Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Mountain Ranges
On the eastern side of the Central Valley looms California's most prominent topographic
feature, the Sierra Nevada, nicknamed the 'Range of Light' by conservationist John Muir.
At 400 miles long and 70 miles wide, this is one of the world's largest mountain ranges
and is home to 13 peaks over 14,000ft high. The vast wilderness of the High Sierra
(mostly above 9000ft) is an astounding landscape of shrinking glaciers, sculpted granite
peaks and remote canyons, beautiful to look at but difficult to access, and one of the
greatest challenges for 19th-century settlers attempting to reach California.
The soaring Sierra Nevada captures storm systems and drains them of their water, with
most of the precipitation above 3000ft falling as snow, creating a premier winter-sports
destination. Melting snow flows down into a half-dozen major river systems on the range's
western and eastern slopes, providing the vast majority of water needed for agriculture in
the Central Valley and for the metro areas of San Francisco and LA.
At its northern end, the Sierra Nevada merges imperceptibly into the volcanic Cascade
Mountains, which continue north into Oregon and Washington. At its southern end, the Si-
erra Nevada makes a funny westward hook and connects via the Transverse Ranges (one
of the USA's few east-west mountain ranges) to the southern Coast Ranges.
California claims both the highest point in contiguous US (Mt Whitney, 14,505ft) and the
lowest elevation in North America (Badwater, Death Valley, 282ft below sea level) - and
they're only 90 miles apart, as the condor flies.
The Deserts & Beyond
With the west slope of the Sierra Nevada capturing the lion's share of water, most lands
east of the Sierra crest are dry and desertlike, receiving less than 10in of rain a year. Sur-
prisingly, some valleys at the eastern foot of the Sierra Nevada are well watered by creeks
and support a vigorous economy of livestock and agriculture.
At the western edge of the Great Basin, the elevated Modoc Plateau in far northeastern
California is a cold desert blanketed by hardy sagebrush shrubs and juniper trees. Temper-
atures increase as you head south, with a prominent transition on the descent from Mono
Lake into the Owens Valley east of the Sierra Nevada. This southern hot desert (part of the
Mojave Desert) includes Death Valley, one of the hottest places on the planet. Further
 
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