also located in Nye County.

The Shoshone Mountains, in central Nevada

Nevada

Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...

, make up one of the longest mountain ranges in the state. The range runs in a north-south direction, mostly in Nye County

Nye County, Nevada

-National protected areas:* Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge* Death Valley National Park * Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest * Spring Mountains National Recreation Area -Demographics:...

, but also occupies part of Lander County

Lander County, Nevada

Lander County is a county located in the U.S. state of Nevada. As of the 2000 census, the population was 5,794. Its county seat is Battle Mountain.-History:...

. Named for the Shoshone Indians

Shoshone

The Shoshone or Shoshoni are a Native American tribe in the United States with three large divisions: the Northern, the Western and the Eastern....

, the range receives 15 inches or less of precipitation in an average year and occupies about 715 square miles (1,851.8 km²).

About 58% of the mountain range is managed by the Bureau of Land Management

Bureau of Land Management

The Bureau of Land Management is an agency within the United States Department of the Interior which administers America's public lands, totaling approximately , or one-eighth of the landmass of the country. The BLM also manages of subsurface mineral estate underlying federal, state and private...

, with the Forest Service in charge of almost 42% of the area. A small part of the range is occupied by an Indian reservation and private land.

North Shoshone Peak rises to 10313 feet (3,143.4 m) above sea level. The small community of Ione

Ione, Nevada

Ione, Nevada is an unincorporated community in Nye County, Nevada, located approximately 23 miles east of Gabbs, Nevada. Current services include one grocery store....

 lies to the west of the range, and the Berlin-Ichthyosaur State Park

Berlin-Ichthyosaur State Park

The environment of Nevada comprises diverse biotas, climates, and geologies. Environmental regulations and the environmental movement have aimed to respond to environmental threats.-Renewable Portfolio Standard:...

 is situated in the range east of the Ione Valley. Vegetation is mostly Sagebrush

Artemisia tridentata

Artemisia tridentata is a shrub or small tree from the family Asteraceae. Some botanists treat it in the segregate genus Seriphidium, as S. tridentatum W. A. Weber, but this is not widely followed...

 scrub and Pinon-juniper. The Shoshone Mountains are home to mule deer

Mule Deer

The mule deer is a deer indigenous to western North America. The Mule Deer gets its name from its large mule-like ears. There are believed to be several subspecies, including the black-tailed deer...

, chipmunks, coyote

Coyote

The coyote , also known as the American jackal or the prairie wolf, is a species of canine found throughout North and Central America, ranging from Panama in the south, north through Mexico, the United States and Canada...

, elk

Elk

The Elk is the large deer, also called Cervus canadensis or wapiti, of North America and eastern Asia.Elk may also refer to:Other antlered mammals:...

, and many other small animals such as shrews and squirrel

Squirrel

Squirrels belong to a large family of small or medium-sized rodents called the Sciuridae. The family includes tree squirrels, ground squirrels, chipmunks, marmots , flying squirrels, and prairie dogs. Squirrels are indigenous to the Americas, Eurasia, and Africa and have been introduced to Australia...

s. At least 21 species of birds can be found in the range during the year, including sparrows, woodpeckers and orioles.