Wasatch Mountains

Eighty-five percent of Utah`s population lives within 15 miles of the Wasatch range. This concentration is commonly known as the Wasatch Front . Salt Lake City lies between the Wasatch Range and the Great Salt Lake .

At 11,928 ft (3,636 m), Mount Nebo , located at the southern end of the range near Nephi, Utah , is the highest peak of the Wasatch. Other notable peaks include Mount Timpanogos , a massive peak which looms over Provo, Utah ; Lone Peak , Mount Olympus , and the Twin Peaks , which overlook Salt Lake City; and Ben Lomond just north of Ogden, Utah .

Although the peaks are not especially high compared to the rest of the Rockies, they receive heavy falls of Snow , in many places over 500 inches a year. There are many Ski Area s in the Wasatch, including Alta , Snowbird , Brighton , Solitude , and Sundance . Due to low Relative Humidity in wintertime, along with the added Lake Effect from the Great Salt Lake, the snow has a dry, powdery texture which most of the local ski resorts market as "the best snow on earth!". The 2002 Winter Olympic Games made especially good use of this high quality snow.

Several of the Wasatch canyons in the Lone Peak area, most notably Little Cottonwood Canyon , have a number of high-quality Granite outcroppings, and make up a popular Climbing Area . Further north, Big Cottonwood Canyon features tricky climbing on Quartzite .

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of Salt Lake Community College .]]
from a Sandy, Utah neighborhood.]]
with the peak of Mount Timpanogos covered in clouds on the far right upper corner.]]

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Wasatch Mountains