Austin Ranger District

Austin Ranger District is one of ten ranger districts in Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest in the United States state of Nevada.

Location

Austin Ranger District is over 1,000,000-acre (400,000 ha) in size and is located 170 miles (270 km) east of Reno in north, central area of Nevada. U.S. Hwy 50, which has been called America's loneliest highway, passes through the town of Austin, Nevada (population approximately 250). Austin is the closest town and therefore the home of the Austin Ranger Station.

Description

There is a long chain of mountains running north to south across the central part of Nevada. Separating the mountains are long valleys. Together they form the mountainous rocky terrain of this district. The elevations vary from approximately 5,000 feet (1,500 m)) down on the floor of the valleys to 11,474 feet (3,497 m) at the top of Bunker Hill, the highest peak, located in the northern Toiyabe Range and to the south of the town of Austin.

At the lower elevations, the valleys vary from lush and fertile plains to barren playas created from the evaporation of lakes leaving minerals such as salt.

Arc Dome Wilderness

The Arc Dome Wilderness Area, over 115,000 acres (47,000 ha) of wilderness, is Nevada's largest wilderness area. It offers beautiful vistas of the southern portion of the Toiyabe Mountain Range. There are many long trails and plenty of opportunity to view wildlife. The main attraction is the National Recreation Toiyabe Crest Trail which offers hikers over 70 miles (110 km) of trail along the top of the mountain ridge and 30 miles (48 km) of travel through the Arc Dome Wilderness.[1]

The Arc Dome Wilderness Area trails have many access points in the canyons, each with its own unique environment of aspen trees and streams. The hiker can break a hike of the entire length down in to smaller segments as desired.

Table Mountain Wilderness

The Table Mountain Wilderness Area, is located along the Table Mountain Range, east of Alta Toquima Wilderness and north of the McKinney Mountains of Central Nevada. With an average elevation just over 10,000 feet (3,000 m) Table Mountain Wilderness offers much more than the high altitude found in the neighboring Wilderness Areas. With relatively easy access from all sides, this Wilderness Area allows visitors many options for multi-day adventures.[2]

The unique environment supports large species such as elk and deer make this mountain oasis home. Riparian areas support a wide variety of plants and animals.

References
  1. http://www.fs.fed.us/r4/htnf/recreation/wilderness/arc_dome.shtml Arc Dome Wilderness . accessed 8/30/2010 . BLM Public domain sourced
  2. http://www.fs.fed.us/r4/htnf/recreation/wilderness/table_mt.shtml Table Mountain Wilderness . accessed 8/30/2010 . BLM Public domain sourced

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