Schell Creek Range
Mountain range in Nevada, United States
title: "Schell Creek Range" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["mountain-ranges-of-nevada", "mountain-ranges-of-white-pine-county,-nevada", "pony-express"] description: "Mountain range in Nevada, United States" topic_path: "general/mountain-ranges-of-nevada" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schell_Creek_Range" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary Mountain range in Nevada, United States ::
::data[format=table title="Infobox mountain"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | Schell Creek Range |
| photo | SchellCrRange.jpg |
| country | United States |
| subdivision1 | Nevada |
| subdivision2_type | Region |
| borders_on | |
| subdivision4_type | Wilderness areas |
| subdivision4 | |
| length_mi | 132 |
| length_orientation | North-South |
| location | Schellbourne Pass |
| range_coordinates | |
| highest | North Schell Peak |
| elevation_ft | 11883 |
| coordinates | |
| map_image | NVMap-doton-SchellMtns.png |
| map_size | 200 |
| map_caption | The southern tip of the Schell Creek Range is on the Great Basin Divide along the White River (Nevada) basin. |
| :: |
| name =Schell Creek Range | photo = SchellCrRange.jpg | photo_size = | photo_caption = | country = United States | subdivision1 = Nevada | subdivision2_type = Region | parent = | borders_on = | subdivision4_type = Wilderness areas | subdivision4 = | length_mi =132 | length_orientation=North-South | location = Schellbourne Pass | range_coordinates = | highest =North Schell Peak | elevation_ft =11883 | coordinates = | geology = | orogeny = | map_image =NVMap-doton-SchellMtns.png | map_size =200 | map_caption =The southern tip of the Schell Creek Range is on the Great Basin Divide along the White River (Nevada) basin.
The Schell Creek Range is a linear mountain range in central White Pine County, in east-central Nevada. Its length is approximately 132 mi in a north-south direction. Most of the range is contained within the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest, with some of the range also included in the High Schells Wilderness.
The range comprises two major groups of peaks. The southern section rises from a point near Burnt Peak in Lincoln County, reaching the summit of Mt. Grafton, 10990 ft, just north of the border with White Pine County. To the west are remote Cave Valley and the Egan Range, while to the east are U.S. Route 93 and the Fairview Range (Lincoln County). North of Mt. Grafton, the range drops quickly to a line of lower summits, eventually reaching 7723 ft Connors Pass. That is where U.S. Route 50, the "Loneliest Highway in America", crosses the range, connecting the nearby community of Ely with the Great Basin National Park and west-central Utah. ::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/67/SchellCreekRangefromCaveLakeSP.JPG" caption="View of the Schell Creek Range running through Cave Lake State Park"] ::
North of Connors Pass the range continues into its higher northern section. To the west is Ely, Nevada, while to the east are Spring Valley and the high Snake Range, (including Great Basin National Park, Wheeler Peak, and Mt. Moriah). Within this section of the Schell Creek Range are Cave Lake State Park and the scenic road over Success Summit into Duck Creek Basin. The crest continues to rise, reaching South Schell Peak at 11785 ft, Taft Peak at 11734 ft, and North Schell Peak which, at 11883 ft, is the high point of the range. Nearby are the Timber Creek and Berry Creek campgrounds (and trailheads).
The range then makes a slow descent to lower elevations, dropping to Schellbourne Pass at 7984 ft, where the Overland Stage Line, the Pony Express, and the Transcontinental Telegraph made their way through the Great Basin. Just west of the range was the Egan Canyon Pony Express Station. From there, the range ascends to Becky Peak at 10008 ft before quickly descending to the floor of Steptoe Valley near Lages Station.
Climate
Berry Creek is a SNOTEL weather station situated on the western face of South Schell Peak, at an elevation of 9100 feet (2774 m). Berry Creek has a subalpine climate (Köppen Dfc). |location = Berry Creek, Nevada, 1991–2020 normals, 1985-2020 extremes: 9100ft (2774m) |single line = Yes
|Jan record high F = 51 |Feb record high F = 58 |Mar record high F = 62 |Apr record high F = 64 |May record high F = 74 |Jun record high F = 79 |Jul record high F = 85 |Aug record high F = 82 |Sep record high F = 78 |Oct record high F = 69 |Nov record high F = 58 |Dec record high F = 52
|Jan avg record high F = 45 |Feb avg record high F = 48 |Mar avg record high F = 53 |Apr avg record high F = 59 |May avg record high F = 66 |Jun avg record high F = 74 |Jul avg record high F = 78 |Aug avg record high F = 76 |Sep avg record high F = 71 |Oct avg record high F = 62 |Nov avg record high F = 52 |Dec avg record high F = 44 |year avg record high F = 78
|Jan high F = 31.7 |Feb high F = 33.2 |Mar high F = 38.8 |Apr high F = 43.2 |May high F = 52.0 |Jun high F = 62.8 |Jul high F = 70.2 |Aug high F = 68.7 |Sep high F = 60.2 |Oct high F = 48.6 |Nov high F = 37.6 |Dec high F = 30.1 |year high F =
|Jan mean F = 22.9 |Feb mean F = 23.1 |Mar mean F = 28.0 |Apr mean F = 32.6 |May mean F = 41.1 |Jun mean F = 50.4 |Jul mean F = 58.0 |Aug mean F = 56.8 |Sep mean F = 49.0 |Oct mean F = 38.6 |Nov mean F = 28.5 |Dec mean F = 21.7 |year mean F =
|Jan low F = 14.0 |Feb low F = 13.0 |Mar low F = 17.2 |Apr low F = 22.0 |May low F = 30.2 |Jun low F = 38.0 |Jul low F = 45.7 |Aug low F = 44.9 |Sep low F = 37.8 |Oct low F = 28.5 |Nov low F = 19.4 |Dec low F = 13.3 |year low F =
|Jan avg record low F= -4 |Feb avg record low F= -5 |Mar avg record low F= 0 |Apr avg record low F = 7 |May avg record low F = 17 |Jun avg record low F = 25 |Jul avg record low F = 38 |Aug avg record low F = 36 |Sep avg record low F = 24 |Oct avg record low F = 12 |Nov avg record low F = 0 |Dec avg record low F = −5 |year avg record low F = −10
|Jan record low F = -16 |Feb record low F = -18 |Mar record low F = -9 |Apr record low F = -6 |May record low F = 8 |Jun record low F = 13 |Jul record low F = 24 |Aug record low F = 27 |Sep record low F = 12 |Oct record low F = -1 |Nov record low F = -14 |Dec record low F = -16
|precipitation colour = green |Jan precipitation inch = 2.80 |Feb precipitation inch = 2.92 |Mar precipitation inch = 3.26 |Apr precipitation inch = 3.63 |May precipitation inch = 2.93 |Jun precipitation inch = 1.33 |Jul precipitation inch = 1.34 |Aug precipitation inch = 1.26 |Sep precipitation inch = 1.52 |Oct precipitation inch = 1.99 |Nov precipitation inch = 1.88 |Dec precipitation inch = 2.36 |year precipitation inch =
|source 1 = XMACIS2 |url = https://xmacis.rcc-acis.org/ |publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration |title = xmACIS2 |access-date = November 9, 2023 |source 2 = NOAA (Precipitation) |url = https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/services/data/v1?dataset=normals-monthly-1991-2020&startDate=0001-01-01&endDate=9996-12-31&stations=USS0014K02S&format=pdf |title= Berry Creek, Nevada 1991-2020 Monthly Normals |access-date = November 9, 2023
Notes
References
References
- {{GNIS. 861354. Schellbourne Pass (GNIS feature ID 861354)
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