Austin Ranger District

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

Location

Austin Ranger District is over 1 million acres (4,000 km²) in size and is located convert|170|mi|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 (1500 m) down on the floor of the valleys to 11,474 feet (3497 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 minerals such as salt.

Arc Dome Wilderness

Arc Dome Wilderness Area, over 115,000 acres (465 km²) 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 (100 km) of trail along the top of the mountain ridge and 30 miles (50 km) of travel through the Arc Dome Wilderness.

The 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.

References

* [http://www.fs.fed.us/r4/htnf/districts/austin.shtml Austin Ranger Station]
* [http://www.fs.fed.us/r4/htnf/ Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest]