At least once a summer I try to make a trip deep into Nevada, and the Alta Toquima has been on my mind for a few years.
This range is noteworthy for a lot of reasons, namely 12,000+ peaks, a large plateau at the top, and stunning visibility, as well as an archeological site discovered in the early 1980s at the 11,000 level, thought to be about 1500 years old, likely built and inhabited by Shoshone peoples.
Here's an article that compares the Alta Toquima archeology site with a similar site in Wyoming, also near 11,000 feet elevation.
Native American High Altitude Living
I've read that when the visibility is crystal clear, you can see both California and Utah from the top of Mount Jefferson. Unfortunately, on my trip it was a monsoonal weather flow, and there were subsequently plenty of clouds, thunderstorms, but like is common in the desert, not much actual rain.
I went north of the surreal town of Tonopah, past some kind of annual gathering of interested parties at the restored mining town of Belmont, and started up a canyon on the SE edge of the Alta Toquima range, ending up at the mouth of a short but steep canyon right next to the Mount Jefferson South Summit called Andrews Creek.
The view down Andrews Creek canyon, looking east toward the Monitor Range:
Once on top of the Alta Toquima mesa, the terrain was windswept, with lots of thunder in the distance, in pretty much every direction. A small herd of Bighorn Sheep occupy Mount Jefferson:
I hiked north on the plateau, which has beautiful overlooks of the Pine Creek canyon area on the east side of the range, into Monitor Valley. Finally the sun broke out and some photos were to be had:
I don't know exactly where the archeology site is in this range, but at the top of Pine Creek canyon there was a mountain lake, and it's not hard to imagine Shoshone inhabiting this area in the summer as a seasonal hunting area:
A trail of cains to mark the trail on top of the mesa, looking east:
Driving back to SLC the next morning, I saw a couple of Golden Eagles at different points:
