Sand Mountain
Sand Mountain rises to 1,329 m in Nevada. Job Peak stands 2,660 m to the north-northeast, 21 miles off. The nearest named place is Sand Springs Pony Express Station, a historic site 1.6 miles away. The Loneliest Road in America passes 2.4 miles off. 86 named places lie within 25 miles, 50 of them named summits.
The story
Sand Mountain is a singing sand dune 20 miles (32 km) east of Fallon, Nevada along U.S. Route 50. The dune is two miles long and 600 feet (180 m) high. The full sand field area is 3.25 square miles. The sand originates from the ancient Lake Lahontan, that for the most part dried up 9,000 years ago. Sand Mountain Recreation Area is managed by the Bureau of Land Management and is open to off-highway vehicle use. The area is also the only home of the critically imperiled Sand Mountain blue butterfly. The ruins of the Sand Springs Station of the Pony Express are also located within the recreation area. Sport activities such as sandboarding and sand skiing can be practiced at the site.
Off-road vehicle rules
Camp only in designated areas. 8 feet (2.4 m) whip flags are required on all vehicles riding in the dunes. Do not burn wood containing nails, screws or other metal hardware. Burning tires is prohibited. Speed limit is 15 miles per hour (24 km/h) in camping areas. Possession or use of any glass cup or bottle is not allowed. Users must pay an area fee of $90 per year or $40 per week collected by the Bureau of Land Management. Avoid riding in areas closed to motor vehicles.
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Wikidata Q7415839, referenced by the OpenStreetMap record.
What the record says
- Elevation
- 1,329 m
How to reach it
- 2.4 mi off the The Loneliest Road in America
86 named places within 25 miles
- Pony Bob Peak: 3.8 mi
- Roys Point: 9.0 mi
- Black Knob: 11.1 mi
- Sand Springs Peak: 11.2 mi
- Wheat Peak: 11.5 mi
- Sand Springs: 2.3 mi
- Rock Springs: 7.9 mi
- La Plata Spring: 10.8 mi
- Ripley Spring: 10.9 mi
- Mud Hole Spring: 12.9 mi
- Project Shoal Monument: 7.5 mi
- Pony Express Monument: 10.4 mi
- Fallon Nature Reserve: 20.4 mi
- Oats Park: 22.9 mi
- Churchill County Regional Park: 23.3 mi
- Salt Wells: 11.0 mi
- Fairview: 11.0 mi
- Eagleville: 12.1 mi
- Stillwater: 16.8 mi
- Nevada City: 17.1 mi
- Sand Springs Pony Express Station: 1.6 mi
- Pony Express Monument: 11.8 mi
- Eagleville: 21.0 mi
- Stillwater Point: 14.9 mi
- Dixie Valley - Fairview Peak 7.1 Earthquake 1954 Fault Line: 15.0 mi
- Fault: 22.3 mi
- Nowhere Nevada: 15.4 mi
- Shoe Tree: 22.0 mi
- Oats Park Arts Center: 22.9 mi
- S Line Reservoir Beach: 21.0 mi
- Churchill County Museum: 23.0 mi
Other summits around it
The highest named summits within 25 miles of Sand Mountain. Elevation from each summit’s own record; bearing measured between the two coordinates.
| Summit | Bearing | Elevation | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Job Peak | NNE 24° | 2,660 m | 20.8 mi |
| Mount Lincoln | NNE 23° | 2,611 m | 18.1 mi |
| Carson Table Summit | NNE 18° | 2,527 m | 16.9 mi |
| Fairview Peak | ESE 114° | 2,521 m | 14.3 mi |
| Table Mountain | NNE 18° | 2,521 m | 16.9 mi |
| Slaughter Peaks | NNE 22° | 2,474 m | 15.9 mi |
| Shaly Peak | NNE 20° | 2,464 m | 17.7 mi |
| Sand Springs Range Cairn | S 170° | 2,272 m | 14.3 mi |
When to go
Light through the year
| Date | Sunrise | Golden hour | Sunset |
|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox | 06:58 | 18:30 | 19:06 |
| June solstice | 05:28 | 19:44 | 20:24 |
| September equinox | 06:42 | 18:17 | 18:52 |
| December solstice | 07:11 | 15:52 | 16:34 |
Local time (America/Los_Angeles).
Climate normals
Months averaging 50–80 °F: Apr–Oct.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg °F | 34 | 39 | 46 | 51 | 60 | 69 | 77 | 75 | 66 | 53 | 41 | 33 |
| Precip in | 0.5 | 0.4 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.9 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 0.4 | 0.5 | 0.4 |
1991–2020 U.S. Climate Normals, NOAA NCEI — Fallon Naas, 19 mi away.
Where this comes from
Location and category confirmed against OpenStreetMap.
OpenStreetMapWikidataOpenStreetMap element node/357549302
Day trips start here
- Fallon · 23 mi
Take the scenic way to Sand Mountain.
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