Sierra Nevada's

The Sierra Nevada mountain range stretches across the eastern side of the state of California. The range begins in the south at the Tehachapi Pass near Bakersfield and stretches north to Lake Almanor. The Sierra Nevada range is 400 miles long, north-to-south and has an average width of 70 miles wide. It was formed through subduction when the Pacific plate slid under the North American plate. The range is made up of deeply imbedded rock otherwise known as batholiths. The eastern slope of the mountains rose steeply which cause those slopes to be steep while the western sides are only gradually steep but not like the east 1. Thus the range provided as an early barrier to entrance into California and travelers had to go through the various passes to proceed, such as the famous Donner Pass.
Although the Sierra Nevada mountain range, which in Spanish means the snowy range, is grandeur as a whole certain mountains and peaks throughout the range are more important. The biggest mountain of the whole would be Mount Whitney which happens to be the tallest mountain in all of the continental United States. Mount Whitney stands at a modest 14,505 feet. It is located right outside of the town of Lone Pine and is an obvious attraction because of its record holding. Therefore, many people are eager to reach the highest point in the US so a trail was built on the western slope to allow hikers to conquer the mountain. The main trail is the Mount Whitney trail and it is 21.3 miles long and can be completed in a day 2. Other trails are also available but take longer and usually require overnight stays but do provide more views of the mountain. Mount Whitney is not the only mountain available to hike in the Sierra Nevada’s but is one of the most popular because of its sheer height.
Another significant mountain in the range lies right up the US395 and is called Mammoth Mountain. Mammoth is actually an active volcano and was formed through a series of volcanic eruptions throughout the

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