4 MISC. PUBLICATION 9 0, U. S. DEPT. OF AGRICULTURE 



Mount Xebo near Nephi. This range has an average elevation of 

 about 10,000 feet above sea level, although several peaks are much 

 higher. Chief among these are Mount Timpanogos with an eleva- 

 tion of 11,957 feet, and Mount Xebo with an elevation of 11,887 

 feet. From the end of the Wasatch Range, the Wasatch Plateau 

 extends south for many miles and is joined by the Powell Plateau, 

 which runs almost to the southern boundary of the State. Both 

 plateaus are high and deeply dissected and have an elevation of 

 approximately 10,000 feet. This chain of mountains and plateaus 

 literally forms a backbone running the full length of the State. 



The Pavant, Beaver, Cedar, and Pine Valley Mountains form an 

 almost continuous range from the northeast corner of Millard 

 County to near the center of Washington County in the southwest 

 corner of the State. They parallel the main portion of the Wasatch 

 and Powell Plateaus. In addition, there are many smaller mountain 



STATE. PRIVATE 



AND 



PUBLIC DOMAIN RANGE 



NATIONAL 



FORESTS 



( MOSTLY RANGE ) 



4 



CULTIVATED OTHER 



& 



-4-\ - 1/2 

 MILLION ACRES 



7-1/2 

 MILLION ACRES 



1-3/4- 



MILLION 

 ACRES 



1-3/4- 



MiLUON 

 ACRES 



Figure 1. — Land utilization in Ltah 



ranges mostly with a lower altitude, although the La Sal and Blue 

 Mountains in the east-central portion of the State reach up well 

 over 10,000 feet. 



The valleys between the various mountain ranges are mostly be- 

 tween 4,000 and 6,000 feet above sea level. The lowest place in the 

 State has an elevation of about 2,000 feet above sea level. This is 

 in Washington County, where the Beaver Dam wash leaves Utah 

 and enters Arizona. 



Even though other conditions were favorable, the steepness of the 

 mountains and the narrowness of the canyon bottoms would limit 

 farming largely to the intermountain valleys. In some places, such 

 as the Great Salt Lake Desert, the Sevier Desert, areas immediately 

 adjoining Salt Lake, and some of the bottom land along the rivers, 

 the land is not usable because of a highly saline soil. 



