Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest

Jarbidge Ranger District

Gar Abbas , District Ranger
140 Pacific Avenue
PO Box 246
Wells, NV 89835
(775) 752-3357

The Jarbidge Ranger District of the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest offers 243,907 acres of relatively undiscovered recreation opportunities. Elevations range from 6,000 feet to the Matterhorn Peak at 10,839 feet and the area provides a wide range of temperature, vegetation, and opportunities for the outdoor enthusiast. Visitors can enjoy quiet campgrounds, hunting, stream fishing, or one of the least-used wilderness areas in the nation. For residents of Elko County or southern Idaho, this northern Nevada mountain range is within a two-hour drive.

Terrain

The Jarbidge Ranger District occupies a unique region of the United States, where the great Snake River Plains of Idaho meet the Basin and Range Province of Nevada, California, and Utah. A view from the north of the Jarbidge Mountains provides the best glimpse of the contrast between basin and range; the Jarbidge Mountains rise abruptly to 10,000 feet out of the 6000 foot Snake River Plains. The mountain range is divided by the rugged, north-south Jarbidge Mountain crest, with eight peaks over 10,000 feet high.

Climate

Winter months bring snow with accumulation averages of about 100 inches, and temperatures that average lows of 15°F and highs of 40°F. The summer months of July-September are the best for warm weather sports with average lows of 40°F and highs of 80°F.

Points of Interest

Historic town of Jarbidge, Jarbidge River, Emerald Lake, Matterhorn, Jarbidge Lake, Marys River, Gods Pocket Peak.

Recreation Opportunities

Hiking, horse-back riding, cross-country skiing, photography, camping, hunting, and fishing can be done on the forest. Outside the wilderness area you can snowmobile, mountain bike, and 4-wheel.

Flora

Vegetative types in the Jarbidge range from sagebrush flats to glaciated alpine basins. Subalpine fir, limber pine and white bark pine are found in the higher elevations. Aspen groves fill the lower basins, and big cottonwoods flourish along the riversides. Rocky Mountain juniper trees dot the lower-elevation slopes.

History

Jarbidge is a Shoshone Indian word meaning “a weird beastly creature.” According to legend, the Shoshone braves chased this creature into a cave in the present Jarbidge Canyon and blocked it inside with rocks and boulders.

Gold was discovered in 1908, and numerous old cabins, mill sites and other remnants of prospecting can still be seen in the high basins and in most canyons. The turn-of-the-century mining town of Jarbidge just north of the wilderness has a small museum, artifacts, and a store that sells books on the area’s mining history.

USDA Forest Service - Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest
Last Modified: Wednesday, 07 January 2009 at 17:18:33 EST