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    Ruby Mountains Visitor Guide
    Ruby Mountains Visitor Guide
    Ruby Mountains Visitor Guide
    Ebook164 pages1 hour

    Ruby Mountains Visitor Guide

    By Larry Hyslop

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    About this ebook

    The Ruby Mountains of Northeastern Nevada are little known jewels. Topped by Ruby Dome at 11,387 ft, they are some of the most heavily glaciated mountains in the Great Basin. Myriads of wild flowers cover steep slopes. Over 30 lakes occupy glacial tarns.

    This Visitors Guide is a good companion to any visit to the Rubies, telling of the history, geology, types of trees, flowers, birds and mammals the visitor will encounter. It describes some of the most accessible spots and some of the most inaccessible canyons.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherLarry Hyslop
    Release dateJan 15, 2012
    ISBN9781465942500
    Ruby Mountains Visitor Guide
    Author

    Larry Hyslop

    Larry Hyslop lives in Elko, Nevada, where he contributes the "Nature Notes" weekly column to the Elko Daily Free Press. He travels extensively around the West, visiting national Parks. Larry has written nature descriptions covering the landscapes of national parks, along with guides to the Ruby Mountains and Elko area. He worked with Charles Greenhaw to develop guides to the California Trail through Northeastern Nevada. Grayjaypress.com

    Read more from Larry Hyslop

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      Book preview

      Ruby Mountains Visitor Guide - Larry Hyslop

      Ruby Mountains

      Visitor Guide

      Larry Hyslop

      Gray Jay Press

      Elko, NV

      Ruby Mountains

      Visitor Guide

      Smashwords Edition

      Copyright 2004 Northeastern Nevada Museum

      All Rights Reserved

      This book may not be reproduced in whole or in part by any means without the written permission of the publisher, with the exception of brief passages embodied in critical articles and reviews.

      All photos are by Larry Hyslop

      Maps are courtesy of the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest.

      First printing: 1996

      For ordering information, contact:

      Northeastern Nevada Museum

      1515 Idaho St., Elko, NV 89801

      [email protected]

      Cover photo: Yellow-bellied marmot

      Back cover photos: Liberty Lake, Dollar Lake and woolly yellow daisy

      Smashwords Edition, License Notes

      This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy.

      As always, for Cindy

      Thoughts on Writing this Book

      Before writing a book, an author must have an intended audience. I wrote this book for the first time visitor, as a guide to the mountains’ many riches and activities. I also wrote it for the frequent visitor, to expand their knowledge of the Rubies. Further, it is my hope both readers use it to further explore these magnificent mountains.

      This book mentions many of the plants and animals inhabiting the Rubies, but it does not attempt to list every flower, mammal or tree. I have tried to include those species more interesting or more commonly seen. It is my hope after reading this book, the reader will use field guides to learn more about the species of birds, flowers and mammals found in the Rubies. Scientific names are not used in this visitor’s guide. When there is more than one common name for flowers, the local variation is used. Field guides can be purchased locally listing the scientific names of each species.

      This book lists some possible activities in these mountainous playgrounds but, again, not a complete list. This book describes only a few of the many available hiking trails but it is not meant to be a hiker’s guide. The bibliography lists my book: Hiker’s Guide; Trails in the Elko Area.

      The Ruby Mountains are a single range almost a hundred miles in length. From their southern end 60 miles south of Elko, they run slightly east of north to their northern end six miles west of Wells. Two low passes separate them into what we call the East Humboldt Range, northern Ruby Mountains and southern Ruby Mountains. In this book, I often use the common term, Ruby Mountains or Rubies.

      Thanks

      Most of the chapter on geology comes from Mike McFarlane and Mark Ports’ unpublished manuscript titled The Natural History of the Ruby Mountains. Mark and Lois Ports helped me learn the local species of mammals, birds and flowers. Charles Greenhaw helped considerably with area history. Janice Collett, along with DeLynn and Duane Jones, helped with editing. Personnel from the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest, Nevada Department of Wildlife, Ruby Lake National Wildlife Refuge and the Gallagher Fish Hatchery took the time to review the material in this book, answer questions and to assist me whenever I asked. Bonnie Whalen produced the maps. My special thanks to Steve Foree and John Haney. A special thanks to the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest Interpretive Association and the Northeastern Nevada Historical Museum for help in publishing this book.

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      Table of Contents

      Introduction

      History

      Shoshone Indians

      Early Explorers

      California Trail

      Geology

      Formation of the Great Basin

      Building the Ruby Mountains

      Glacial Sculpting

      Rock Types

      Precipitation Amounts, Avalanches

      Trees

      Singleleaf Pinyon Pine/Utah Juniper

      Curl-leaf Mountain Mahogany

      Quaking Aspen

      Cottonwood, Willow

      Whitebark Pine and Limber Pine

      Bristlecone Pine

      Flowers

      Flowers of the Alpine Slopes

      Flowers of the Lower elevations

      Flowers of the Sagebrush Hills

      Unusual Flowers

      Berry Producing Plants

      Mammals

      Mountain Goats

      Big Horn Sheep

      Mule Deer, Elk

      Wild Horses

      Carnivores

      Gnawing Mammals

      Birds

      Himalayan Snowcocks

      Birds of the Alpine Slopes

      Game Birds

      Jays, Birds of Prey

      Mountain Song Birds

      Woodpeckers

      Hummingbirds

      Off Road Activities

      Wilderness Areas

      U.S. Forest Service Campgrounds

      Dispersed Sites

      Picnic Spots

      Horse Back Trips

      Mountain Biking

      Angel Lake Road

      Angel Creek Campground

      Angel Lake Campground

      Lamoille Canyon

      Entering the canyon

      Powerhouse Picnic Area

      Camp Lamoille Road

      Glacier Overlook

      Thomas Canyon Campground

      Nature Trail

      Terraces Picnic Area

      Road’s End

      Ruby Valley

      Via Harrison Pass

      Via Secret Pass

      Ruby Lake National Wildlife Refuge

      Gallagher Fish Hatchery

      South Ruby Campground

      South End of Valley

      Secluded Canyons

      Soldier Canyon

      Clover and Starr Valleys

      Other Canyons

      Hiking, Backpacking and Camping Concerns

      Bibliography

      Resources

      About the Author

      Introduction

      tmp_be149fa1600cff76489a326f3d767462_iTs23B_html_m50a20c43.jpg

      Green slope high above Lamoille Canyon

      The morning sun is above me, brightening the upper slope. Because of the steep climb, sweat stings my eyes and my shirt sticks to my back. Below, the canyon bottom is still in darkness where a meandering ribbon of brightness shows where Lamoille Creek reflects the sky.

      Stop every three or four steps to ease my breathing means it is a slow climb. Forcing my way through thick clumps of small aspens does not help as loose rocks roll under my feet. But I am enjoying every step since all this effort brings me closer to one of my favorite places in the Ruby Mountains. The difficulty of the climb accounts for one of this canyon’s greatest attractions, its solitude.

      When I finally enter the hanging valley high above Lamoille Canyon, its slope is only slightly less steep. The canyon floor is mostly bare rock strewn with whitebark pine trees. Five mule deer bucks form a line along a ledge. Although I just now noticed them, they probably spotted me as soon as I entered the hanging valley. They stand still but occasionally stamp their feet.

      When I finally approach too close, they turn and flee up the canyon. A few minutes later, they reappear, running toward me in single file. They angle across and climb the sidewall as high as possible before daring to run past me. They quickly leave the canyon around a side ridge.

      The canyon floor levels off as I enter a cirque encircled by steep walls. This shelf once held a glacier and later a lake, but now contains only a small pond bordered by flowers, grass and boulders. Although it is August, a snowbank covers half the shelf. The snowbank is covered with fresh hoof prints where the mule deer bucks walked onto the snow, milled about and ran off. Unfortunately for me, the snowbank buries my favorite rock. During past trips, it has provided the perfect platform to rest and scan the heights for mountain goats.

      tmp_be149fa1600cff76489a326f3d767462_iTs23B_html_m46e7e49e.jpg

      Pond in cirque

      The north wall of this cirque is notched along its ridge, offering a route into the neighboring hanging valley. After fortifying myself with cookies, I climb to the ridge. Black rosy finches flit between boulders, accompanied by the whistles of pikas. From behind comes the distant chuckle of a Himalayan snowcock. The sound comes from high on the opposite wall and I waste no effort searching for the well-camouflaged snowcock.

      From the top of the ridge, I cross the steep slope of this next canyon. My route is bordered above and below by cliff faces. Short, gnarled, white bark pines line the lip of the lower cliff, where mountain goats have recently bedded. The soft ground shows their flared hoof prints. Tufts of winter hair dangle from pine branches. The thick, almost nauseating, smell of mountain goat envelopes me as I pass each tree

      American pipits fly between rocks and pine trees while dark-eyed juncos search the ground under the pines. A Clark’s nutcracker calls krak as it flies past. A red-tailed hawk floats over a ridge. It crosses the canyon on motionless wings and

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