Wasatch Range

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For the county, see Wasatch County, Utah.

Wasatch Range
Range
View of the Wasatch Range from the Salt Lake City Public Library
Country	United States
State	Utah

Part of	Rocky Mountains

Highest point	Mount Nebo
- elevation	11,928 ft (3,636 m)

The Wasatch Range is a mountain range that stretches about 160 miles (260 km) from the Utah- Idaho border, south through central Utah in the western United States. It is generally considered the western edge of the greater Rocky Mountains, and the eastern edge of the Great Basin region.^[1] The northern extension of the Wasatch Range, the Bear River Mountains, extends just into Idaho, constituting all of the Wasatch Range in that state.

According to the Utah History Encyclopedia, Wasatch in Ute means "mountain pass" or "low pass over high range."^[2]

1 History
2 Recreation
3 Geology and natural history
4 Images
5 References
6 External links

[edit] History

Mount Olympus, a prominent and recognizable mountain visible from much of the northern part of the Salt Lake Valley

Since the earliest days of settlement, the majority of Utah's population has chosen to settle along the range's western front, where numerous river drainages exit the mountains. The mountains were a vital source of water, timber, and granite for early settlers. Today, eighty-five percent of Utah's population lives within 15 miles (24 km) of the Wasatch range. This concentration is commonly known as the Wasatch Front urban area and has a population of just over 2,000,000 residents. Salt Lake City lies between the Wasatch Range and the Great Salt Lake.

At 11,928 feet (3,636 m), Mount Nebo, a triple peak rising above Nephi, Utah, at the southern end of the range, is the highest peak of the Wasatch. In many places the mountains rise immediately from the valley's base elevation of 4,330 feet (1,320 m) to well over 11,752 feet (3,582 m), producing steep inclines. This sharp "local relief" has reminded some mountain-lovers of the similar quick rise upward of the Tetons, 250 miles (400 km) north of the Wasatch in Wyoming. Other notable peaks include Mount Timpanogos, a massive peak which looms over Provo, Utah; Lone Peak, Mount Olympus, the Twin Peaks, which overlook Salt Lake City; and Ben Lomond just north of Ogden, Utah.

Since they top out just below 12,000 feet (3,700 m), Wasatch peaks are not especially high compared to the Colorado Rockies, and even the Uinta Mountains, the other main portion of the Rocky Mountains in Utah. Yet they are sculpted by glaciers, yielding notably rugged, sweeping upland scenery comparing well with other prominent ranges of western North America. They also receive heavy falls of snow, in many places over 500 inches (1,300 cm) a year. This great snowfall, with its runoff, made possible the Mormon success story here, leading to a prosperous urban strip of some 25 cities along nearly 100 miles (160 km) of mountain frontage. Many ski areas in the Wasatch take advantage of the snowfall, including Alta, Snowbird, Brighton, Solitude, Sundance, and Snowbasin. Due to low relative humidity in wintertime, along with the added lake effect from the Great Salt Lake, the snow has a dry, powdery texture which most of the local ski resorts market as "the greatest snow on earth!", perhaps only a mild overstatement. The 2002 Winter Olympic Games made especially good use of this high quality snow.

Several of the Wasatch canyons in the Lone Peak area, most notably Little Cottonwood Canyon, have a number of high-quality granite outcroppings, and make up a popular climbing area such as the Pfeifferhorn. Further north, Big Cottonwood Canyon features tricky climbing on quartzite.

The densely-vegetated narrow canyons of the Wasatch Range such as Big Cottonwood Canyon and Little Cottonwood Canyon are heavily visited; on September 25, 2005, 1,200 automobiles entered Little Cottonwood within one hour^[3]. The canyons are located within 24 miles (39 km) from downtown Salt Lake City and the year-round paved roadways can reach 5,000 ft (1,500 m) higher in elevation above the city's 4,000 ft (1,200 m), within that same short distance. Dirt roads readily drivable in passenger cars with moderate clearance stretch up from Park City, Heber, and Big Cottonwood Canyon. These reach about 10,000 feet (3,000 m) above sea level and provide impressive long-range high country views.

[edit] Recreation

In addition to the world class ski resorts, the Wasatch range is home to a host of other outdoor pursuits as well. Hundreds of miles of mountain biking and hiking trails wind through the canyons and alpine valleys of the Wasatch offering back country access in very close proximity to a large metropolitan area.

Outdoor enthusiasts can also find world class rock climbing and mountaineering on the towering granite and quartzite peaks and in many of the surrounding canyons. Winter recreation includes excellent ski touring & ski mountaineering.

Alpine lakes and streams offer somewhat over-worked fishing opportunities. The Wasatch Mountain Club calenders regular activities allowing one to experience the Wasatch Range. The Utah Native Plant Society regularly conducts walks from spring until fall along the foothills of the Central Wasatch Front and in adjoining canyons as the seasons progress. A particularly spectacular location for wildflowers in the late summer is Albion Basin at the top of Little Cottonwood Canyon.

[edit] Geology and natural history

West side of Mount Nebo, the tallest peak in the Wasatch range.

Mount Nebo, highest peak of the Wasatch, is located at the southern edge of the range. Here the Wasatch Rocky Mountain topographic or geological province begins to extend into central Utah's Great Basin and Colorado Plateau, two other huge topographic provinces which cover the rest of the state of Utah and extend into adjoining states. The Colorado Plateau comes to its northwest corner here as it meets the southern end of the Utah Rockies. Immediately west of these two, the Basin and Range province begins^[1] and stretches westward across Utah and Nevada until it reaches the Reno-Lake Tahoe region, where the Great Basin ends and the Sierra Nevada Mountains begin.

[edit] Images

The Salt Lake Valley urban area, a major portion of the Wasatch Front. The Wasatch Mountains extend both north and south of the valley.

The Salt Lake Valley, from left to right shown are Twin Peaks (11,489 ft or 3502 m), Lone Peak (11,253 ft or 3430 m), and Mount Timpanogos (11,722 ft or 3573 m) covered in clouds on the far right upper corner. Twin Peaks has a rise of 7,099 ft (2,164 m) or 2164 m from the valley floor. The valley floor depicted is almost completely urbanized.

Wasatch Mountains from space in the fall. Draper is along the west and Lone Peak casts its shadow in the upper right.	View of the Wasatch Range from the Jordan Campus of Salt Lake Community College.	A view of the Wasatch Mountains from a Sandy, Utah neighborhood.	An area in the Wasatch Mountains on the Bountiful-Farmington Loop Road Scenic Backway.
Wasatch Mountains in autumn.	A view of Provo Peak from the top of Y-mountain.	A view of folded limestone on the north side of Cascade Mountain in Provo Canyon.	View of Timpanogas from the top of Y-mountain. Squaw Peak can be seen in the fore-ground

[edit] References

^ ^a ^b Hiking the Wasatch, John Veranth, 1988, Salt Lake City.
^ [//www.media.utah.edu/UHE/w/WASATCHCT.html Utah History Encyclopedia].
^ [Fall a perfect time to explore Utah's canyons Tiffany Sadler. The Salt Lake Tribune. Salt Lake City, Utah: Oct 5, 2006.]

Geology of Utah, William Lee Stokes, Utah Museum of Natural History, Salt Lake City, 1986.
Wasatch Quartzite, John Gottman, Salt Lake City, 1979.
Wasatch Tours, Alexis Kelner & Dave Hanscom, Wasatch Publishers, Salt Lake City, 1976.
Flora of the Central Wasatch Front, Utah. L. Arnow, B. Albee, & A Wycoff, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, 1980.