Everything about The Ruby Mountains totally explained
The
Ruby Mountains comprise one of the many mountain ranges of the
Great Basin in the western
United States. They are the predominant range in
Elko County, in the northeastern section of the state of
Nevada. To the north is Secret Pass and the
East Humboldt Range, and from there the Rubies run south-southwest for about 80 miles (130 km). To the east lies
Ruby Valley, and to the west lie Huntington and Lamoille Valleys. The highest peak is
Ruby Dome (11,387 ft, 3470 m), located at 40°37.3'N and 115°28.5'W in the central core of the range, about 21 miles southeast of the community of
Elko.
The 'Rubies' were named after the
garnets found by early explorers. The central core of the range shows extensive evidence of
glaciation during recent
ice ages, including
U-shaped canyons,
moraines,
hanging valleys, and steeply carved granite
mountains,
cliffs, and
cirques. All of these features can be seen from the 12-mile paved National Scenic Byway up
Lamoille Canyon, which enters the range near the town of
Lamoille.
Major valleys include
Lamoille Canyon (and its branches Thomas and
Right Fork Canyons),
Seitz, Echo, Box, and Kleckner Canyons. Canyons to the north drain into the
Humboldt River, while a group of canyons above the Te-Moak tribal lands constitute the headwaters of the
South Fork of the Humboldt River. Major summits include
Ruby Dome, Ruby Pyramid,
Thomas Peak,
Liberty Peak,
Mount Fitzgerald,
Verdi Peaks,
Snow Lake Peak, Mt. Silliman, and
Mt. Gilbert. Prominent peaks further south are Wines,
King, Tipton, and Pearl Peaks. To the north are Old-Man-of-the-Mountain and Soldier Peaks.
The
glaciers often gouged out basins that are now alpine lakes. The larger of these include
Echo,
Liberty,
Favre,
Lamoille,
Castle, and
Griswold Lakes, while smaller
tarns include the scenic
Island,
Dollar,
Verdi,
Snow,
Box, and
Seitz Lakes. Further to the north are
Cold,
Hidden,
Soldier and
Robinson Lakes, while to the south are
North Furlong and
Overland Lakes. Water collected by the southern section of the Rubies seeps into the adjacent
Ruby Valley to form the
Ruby Lake National Wildlife Refuge.
The higher altitude sections of the range were designated as the 90,000 acre (364 km²)
Ruby Mountains Wilderness Area in 1989. The isolated Seitz and Echo Canyons are further preserved as an ecologically special Research Natural Area. The
Ruby Crest National Recreation Trail winds from Harrison Pass northward about 40 miles (64 km) to the Road's End Trailhead high in Lamoille Canyon. Principal recreational access can be found at Lamoille and Soldier Canyons on the west side of the range, and at the Overland Lake Trailhead to the east.
The eastern Great Basin is wetter than the western part in the
rain shadow of the
Sierra Nevada (U.S.) range. Moisture collected by this high range promoted the heavy
Pleistocene glaciation and still supports a wide variety of flora and fauna. Lower elevations are covered by
aspen trees, while higher up the
whitebark and
limber pines predominate.
Mountain goats,
bighorn sheep, mule deer,
mountain lions,
marmots,
beaver, and
pikas are common residents. A population of
Himalayan Snowcock was introduced from Pakistan, and is thriving among the high cliffs.
Further Information
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