Pyramid Peak (Nevada)

Pyramid Peak
North aspect, centered
Highest point
Elevation11,920 ft (3,633 m)[1][2]
Prominence754 ft (230 m)[2]
Parent peakBaker Peak[1]
Isolation1.60 mi (2.57 km)[2]
Coordinates38°56′54″N 114°17′43″W / 38.9484187°N 114.2952215°W / 38.9484187; -114.2952215[3]
Geography
Pyramid Peak
Location in Nevada
Pyramid Peak
Location in the United States
Interactive map of Pyramid Peak
CountryUnited States
StateNevada
CountyWhite Pine
Protected areaGreat Basin National Park
Parent rangeSnake Range
Great Basin Ranges[1]
Topo mapUSGS Wheeler Peak
Geology
Rock ageCambrian[5]
Rock type(s)Quartzite, Granite[4]
Climbing
Easiest routeclass 2[2]

Pyramid Peak is a mountain in White Pine County, Nevada, United States.

Description

Pyramid Peak is a 11,920-foot-elevation (3,633-meter) summit set in the Snake Range and Great Basin National Park. It ranks as the seventh-highest summit in the state of Nevada.[6] Precipitation runoff from the mountain drains east into Baker and Snake creeks, which both end in the Snake Valley of the Great Basin where it evaporates or sinks underground — i.e., it is endorheic as no water reaches the ocean.[7] Topographic relief is significant as the summit rises 1,900 feet (579 meters) above Baker Creek in one mile (1.6 km). The nearest higher peak is Baker Peak, 1.24 miles (2.00 km) to the northwest.[1] The mountain's toponym has been officially adopted by the United States Board on Geographic Names.[3]

Climate

Pyramid Peak is set within the Great Basin Desert which has hot summers and cold winters.[8] The desert is an example of a cold desert climate as the desert's elevation makes temperatures cooler than lower elevation deserts. Due to the high elevation and aridity, temperatures drop sharply after sunset. Summer nights are comfortably cool. Winter highs are generally above freezing, and winter nights are bitterly cold, with temperatures often dropping well below freezing.

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Pyramid Peak, Nevada". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved September 9, 2025.
  2. ^ a b c d "Pyramid Peak NV". listsofjohn.com. Retrieved September 9, 2025.
  3. ^ a b "Pyramid Peak". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved September 9, 2025.
  4. ^ Geologic Map of Great Basin National Park, National Park Service, 2014, Retrieved September 9, 2025.
  5. ^ Great Basin Geology, National Park Service, 2001, Retrieved September 9, 2025.
  6. ^ "Pyramid Peak". peakvisor.com. Retrieved September 9, 2025.
  7. ^ "The Great Basin". National Park Service. Retrieved September 9, 2025.
  8. ^ Peel, M. C.; Finlayson, B. L.; McMahon, T. A. (2007). "Updated world map of the Köppen−Geiger climate classification". Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci. 11. ISSN 1027-5606.