Wah Wah Valley Latilong

Wanderlust

There it was on the map. Wah Wah Mountains, all out of the way with hardly a road running through it. Lonesome, alluring and unknown.

I drove through it once in 1998 coming home from Las Vegas, taking the long way home. I went too fast and didn't see enough. Time pressures. This time I want to see it more slowly, to experience it in all seasons, to cover it well, to find its hidden birding spots. I want to explore the Wah Wah Mountains more thoroughly, meet some of its people and learn some of its lore.

It is my intent to keep a journal of my wanderings and place them here for all to see. If I blunder or end up bored, you will know. If I find excitement and beauty, you will also know.

Bounded by the 38th and 39th parallel and the 113rd and 114th meridian, the Wah Wah Valley latilong lies west of Beaver along the Nevada border. It contains half of Beaver County with parts of Iron and Millard thrown in. The only town of any size within the latilong is Milford, Utah, and that just barely. Highway 21 from Beaver passes through Milford then on to Ely, Nevada, being the only paved highway in the latilong.Note that there is a 3 mile wide strip along the Nevada border that is west of the 114th meridian which is added to the Wah Wah Valley latilong. The town of Garrison and Pruess Lake are in this strip.

The Wah Wah Valley latilong is part of the Great Basin ecosystem and has numerous north-south running mountain ranges. Named mountain ranges include: Mountain Home Range, Needle Point Range, San Francisco Mountains, Beaver Lake Mountains Wah Wah Mountains, Indian Peak Range and Tunnel Spring Mountains. The early inhabitants had novel names for the features with names like: Mary's Nipple, Moonshine Canyon, Burnt Stump Canyon, Long Lick Mountain, Sewing Machine Pass, Tunnel Spring Mountain and Crystal Peak.