where is sierra nevada mountains located on a map
Sierra Nevada (U.S.) The Sierra Nevada (/siˌɛrə nɪˈvædə, -ˈvɑːdə/, Spanish: [ˈsjera neˈβaða], snowy saw range[6]) is a mountain range in the Western United States, between the Central Valley of California and the Great Basin. The vast majority of the range lies in the state of California, although the Carson Range spur lies primarily in Nevada. The Sierra Nevada is part of the American Cordillera, a chain of mountain ranges that consists of an almost continuous sequence of such ranges that form the western "backbone" of North America, Central America, South America and Antarctica.
Mount Whitney Mount Whitney is not only the highest point in California but also the highest summit in the contiguous United States and the Sierra Nevada, with an elevation of 14,505 feet (4,421 m).[5]. It is on the boundary between California's Inyo and Tulare counties, 84.6 miles (136.2 km)[8] west-northwest of the lowest point in North America at Badwater Basin in Death Valley National Park at 282 ft (86 m) below sea level.[9] The west slope of the mountain is in Sequoia National Park and the summit is the southern terminus of the John Muir Trail which runs 211.9 mi (341.0 km) from Happy Isles in Yosemite Valley.[10] The east slope is in the Inyo National Forest in Inyo County.