The Toiyabe Range is a mountain range located in Lander and Nye counties of Nevada. Almost smack dap in the middle of the state. Being in the rain shadow of the mighty Sierra Nevada Mountains to the west, the Toiyabe Range is too arid to support forest, except some scattered pines, but is the perfect recipe for creating turquoise.
The Toiyabe Range is separated from the Shoshone Mountains to the west by the Reese River Valley, although they intermingle at their southern extremes. On the east the Toiyabe Range is separated from the Toquima Range by the Big Smoky Valley.
The closest town to the Toiyabe Range is the historic mining community of Austin. Austin is located on the western slope of the range, about midway along its entire length. U.S. Route 50, the “Loneliest Highway in America”, runs through Austin and then crosses the range at Austin Summit at an elevation of 7,484 feet (2,281 m).
Being over 120 miles long, the Toiyabe range is the longest mountain range in Nevada and home to a number of famous and not so famous turquoise mines.
Some of the famous turquoise mines located in the Toiyabe Range are still producing the blue stone, while some have dried up.
Famous and Not-so-Famous Turquoise Mines in the Toiyabe Range area:
Lazy Old Man
McGinness Mine
August Blue
Blue Star
Apache Mine
Tina Gem
Green Tree
Papoose
Zuni