Wheeler Peak (Nevada)
| Wheeler Peak | |
|---|---|
Wheeler Peak, looking east-southeast in late afternoon light
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| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 13,065 ft (3,982 m) NAVD 88 |
| Prominence | 7,563 ft (2,305 m) |
| Isolation | 320 kilometres (200 mi) |
| Listing | |
| Coordinates | 38°59′10″N 114°18′48″W / 38.9860572°N 114.3133307°WCoordinates: 38°59′10″N 114°18′48″W / 38.9860572°N 114.3133307°W |
| Geography | |
 Wheeler Peak
Nevada
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| Location | White Pine County, Nevada, U.S. |
| Parent range | Snake Range |
| Topo map | USGS Wheeler Peak |
| Climbing | |
| Easiest route | Trail hike (class 1) |
Wheeler Peak is the tallest mountain in both the Snake Range and White Pine County, in Nevada, United States. Its summit elevation of 13,065 feet (3,982 m) makes it the second-tallest peak in Nevada, just behind Boundary Peak. Wheeler Peak's topographic prominence of 7,563 feet (2,305 m) makes it the most topographically prominent peak in White Pine County and the second-most prominent peak in Nevada, just behind Mount Charleston. The mountain is located in Great Basin National Park and was named for George Wheeler, leader of the Wheeler Survey of the late 19th century.
Wheeler Peak has an impressive headwall above a large glacial cirque, large moraines and an active rock glacier. The top of the mountain is covered by deep snow most of the year. A paved road runs from the Great Basin National Park visitor center to several small camping areas, the highest more than halfway up the mountain. The mountain's prominence is due to a Miocene detachment fault that brought the deep Cambrian Prospect Mountain quartzite to the top of the mountain.
Jeff Davis Peak stands about one mile to the east of Wheeler and reaches 12,777 feet (3,894 m)
A well-maintained trail, the Wheeler Peak Summit Trail, leads from a trail-head near the end of Wheeler Peak Scenic Drive directly to the summit, making for a class 1 hike. Afternoon storms are likely during the summer.
The distinction of highest point in Nevada goes to the summit of Boundary Peak, so named because it is just east of the Nevada-California border, at the northern terminus of the White Mountains. Wheeler Peak is, however, the tallest independent mountain in the state since Boundary Peak is considered a subsidiary summit of Montgomery Peak, whose summit is in California. The topographic prominence of Boundary Peak is 253 feet (77 m), which falls under the often used 300-foot (91 m) cutoff for an independent peak. Also, Boundary Peak is less than 1 mile (1.6 km) away from its higher neighbor, while Wheeler Peak is over 230 miles from the nearest higher peak.
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Wikipedia