Eldorado Mountains
| Eldorado Mountains | |
|---|---|
| El Dorado Mountains | |
.jpg) (view of east flank, north) From the Colorado River, downstream from Willow Beach, Lake Mohave. Nevada is at right, and the prominence, forward. Arizona's (Black Mountains (Arizona) is on left bank. The view is downstream & slightly west-southwestwards. | |
| Highest point | |
| Peak | Ireteba Peak[1], Eldorado Mountains |
| Elevation | 5,060 ft (1,540 m) |
| Geography | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Nevada |
| District | Clark County |
| Topo map | USGS Boulder City SE |
The Eldorado Mountains, also called the El Dorado Mountains, are a north-south trending mountain range in southeast Nevada bordering west of the south-flowing Colorado River; the endorheic Eldorado Valley borders the range to the west, and the range is also on the western border of the Colorado River's Black Canyon of the Colorado, and El Dorado Canyon on the river. The range is 50 miles (80 km) southeast of Las Vegas, Nevada; and the Eldorado Mountains connect with the Highland and Newberry mountains.[3]
The name El Dorado is taken from the name of a legendary gold mine, and the ghost town-mining location of Nelson in Nelson Canyon, transects the central portion of the range. The Nelson Overlook is a viewing point over the Colorado River's El Dorado Canyon.
The mountain range contains the El Dorado Wilderness of 31,950 acres (12,930 ha) in the north, where the southwest of the wilderness area is in the Eldorado Mountains. In the south, Ireteba Peaks Wilderness of 32,745 acres (13,251 ha) is composed of the Ireteba Ridge at 5,013 feet (1,528 m),[4] that overlooks to the east, the northern portions of Lake Mohave and the El Dorado Canyon. The high point of the Eldorado Mountains is Ireteba Peak at 5,060 feet (1,542 m), which is named for the Mohave Indian guide and tribal leader Irataba.
Some communities associated with the range, are in the south, Searchlight on US 95 and Cottonwood Cove, on the river. Nelson is in the center of the range, and the nearest community north is Boulder City.
References
- ^ Nevada Atlas & Gazetteer, Delorme, c. 2010, p. 72.
- ^ "Eldorado Mountains". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved 2009-05-04.
- ^ Tracy, C. Richard; Hagerty, Bridgette E (6 April 2010). "Defining population structure for the Mojave desert tortoise" (PDF): 1803. Retrieved 2010-10-29.
Searchlight Pass, a connection point for the Eldorado, Newberry, and Highland mountain ranges.
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help) - ^ "Ireteba Peaks". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved 2009-05-04.