak | Wheeler Peak |
| Elevation | 13,063 ft (3,982 m) |
| Coordinates | 38°59′09″N 114°18′50″W / 38.98583°N 114.31389°W |
| Dimensions | |
| Length | 60 mi (97 km) North-South |
| Geography | |
 Location of the Snake Range within Nevada | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Nevada |
| Borders on | Schell Creek Range and Confusion Range |
The Snake Range is a mountain range in White Pine County, Nevada, United States.[1] The south-central portion of the range is included within Great Basin National Park, with most of the remainder included within the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest. The range reaches a maximum elevation of 13,065 feet (3,982 m) at the summit of Wheeler Peak, the tallest independent mountain within Nevada and the second highest point within the state (the highest point being Boundary Peak).[2] The range also contains four of the five highest mountain peaks in Nevada, including all peaks greater than 12,000 feet (3,658 m) except for Boundary Peak.[3]
Typical of other ranges in the Basin and Range Province, the Snake Range runs in a north–south direction, for approximately 60 miles (97 km).
To the west are Spring Valley and the Schell Creek Range, and to the east across the Utah border are Snake Valley and the Confusion Range. Sacramento Pass (7,154 feet [2,181 m]) is where U.S. Route 6-50, the "Loneliest Highway in America", crosses the range. It is the principal means of eastbound access to this part of eastern Nevada.
Natural history
Great Basin National Park is located in the southern section of the Snake Range. Established in 1986, it protects the unique geologic and habitat features of the mountain range and Great Basin Desert, and their representations of the Central Basin and Range ecoregion. The southern section also includes the natural rock Lexington Arch (83 feet (25 m) span), and the Lehman Caves, both formed from the range's limestone.
Several large groves of ancient Great Basin Bristlecone Pine (Pinus longaeva) trees thrive in the Great Basin montane forests of the range's higher elevations.
The higher elevations of the Snake Range in the northern section are protected by the Mount Moriah Wilderness Area, and in the southern section by the Highland Ridge Wilderness.
