Did you ever wonder if ALL major mountain ranges in the United States run north and south?

By David McClelland

Most major mountain ranges in the USA run north and south. They include the Rocky, Appalachian, Allegheny, Big Horn, Sangre de Cristo and Sierra Nevada.

However, there is one major range that runs east and west. It is the Uinta Mountain range in north-eastern Utah. The Uinta begins 50 miles east of Salt Lake City and runs for about 150 miles east into Colorado.

All the rest of the east & west ranges are considered minor ranges. They include Capitan Mountain (Home of Smokey Bear), near Capitan, NM. This rugged mountain is 10,200 feet high and is covered by wilderness. The Quachita Mountains are located in west-central Arkansas and south-eastern Oklahoma. The San Bernadino Mountains run east & west for 60 miles along the Mojave Desert in south-western San Bernadio County, California. Finally, the entire Transverse Range of mountains run east & west. They include SanYnez, San Rafael, Sierra Madre, Topatopa and Santa Susana mountains.

That is the story. All but one major mountain range runs north and south, but that one major and several minor ranges do run east and west.