Editing Wasatch Range (section)

==Overview==
[[File:Mount Olympus Utah.jpg|thumb|left|[[Mount Olympus (Utah)|Mount Olympus]], a prominent and recognizable mountain visible from much of the [[Salt Lake Valley]], August 2005]]
Since the earliest days of European settlement, most of Utah's population has chosen to settle along the range's western front, where numerous rivers exit the mountains. For early settlers, the mountains were a vital source of water, timber, and granite. Today, 85% of Utah's population lives within {{convert|15|mi|km}} of the Wasatch Range, mainly in the valleys just to the west. This westside concentration is known as the [[Wasatch Front]] and has a population just shy of 3 million. [[Salt Lake City]] lies between the Wasatch Range and the [[Great Salt Lake]].

[[File:SandyUtahView.JPG|thumb|right|The Wasatch Mountains in the fall, September 2003]]
The range's highest point — {{convert|11928|ft|m}} — is [[Mount Nebo (Utah)|Mount Nebo]], a triple peak rising above [[Nephi, Utah|Nephi]], at the southern end of the range. In some places the mountains rise steeply from the valley's base elevation of {{convert|4330|ft|m}} to over {{convert|11000|ft|m}}. Other notable peaks include [[Mount Timpanogos]], a massive peak that looms over northern [[Utah County, Utah|Utah County]] and is especially prominent from [[Pleasant Grove, Utah|Pleasant Grove]] and [[Orem, Utah|Orem]]; [[Lone Peak]], the [[Broads Fork Twin Peaks|Twin Peaks]]<!-- Broads Fork or American Fork? -->, and [[Mount Olympus (Utah)|Mount Olympus]], which overlooks the [[Salt Lake Valley]]; [[Francis Peak]] overlooking both Morgan and Davis counties; and [[Ben Lomond Mountain (Utah)|Ben Lomond]] and [[Mount Ogden]], both towering over [[Ogden, Utah|Ogden]].

[[Image:Squaw Peak Provo, Utah.JPG|thumb|left|Kyhv Peak over Rock Canyon at sunset as seen from the campus of [[Brigham Young University]] in [[Provo, Utah|Provo]], August 2012]]
Topping out below {{convert|12000|ft|m}}, Wasatch peaks are not especially high compared to the [[Rocky Mountains]] of Colorado or even the [[Uinta Mountains]] (the other main portion of the Rocky Mountains in Utah). However, they are sculpted by glaciers, yielding notably rugged, sweeping upland scenery. They also receive heavy snowfall: more than {{convert|500|in|cm}} per year in some places. This great snowfall, with its runoff, made possible a prosperous urban strip of some 25 cities along nearly {{convert|100|mi|km}} of mountain frontage. The Wasatch Range is home to a high concentration of ski areas, with 11 stretching from [[Sundance Ski Resort|Sundance]] in northeastern Utah County to [[Powder Mountain]] and [[Nordic Valley Ski Area]] northeast of [[Ogden, Utah|Ogden]]. There are also two ski resorts in the [[Bear River Mountains]] ([[Beaver Mountain]] and [[Cherry Peak Resort]]). [[Park City, Utah|Park City]] alone is bordered by two ski resorts. Due to the low [[relative humidity]] in wintertime, along with the added [[Great Salt Lake effect|lake-effect]] from the Great Salt Lake, the snow has a dry, powdery texture which most of the local ski resorts market as "the Greatest Snow on Earth". The snow and nearby ski resorts helped Salt Lake City gain the right to host the [[2002 Winter Olympics]].

Several of the canyons in the Lone Peak area, most notably [[Little Cottonwood Canyon]], have several high-quality [[granite]] outcroppings, and make up a popular [[climbing area]] such as the [[Pfeifferhorn]]. Farther north, [[Big Cottonwood Canyon]] features tricky climbing on [[quartzite]].

The densely vegetated narrow canyons of the Wasatch Range, such as Big Cottonwood Canyon and Little Cottonwood Canyon, are heavily visited; on 25 September 2005, 1,200 automobiles entered Little Cottonwood in an hour.<ref>{{cite news |title=Fall a perfect time to explore Utah's canyons |last=Sadler |first=Tiffany |newspaper=[[The Salt Lake Tribune]] |publisher=Huntsman Family Investments, LLC |location=Salt Lake City |date=5 October 2006}}</ref> The canyons sit within {{convert|24|mi|km}} of downtown Salt Lake City and the year-round paved roadways can reach {{convert|5000|ft|m}} higher in elevation above the city within a short distance. Dirt roads readily drivable in passenger cars with moderate clearance stretch up from Park City, Heber, and Big Cottonwood Canyon. These reach about {{convert|10000|ft|m}} above sea level and provide long-range high country views.