Highland Ridge Wilderness
Encyclopedia
Highland Ridge Wilderness is a 68627 acres (278 km²) wilderness area in the southern part of the Snake Range
of White Pine County
, just south of Great Basin National Park
, in the U.S.
state of Nevada
. Located approximately 20 miles (32 km) south of the town of Baker
, the Wilderness was designated in 2006 and is administered by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management.
The topography of Highland Ridge Wilderness varies from gently sloping bajada
s to rolling foothills to steep ridgelines. This variety of terrain provides excellent habitat for wildlife including mule deer
, cougar, Northern Goshawk, and several species of bat
. The pinyon
and juniper
-covered mountains, steep rocky ridges, and deep drainages provide contiguous protection to some of the basin lands that comprise much of this region of the state.
Snake Range
The Snake Range is a line of high mountains in eastern White Pine County, in east-central Nevada in the western United States. Typical of other ranges in the Basin and Range Province, it runs in a north-south direction, in this case for approximately...
of White Pine County
White Pine County, Nevada
White Pine County is a county located in the U.S. state of Nevada. Its population at the 2010 census was 10,030. Its county seat is Ely. It is the home of Great Basin National Park...
, just south of Great Basin National Park
Great Basin National Park
Great Basin National Park is a United States National Park established in 1986, located in east-central Nevada near the Utah border. The park derives its name from the Great Basin, the dry and mountainous region between the Sierra Nevada and the Wasatch Mountains. Topographically, this area is...
, in the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
state of Nevada
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
. Located approximately 20 miles (32 km) south of the town of Baker
Baker, Nevada
Baker, Nevada is a small community and census-designated place in White Pine County, Nevada. It is located from Great Basin National Park on State Route 487. The town is named after an early settler, George W. Baker...
, the Wilderness was designated in 2006 and is administered by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management.
The topography of Highland Ridge Wilderness varies from gently sloping bajada
Bajada
Bajada may refer to:*Bajada a festival common to the Canary islands* Bajada, a compound Alluvial fan* La Bajada, an escarpment of the Caja del Rio, New Mexico, USA* Clint Bajada , Maltese TV and radio personality...
s to rolling foothills to steep ridgelines. This variety of terrain provides excellent habitat for wildlife including mule deer
Mule Deer
The mule deer is a deer indigenous to western North America. The Mule Deer gets its name from its large mule-like ears. There are believed to be several subspecies, including the black-tailed deer...
, cougar, Northern Goshawk, and several species of bat
Bat
Bats are mammals of the order Chiroptera "hand" and pteron "wing") whose forelimbs form webbed wings, making them the only mammals naturally capable of true and sustained flight. By contrast, other mammals said to fly, such as flying squirrels, gliding possums, and colugos, glide rather than fly,...
. The pinyon
Pinyon pine
The pinyon pine group grows in the southwestern United States and in Mexico. The trees yield edible pinyon nuts, which were a staple of the Native Americans, and are still widely eaten...
and juniper
Juniper
Junipers are coniferous plants in the genus Juniperus of the cypress family Cupressaceae. Depending on taxonomic viewpoint, there are between 50-67 species of juniper, widely distributed throughout the northern hemisphere, from the Arctic, south to tropical Africa in the Old World, and to the...
-covered mountains, steep rocky ridges, and deep drainages provide contiguous protection to some of the basin lands that comprise much of this region of the state.
See also
- List of wilderness areas in Nevada
- List of U.S. Wilderness Areas
- Wilderness ActWilderness ActThe Wilderness Act of 1964 was written by Howard Zahniser of The Wilderness Society. It created the legal definition of wilderness in the United States, and protected some 9 million acres of federal land. The result of a long effort to protect federal wilderness, the Wilderness Act was signed...
External links
- Highland Ridge Wilderness map and fact sheet - Nevada BLM
- Highland Ridge Wilderness - Friends of Nevada Wilderness