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. The Salt Lake City Public Library system 's main branch building is an architecturally unique structure in Salt Lake City, Utah. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The State of Utah (ˈjuːtɔː or) is a western state of the United States. Mountain peaks of the Rocky Mountains The Rocky Mountains, often called the Rockies, are a Mountain range in western North America. Mount Nebo is the name of Mount Nebo (Jordan, a mountain in western Jordan and the mountain where (according to the Bible the prophet Moses is believed to A foot (plural feet or foot; symbol or abbreviation ft or sometimes &prime – the prime symbol) is a non-SI unit The metre or meter is a unit of Length. It is the basic unit of Length in the Metric system and in the International A mountain range is a chain of Mountains bordered by highlands or separated from other mountains by passes or valleys The State of Idaho ( is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States of America. The State of Utah (ˈjuːtɔː or) is a western state of the United States. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the It is generally considered the western edge of the greater Rocky Mountains, and the eastern edge of the Great Basin region. Mountain peaks of the Rocky Mountains The Rocky Mountains, often called the Rockies, are a Mountain range in western North America. The Great Basin is a large arid region of the western United States. ^[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. The Bear River Mountains are a branch of the Wasatch Range located in northeastern Utah and southeastern Idaho. The State of Idaho ( is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States of America.

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

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. Mount Olympus in Utah, USA is one of the most prominent and recognizable mountains viewable from practically every location in the Salt Lake Valley. Salt Lake Valley is a 500 square mile valley in Salt Lake County in the north-central portion of the U 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. The Wasatch Front is an Urban area in the north-central part of the U Salt Lake City lies between the Wasatch Range and the Great Salt Lake. Salt Lake City is the Capital and the most populous city of the U Great Salt Lake, located in the northern part of the US state of Utah, is the largest salt lake in the western hemisphere the fourth-largest terminal

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. Mount Nebo is the southernmost and highest Mountain in the Wasatch Range of Utah, in the United States. Nephi is a city in Juab County, Utah, United States. It is part of the Provo &ndash Orem, Utah Metropolitan Statistical Area 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. Mount Timpanogos is the second highest Mountain in Utah 's Wasatch Range (second to Mount Nebo) Provo is a city in and the County seat Lone Peak is the center of the Lone Peak Wilderness Area which was established in 1978 Mount Olympus in Utah, USA is one of the most prominent and recognizable mountains viewable from practically every location in the Salt Lake Valley. There are actually two sets of well-known Twin Peaks of the Wasatch Front in Utah Ben Lomond Peak near Ogden Utah is probably the most famous of the peaks in the northern portion of the Wasatch Mountains. Ogden is a city in and the County seat of Weber County, Utah, United States.

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. The Uinta Mountains (juːˈɪntə are a high chain of mountains in northeastern Utah and extreme northwestern Colorado in the United States 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. "Snowfall" redirects here For other uses see Snow (disambiguation or Snowfall (disambiguation. 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. A ski area is a developed recreational facility usually on a Mountain or large Hill, containing ski trails and vital supporting services Alta is a Ski area located in the Wasatch Mountains just east of Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. Snowbird is a year-round ski and summer resort located in the U Brighton Ski Resort is a ski area located in Big Cottonwood Canyon near Salt Lake City Utah. Solitude Mountain Resort is a Ski resort located in Big Cottonwood Canyon of the Wasatch Mountains near Salt Lake City UT. Sundance is a popular Ski resort located near Provo Utah. It was bought by the Actor Robert Redford in 1968 presumably because Redford's wife Snowbasin is one of the oldest Ski resorts in the United States 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. Relative humidity is a measurement of the amount of Water vapor that exists in a gaseous mixture of air and water Lake-effect snow is produced in the winter when cold Arctic winds move across long expanses of warmer lake water providing energy and picking up Water vapor which freezes The 2002 Winter Olympic Games made especially good use of this high quality snow. The 2002 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XIX Olympic Winter Games were a Winter Multi-sport event which was celebrated in 2002

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. Little Cottonwood Canyon lies within the Wasatch-Cache National Forest along the eastern border of the Salt Lake Valley Granite (ˈɡrænɪt is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, Felsic, igneous rock. A climbing area is a small geographical region with a concentration of opportunities for Climbing. The Pfeifferhorn is the triangularly-shaped peak located in the most isolated part of the Lone Peak Wilderness Area of Utah's Wasatch Mountains. Further north, Big Cottonwood Canyon features tricky climbing on quartzite. Big Cottonwood Canyon is a Canyon in the Wasatch Range roughly southeast of Salt Lake City in the U Quartzite (from German Quarzit) not to be confused with the Mineral Quartz, is a hard Metamorphic rock which was originally

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]. Big Cottonwood Canyon is a Canyon in the Wasatch Range roughly southeast of Salt Lake City in the U Little Cottonwood Canyon lies within the Wasatch-Cache National Forest along the eastern border of the Salt Lake Valley 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.

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. Mountain biking entails the Sport of riding Bicycles off-road often over rough terrain whether riding specially equipped Mountain bikes or hybrid road bikes The word 'hiking' is understood in all English-speaking countries but there are differences in usage

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. Rock climbing is a Sport in which participants climb up or across natural rock formations or man-made rock walls with the goal of reaching the “Alpinist” redirects here See also Alpinist (magazine Mountaineering is the Sport, Hobby or Profession of Quartzite (from German Quarzit) not to be confused with the Mineral Quartz, is a hard Metamorphic rock which was originally Winter recreation includes excellent ski touring & ski mountaineering. Ski touring is a form of Backcountry skiing ( Off-piste Skiing) involving travelling over the winter landscape on Skis under human power rather Ski mountaineering is a Sport that combines the techniques of Skiing (often Ski touring) with those

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 Wasatch Mountain Club is a recreational outdoor club for adults based in Salt Lake City, Utah. 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. The Utah Native Plant Society (UNPS is a non-profit organization dedicated to the appreciation preservation conservation and responsible use of the Native plants and plant A particularly spectacular location for wildflowers in the late summer is Albion Basin at the top of Little Cottonwood Canyon. Little Cottonwood Canyon lies within the Wasatch-Cache National Forest along the eastern border of the Salt Lake Valley

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 Great Basin is a large arid region of the western United States. The Colorado Plateau, also called the Colorado Plateaus Province, is a physiographic region of the Intermontane Plateaus, roughly centered on the 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.

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. There are actually two sets of well-known Twin Peaks of the Wasatch Front in Utah Lone Peak is the center of the Lone Peak Wilderness Area which was established in 1978 Mount Timpanogos is the second highest Mountain in Utah 's Wasatch Range (second to Mount Nebo) 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. Draper is a city in Salt Lake and Utah Counties in the US state of Utah, located about 20 miles south of Salt Lake City along the Lone Peak is the center of the Lone Peak Wilderness Area which was established in 1978	View of the Wasatch Range from the Jordan Campus of Salt Lake Community College. West Jordan is a city in Salt Lake County, Utah, United States. Salt Lake Community College, often abbreviated SLCC and referred to locally as "Slick" is the largest two-year Community college in Utah.	A view of the Wasatch Mountains from a Sandy, Utah neighborhood. The Wasatch Range is a Mountain range that stretches about from the Utah- Idaho border south through central Utah in the western United States Sandy (also known as Sandy City) is a city in Salt Lake County, Utah, United States, and a suburb of Salt Lake City.	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

References

External links

• Directions on Hiking many Wasatch front peaks
• Aerial view of Wasatch Mountain Range