Wasatch Mountains
The Wasatch Mountains rise majestically east of Salt Lake City, Utah. The whole range runs 160 miles (260 km) north-south along the Utah-Idaho border to central Utah just beyond Mount Nebo near the city of Nephi, Utah. Many of my photographs of the mountains are from the area of the Wasatch Mountain Range near to Salt Lake City. Additionally, geographically the mountains are described as the Wasatch Front (facing west) and the Wasatch Back (facing east). The Wasatch Back areas reside in different counties than Salt Lake and are included in those corresponding Utah counties.
The Wasatch Mountain Range is one of the most prominent geologic features in Northern Utah. The range stretches 160 miles from the northern border with Idaho to Central Utah. The mountains tower more than 6,000 feet above the Salt Lake Valley floor and the range's highest point is the triple peaked Mount Nebo at 11,928 feet (3,636 m) near Nephi, UT at the southern end. It is glacier-carved, strewn with lovely quartz monzonite, home to all kinds of wildlife, and beautiful wildflowers. It has some of the best snow in the world due to the unique geography of this area. Recreation includes mountain biking, cycling, climbing, skiing, hiking, as well as many other outdoor activities. About 5.7 million people visit the central Wasatch Range annually, that is one-third more visitors than go to Yellowstone National Park in a year. The mountains are the guardians of this area, engendering amazement, love and respect. They create magical moments almost everyday for anyone who wants to pause for a moment to look.
Wasatch means mountain pass or low pass over high range in the Ute language. –– Uplift of the modern Wasatch Range only began within the past 12 to 17 million years. However, during the Cretaceous Period (138 to 66 million years ago), compressional forces in the earth’s crust began to form mountains by stacking or thrusting up large sheets of rock in an area that included what is now the northeasternmost part of Utah, including the northern Wasatch Range. This thrust belt was then heavily eroded. About 38 to 24 million years ago large bodies of magma intruded parts of what is now the Wasatch Range. These granitic intrusions, eroded thrust sheets, and the older sedimentary rocks form the uplifted Wasatch Range as it is seen today. - By Mark R. Milligan, Utah Geological Survey -
Inspiration While Photographing the Mountains
On a misty day's end, I stand in solitude sunset observance, marveling at the elegant beauty of the Wasatch Mountains framing the east side of Salt Lake City, Utah. I pick out vignettes of mountain, cloud, mist, snow, boulders, and trees with my long lens. There is so much to choose from, nature's ever changing paintings. Clouds and mist, in motion, caress the mountain tops. Nothing skyward is static on this day, as a very gentle wind sculpts frozen, evaporating water. I am witness to the magic and I have frozen some moments in time. - Elizabeth Miklavcic