View source for Wasatch Range

{{Short description|Sub-range of the Rocky Mountains in the western United States}}
{{About|the mountain range in the western United States|other uses|Wasatch (disambiguation){{!}}Wasatch}}
{{Distinguish|text=the [[Wasatch Plateau]] or the [[Sawatch Range]]}}
{{Infobox mountain
| name= Wasatch Range
| photo= Jan_14_06_eastern_Salt_Lake_County_UT_USA.JPG
| photo_caption= View of the Wasatch Range from the [[Salt Lake City Public Library]], January 2006
| country= United States
| subdivision1_type= States
| subdivision1= {{hlist|[[Utah]]|[[Idaho]]}}
| parent= [[Rocky Mountains]]
| highest= [[Mount Nebo (Utah)|Mount Nebo]]
| range_coordinates = {{Coord|40|29|24|N|111|41|46|W|region:US-UT_type:mountain|display=inline,title}}
| elevation_ft= 11928
| map= Utah
| map_caption=
}}

The '''Wasatch Range''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|w|ɑː|s|æ|tʃ}} {{respell|WAH|satch}}) or '''Wasatch Mountains''' is a [[mountain range]] in the western [[United States]] that runs about {{convert|160|mi|km}} from the [[Utah]]-[[Idaho]] border south to central [[Utah]].<ref>{{Cite GNIS|1447008|Wasatch Range}}</ref> It is the western edge of the greater [[Rocky Mountains]], and the eastern edge of the [[Great Basin]] region.<ref name="Hiking">''Hiking the Wasatch'', John Veranth, 1988, Salt Lake City, {{ISBN|978-0-87480-628-1}}</ref> The northern extension of the Wasatch Range, the [[Bear River Mountains]], extends just into [[Idaho]], constituting all of the Wasatch Range in that state.

In the language of the native [[Ute people]], Wasatch means "mountain pass" or "low pass over high range."<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |url=https://www.uen.org/utah_history_encyclopedia/w/WASATCH_COUNTY.shtml |title=Wasatch County |last=Fuller |first=Craig |encyclopedia=Utah History Encyclopedia |access-date=24 March 2019 |archive-date=9 February 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190209093436/https://www.uen.org/utah_history_encyclopedia/w/WASATCH_COUNTY.shtml |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=z3Pqk9tazU4C&pg=PA390 |title=Utah Place Names: A Comprehensive Guide to the Origins of Geographic Names: A Compilation |last=Van Cott |first=John W. |publisher=[[University of Utah Press]] |location=Salt Lake City |page=390 |year=1990 |access-date=24 March 2019 |isbn=978-0-87480-345-7 |oclc=797284427 |archive-date=3 June 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240603054906/https://books.google.com/books?id=z3Pqk9tazU4C&pg=PA390#v=onepage&q&f=false |url-status=live }}</ref> According to [[William Bright]], the mountains were named for a [[Shoshone people|Shoshoni]] leader who was named with the Shoshoni term ''wasattsi'', meaning "blue heron".<ref name="Bright2004">{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5XfxzCm1qa4C&pg=PA549 |title=Native American Placenames of the United States |last=Bright |first=William |author-link=William Bright |publisher=[[University of Oklahoma Press]] |year=2004 |location=Norman, Oklahoma |page=549 |isbn=978-0-8061-3598-4 |access-date=22 November 2015 |archive-date=3 June 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240603054912/https://books.google.com/books?id=5XfxzCm1qa4C&pg=PA549#v=onepage&q&f=false |url-status=live }}</ref> In 1926, Cecil Alter quoted Henry Gannett from 1902, who said that the word meant "land of many waters," then posited, "the word is a common one among the Shoshones, and is given to a berry basket" carried by women.<ref>Salt Lake Tribune, 16 May 1926</ref>

==Overview==
[[File:Mount Olympus Utah.jpg|thumb|left|[[Mount Olympus (Utah)|Mount Olympus]], a prominent and recognizable mountain visible from much of the [[Salt Lake Valley]], August 2005]]
Since the earliest days of European settlement, most of Utah's population has chosen to settle along the range's western front, where numerous rivers exit the mountains. For early settlers, the mountains were a vital source of water, timber, and granite. Today, 85% of Utah's population lives within {{convert|15|mi|km}} of the Wasatch Range, mainly in the valleys just to the west. This westside concentration is known as the [[Wasatch Front]] and has a population just shy of 3 million. [[Salt Lake City]] lies between the Wasatch Range and the [[Great Salt Lake]].

[[File:SandyUtahView.JPG|thumb|right|The Wasatch Mountains in the fall, September 2003]]
The range's highest point — {{convert|11928|ft|m}} — is [[Mount Nebo (Utah)|Mount Nebo]], a triple peak rising above [[Nephi, Utah|Nephi]], at the southern end of the range. In some places the mountains rise steeply from the valley's base elevation of {{convert|4330|ft|m}} to over {{convert|11000|ft|m}}. Other notable peaks include [[Mount Timpanogos]], a massive peak that looms over northern [[Utah County, Utah|Utah County]] and is especially prominent from [[Pleasant Grove, Utah|Pleasant Grove]] and [[Orem, Utah|Orem]]; [[Lone Peak]], the [[Broads Fork Twin Peaks|Twin Peaks]]<!-- Broads Fork or American Fork? -->, and [[Mount Olympus (Utah)|Mount Olympus]], which overlooks the [[Salt Lake Valley]]; [[Francis Peak]] overlooking both Morgan and Davis counties; and [[Ben Lomond Mountain (Utah)|Ben Lomond]] and [[Mount Ogden]], both towering over [[Ogden, Utah|Ogden]].

[[Image:Squaw Peak Provo, Utah.JPG|thumb|left|Kyhv Peak over Rock Canyon at sunset as seen from the campus of [[Brigham Young University]] in [[Provo, Utah|Provo]], August 2012]]
Topping out below {{convert|12000|ft|m}}, Wasatch peaks are not especially high compared to the [[Rocky Mountains]] of Colorado or even the [[Uinta Mountains]] (the other main portion of the Rocky Mountains in Utah). However, they are sculpted by glaciers, yielding notably rugged, sweeping upland scenery. They also receive heavy snowfall: more than {{convert|500|in|cm}} per year in some places. This great snowfall, with its runoff, made possible a prosperous urban strip of some 25 cities along nearly {{convert|100|mi|km}} of mountain frontage. The Wasatch Range is home to a high concentration of ski areas, with 11 stretching from [[Sundance Ski Resort|Sundance]] in northeastern Utah County to [[Powder Mountain]] and [[Nordic Valley Ski Area]] northeast of [[Ogden, Utah|Ogden]]. There are also two ski resorts in the [[Bear River Mountains]] ([[Beaver Mountain]] and [[Cherry Peak Resort]]). [[Park City, Utah|Park City]] alone is bordered by two ski resorts. Due to the low [[relative humidity]] in wintertime, along with the added [[Great Salt Lake effect|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". The snow and nearby ski resorts helped Salt Lake City gain the right to host the [[2002 Winter Olympics]].

Several of the canyons in the Lone Peak area, most notably [[Little Cottonwood Canyon]], have several high-quality [[granite]] outcroppings, and make up a popular [[climbing area]] such as the [[Pfeifferhorn]]. Farther 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 25 September 2005, 1,200 automobiles entered Little Cottonwood in an hour.<ref>{{cite news |title=Fall a perfect time to explore Utah's canyons |last=Sadler |first=Tiffany |newspaper=[[The Salt Lake Tribune]] |publisher=Huntsman Family Investments, LLC |location=Salt Lake City |date=5 October 2006}}</ref> The canyons sit within {{convert|24|mi|km}} of downtown Salt Lake City and the year-round paved roadways can reach {{convert|5000|ft|m}} higher in elevation above the city within a 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 {{convert|10000|ft|m}} above sea level and provide long-range high country views.

==Geography and geology==
[[File:Wasatch Plateau.png|thumb|Wasatch Plateau geologic cross-section, where Kmt and Kmf are the Tununk and Ferron Sandstone members of the Mancos Shale, Km. Kmv is the Mesaverde Group, and Tkn is the North Horn Formation.]]
[[File:Spanish Fork Peak from Y Mountain.jpg|thumb|left|West side of [[Mount Nebo (Utah)|Mount Nebo]], the highest peak in the Wasatch Range, unknown date]]

The Wasatch Range's origins are rooted in the [[Sevier orogeny|Sevier Orogeny]]. As the Farallon plate subducted under the North American plate between the Jurassic and Paleogene, the regional stress regime became a maximum striking east to west. This horizontal compression caused thin skinned imbricated thrust faults resulting in as much as 50% crustal shortening of the western North American Plate.<ref>{{cite journal |url=https://doi.org/10.1016/j.earscirev.2015.08.001 |doi=10.1016/j.earscirev.2015.08.001 |title=Tectonic evolution of the Sevier and Laramide belts within the North American Cordillera orogenic system |year=2015 |last1=Yonkee |first1=W. Adolph |last2=Weil |first2=Arlo Brandon |journal=Earth-Science Reviews |volume=150 |pages=531–593 |bibcode=2015ESRv..150..531Y |url-access=subscription |access-date=2 March 2023 |archive-date=3 June 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240603054910/https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0012825215300258?via%3Dihub |url-status=live |doi-access=free }}</ref> The Wasatch anticlinorium represented the furthest eastern margins of these Sevier origin imbricated thrusts. Once the Farallon plate had largely subducted, the NW moving Pacific plate latched onto the North American Plate, causing a change in regional stress. Sevier thrust ramps were reactivated into normal faults, causing crustal extension as the Pacific plate drags the western margins of the North American plate to the NW. The current Wasatch range continues to grow via normal faults as the valley drops in periodic motion. Mount Nebo, the highest peak of the Wasatch, is at the southern edge of the range. The [[Colorado Plateau]] comes to its northwest corner as it meets the southern end of the Rocky Mountains. Immediately west of these two, the [[Great Basin]], which is the northern region of the [[Basin and Range Province]], begins and stretches westward across western Utah and [[Nevada]] until it reaches the [[Sierra Nevada (U.S.)|Sierra Nevada]] near the Nevada/[[California]] border. Geologic faults punctuate the range, chief among them the [[Wasatch Fault]]. These faults also formed the [[Timpanogos Cave National Monument|Timpanogos Cave]].

A series of mountain valleys punctuate the northern Wasatch Range. While the western side of the range drops sharply to the floors of the Wasatch Front valleys, the eastern side of the range is gentler, allowing for the construction of several ski resorts. The Cottonwoods, a particularly rugged and dense area just east of the Salt Lake Valley, shelters small mountain coves that harbor four world-famous ski resorts ([[Alta Ski Area|Alta]], [[Brighton Ski Resort|Brighton]], [[Solitude Mountain Resort|Solitude]], and [[Snowbird ski resort|Snowbird]]). The eastern slopes of the Cottonwoods drop to the [[Snyderville Basin]], which contains Park City and its two ski resorts ([[Park City Mountain Resort]] and [[Deer Valley]]). Much of the eastern side of the range, from north of Salt Lake City to the Bear River Mountains, is especially gentle compared to the rest of the range. The range widens east of Ogden, sheltering a high mountain valley known as the Ogden Valley. Three more ski resorts lie here, as well as several small towns (such as [[Huntsville, Utah|Huntsville]], [[Liberty, Utah|Liberty]], and [[Eden, Utah|Eden]]).

[[File:Wasatch Range Salt Lake County UT United States 2006.JPG|thumb|right|The Wasatch Range viewed from Jordan Campus of [[Salt Lake Community College]], March 2006]]
North of this, the [[Wellsville Mountains]] branch off from the northwest of the range, continuing a line of mountains paralleling the [[Interstate 15|I-15]] corridor. This range is exceptionally thin and steep. However, [[U.S. Route 89 in Utah|US-89]]/[[U.S. Route 91 in Utah|US-91]] is maintained as a four-lane highway through the range at Wellsville Canyon east of [[Brigham City, Utah|Brigham City]]. [[Cache Valley]], created by the [[Bear River (Great Salt Lake)|Bear River]], is flanked on the west by the Wellsville Mountains and on the east by the much denser and higher Bear River Mountains. The northwestern border of Cache Valley is flanked by the Bannock Range in [[Idaho]]. The two highest peaks in this area are [[Naomi Peak|Mount Naomi]] and [[Logan Peak|Mount Logan]], each just under {{convert|10000|ft|m}}.

[[File:USA Region West relief Wasatch Range location map.jpg|thumb|left|The western [[United States]] with the Wasatch Range outlined in red]]
The southeastern portion of the range across [[Wasatch County, Utah|Wasatch County]] transforms into the relatively flat, windswept Wasatch Plateau at an elevation of about {{convert|8500|ft|m}} to {{convert|9500|ft|m}}. At its southeastern edge, just north of [[Helper, Utah|Helper]], it runs into the [[Book Cliffs]]. Further north, the [[Heber, Utah|Heber]] Valley and Weber River Valley separate the Wasatch Range from the [[Uinta Mountains]], while the Bear River Valley and [[Bear Lake (Idaho-Utah)|Bear Lake]] Valley separate it from lower mountain ranges that mark the western edge of the [[Green River (Colorado River tributary)|Green River]] Basin.

The Wasatch Range is traversed by just seven highways, along with several rugged mountain roads and unpaved trails. The most prominent are [[Interstate 80 in Utah|I-80]] through [[Parley's Canyon]] east of Salt Lake City and [[Interstate 84 in Utah|I-84]] through [[Weber Canyon]] southeast of Ogden. They meet near the [[ghost town]] of [[Echo, Utah|Echo]] on the eastern slopes of the range and continue northeast as I‑80. Other highways through the range include [[U.S. Route 6 in Utah|US-6]]/[[U.S. Route 89 in Utah|US-89]] through [[Spanish Fork Canyon]], [[U.S. Route 189 in Utah|US-189]] through [[Provo Canyon]], [[Utah State Route 39]] extending east from Huntsville (a route which is closed in winter), US‑89/[[U.S. Route 91 in Utah|US-91]] through [[Logan Canyon]], and along [[Idaho State Highway 36]] near the northern end of the range.

The [[Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad]] had a line through the Wasatch Range via [[Soldier Summit, Utah|Soldier Summit Pass]] and Spanish Fork Canyon. Now operated by the [[Union Pacific Railroad]], the line is used by freight trains and [[Amtrak]]'s ''[[California Zephyr]]''.

==Ecology==
The Wasatch Range is part of the Wasatch and Uinta Mountains Level 3 Ecoregion,<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://pubs.er.usgs.gov/publication/pp1794A9 |title=USGS Wasatch and Uinta Mountains Level 3 Ecoregion |doi=10.3133/pp1794A9 |access-date=18 September 2017 |archive-date=9 July 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170709134116/https://pubs.er.usgs.gov/publication/pp1794A9 |url-status=live }}</ref> a [[temperate coniferous forest]]. Common trees include [[Douglas fir]] (''Pseudotsuga menziesii''), [[subalpine fir]] (''Abies bifolia''), [[Engelmann spruce]] (''Picea engelmannii''), [[Colorado blue spruce]] (''Picea pungens''), and [[quaking aspen]] (''Populus tremuloides''). [[Gambel oak]] (''Quercus gambelii'') is common on the foothills of the range from just south of [[Brigham City, Utah|Brigham City]] in the north, to the southern extension of the Wasatch Range. It is not found in the northern portion of the Range. [[Ponderosa pine]] (''Pinus ponderosa''), while abundant elsewhere in Utah is not common in this mountain range, except in plantations in [[Big Cottonwood Canyon]] southeast of Salt Lake City and in [[Logan Canyon]], east of Logan. Some individual trees have been found in remote areas of the Wasatch Range that appear to be relic individuals from past populations.

Subspecies of [[big sagebrush]] (''Artemisia tridentata'') dominate drier portions of the landscapes. Most of the sagebrush that occurs in the Wasatch Range is [[mountain big sagebrush]] (''Artemisia tridentata ssp. vaseyana''). Many of the valley bottoms at one time were occupied by [[basin big sagebrush]] (''Artemisia tridentata ssp. tridentata''). Most of this subspecies has been removed, however, because it occurred on what constitutes prime agricultural lands. In upper elevations, and on slightly more mesic sites than that of mountain big sagebrush, one can find subalpine big sagebrush (''Artemisia tridenta ssp. spiciformis'').<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://plants.usda.gov/plant-profile?symbol=ARTRS2 |title=USDA-ARTRS2 |access-date=13 March 2015 |archive-date=2 April 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402124930/http://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=ARTRS2 |url-status=live }}</ref> This subspecies occupies productive sites and often has a lush understory of wildflowers and grasses. [[Wyoming big sagebrush]] (''Artemisia tridentata ssp. wyomingensis'') occurs at the lowest and driest elevations, although much of the Wasatch Range is above the elevation where this subspecies occurs.<ref>Winward, A.H. 2004. Sagebrush of Colorado: taxonomy, distribution, ecology and management. Colorado Division of Wildlife. Denver, CO. 46 p.</ref> All sagebrush species, combined, provide critical habitat to [[greater sage grouse]], a species under consideration for listing by the [[United States Fish and Wildlife Service]].

The Wasatch Range is home to several plants that occur nowhere other than in this area. Several of these are rare and restricted to narrow geological formations, while others are more widely distributed throughout the area. Some of the less rare endemics include five-petal cliffbush (''[[Jamesia americana]]'' var. ''macrocalyx''),<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://plants.usda.gov/plant-profile?symbol=JAAMM |title=USDA-JAAMM |access-date=13 March 2015 |archive-date=2 April 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402151404/http://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=JAAMM |url-status=live }}</ref> Sierra fumewort (''[[Corydalis caseana]]'' ssp. ''brachycarpa''),<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://plants.usda.gov/plant-profile?symbol=COCAB |title=USDA - COCAB |access-date=13 March 2015 |archive-date=2 April 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402111957/http://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=COCAB |url-status=live }}</ref> and Utah angelica (''[[Angelica wheeleri]]'').<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://plants.usda.gov/plant-profile?symbol=ANWH |title=USDA-ANWH |access-date=13 March 2015 |archive-date=2 April 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402120327/http://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=ANWH |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Recreation==
[[File:Alta Albion Basin Entrance.jpg|thumb|right|[[Alta Ski Area|Alta ski resort]] in [[Little Cottonwood Canyon]], February 2009]]
In addition to ski resorts, there are hundreds of miles of [[mountain biking]] and [[hiking]] trails winding through the canyons and alpine valleys of the Wasatch Range. These offer backcountry access close to a large metropolitan area. There is [[rock climbing]] and [[mountaineering]] on the towering [[limestone]], [[granite]], and [[quartzite]] peaks and in many of the surrounding canyons.

Winter recreation includes [[ski touring]], [[ski mountaineering]], and [[snowshoe]]ing.

Alpine lakes and streams offer somewhat overworked fishing opportunities. The [[Wasatch Mountain Club]] has regular activities. The [[Utah Native Plant Society]] conducts regular walks from spring until fall along the foothills of the central Wasatch Front and in adjoining canyons as the season progresses. Many wildflowers bloom in the late summer in Albion Basin at the top of [[Little Cottonwood Canyon]].
{{Clear}}
{{wide image|Wasatchfront.jpg|2000px|The [[Salt Lake Valley]] urban area, a major portion of the Wasatch Front. The Wasatch Mountains extend both north and south of the valley.}}

==See also==
{{Portal|Mountains|Utah}}
* [[List of mountain ranges of Utah]]
* [[List of mountain ranges of Idaho]]

==References==
{{Reflist|22em}}
{{Refbegin}}
* ''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.
* Gori, P.L. and Hays, W.W. (Eds.) (2000). ''Assessment of regional earthquake hazards and risk along the Wasatch Front, Utah'' [U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 1500-K-R]. Reston, VA: U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey.
{{Refend}}

==Further reading==
* Parry, William T. (2005). ''A Hiking Guide to the Geology of the Wasatch Mountains: Mill Creek and Neffs Canyons, Mount Olympus, Big and Little Cottonwood and Bells Canyons'', {{ISBN|978-0-87480-839-1}}.
* Veranth, John (1991). ''Wasatch Winter Trails'', {{ISBN|978-0-87480-629-8}}.
* Veranth, John (2014). ''Hiking the Wasatch''. 3rd Ed. Salt Lake City: University of Utah Press. {{ISBN|978-1-60781-325-5}}
* Winters, Randy (2006). ''Utah's Eleveners: A Hiking and Climbing Guide to the 11,000-foot Mountains of Utah's Wasatch Range'', {{ISBN|978-0-87480-864-3}}.

==External links==
{{Commons category|Wasatch Range}}
* [http://www.airliners.net/open.file/1011345/L/ Aerial view of Wasatch Range]
* [http://www.micksmtn.20m.com/index.html Image of Cottonwood Ridge]

{{Utah}}
{{Idaho}}
{{Wasatch Front}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Wasatch Range| ]]
[[Category:Mountain ranges of Utah]]
[[Category:Ranges of the Rocky Mountains]]
[[Category:Regions of Utah]]
[[Category:Wasatch Front]]
[[Category:Mountain ranges of Salt Lake County, Utah]]
[[Category:Mountain ranges of Utah County, Utah]]
[[Category:Mountain ranges of Juab County, Utah]]
[[Category:Mountain ranges of Davis County, Utah]]
[[Category:Mountain ranges of Morgan County, Utah]]
[[Category:Mountain ranges of Weber County, Utah]]
[[Category:Mountain ranges of Summit County, Utah]]
[[Category:Mountain ranges of Wasatch County, Utah]]
[[Category:Uinta National Forest]]
[[Category:Wasatch-Cache National Forest]]