In the northwest corner of Utah, north of the Great Salt Lake, is an east-west range called the Raftriver mountains. It's a unique part of Utah, because the northern slope of this range drains into the Snake River, which joins the Columbia River, and empties into the Pacific Ocean. The southern slope of the Raftriver range produces several creeks, which empty into the Great Salt Lake, or otherwise dry up in the desert.
I approached this range from the north, traveling west of Snowville, UT about 35 miles, and then south and up into the Raftrivers. Since my VW Jetta is not a great offroad vehicle, *wink*, to get to the top of this range I ended up hiking about 5 miles each way on established 4WD/ATV trails, gaining about 2500 feet in elevation. It was worth it.
The northern slope of the Raftrivers has an impressive amount of conifer forests:
I approached this range from the north, traveling west of Snowville, UT about 35 miles, and then south and up into the Raftrivers. Since my VW Jetta is not a great offroad vehicle, *wink*, to get to the top of this range I ended up hiking about 5 miles each way on established 4WD/ATV trails, gaining about 2500 feet in elevation. It was worth it.
The northern slope of the Raftrivers has an impressive amount of conifer forests:
Looking NW into Idaho to an area called the City of Rocks, which is a popular location for rock climbers:
Looking north from the top ridge, toward a lower ridge, with Idaho in the background:
The top of the Raftrivers is about 9900 feet, but it is essentially an east-west ridgeline that is several miles long. There was still some snow north of the highpoint in late August.
Looking just about directly south, to the Newfoundland Mountains, which is a north-south range about 50 miles away. The Newfoundlands are pretty remote, with Desert Peak topping the range at about 7500 feet.
To the southwest about 60 miles or so is Pilot Peak, NV, a landmark that you can see from numerous locations along the Wasatch and other Great Basin ranges in Utah & Nevada:
Southeast from the summit in the distance you can see the Wasatch at Willard, UT with Willard Peak on the left & Ben Lomond Peak to the right. The Promontory Mountains are in the foreground, along with the northern tip of the Great Salt Lake:
Looking south down one of the short canyons that are north of the community of Park Valley, UT, the Hogup Mountains west of the Great Salt Lake are in the background:
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