Unit 171, Nevada

Unit 171 covers classic Great Basin basin-and-range topography in west-central Nevada. Desert valley floors bottom out around 4,000 feet; foothills and ridgelines rise through 5,000–8,500 feet; the central ridges of the Clan Alpine Mountains reach nearly 10,000 feet. Major valley systems separate the ranges. Terrain above 8,500 feet features vertical ridges, steep cliffs, and rocky formations, while mid-elevations offer more rolling brushy hills dissected by named canyons.

The unit is bounded on the north by US Highway 50, on the east by SR-376, and on the southwest by SR-89. Full services are available in Austin, Carvers/Round Mountain, and Tonopah, with limited fuel at Middlegate Station and Gabbs. BLM Carson City Field Office administers the majority of the unit; a portion falls within the Toiyabe Ranger District of the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest. Numerous maintained gravel and two-track roads parallel the mountain ranges north-south, providing dispersed access; four-wheel-drive and high-clearance vehicles are recommended in upper drainages. The Clan Alpine Mountains Wilderness Study Area imposes motorized and mechanized-equipment restrictions within its boundaries. Several developed trailheads on the west, east, and south sides of the ranges provide non-motorized access. Camping is generally dispersed and primitive with few developed sites.

Mid-elevation slopes (roughly 5,000–8,500 ft) are blanketed by a dense pinyon-juniper belt with scattered mountain brush and sagebrush. Higher open areas hold mountain mahogany, aspen patches, and subalpine meadows above about 8,500 feet. Valley floors and lower bajadas are dominated by big sagebrush and shadscale steppe. Riparian corridors along canyon bottoms support willows, cottonwoods, and trout-bearing streams. Pronghorn habitat exists in the open sagebrush valleys. Overall deer habitat is limited compared to neighboring units 172 and 173.

Mule deer occur at all elevations but at lower densities in unit 171 than in neighboring units 172 and 173; highest seasonal densities concentrate above the pinyon-juniper belt at 8,500–10,500 feet. Rocky Mountain elk are present at low densities; the unit 171 area serves primarily as winter range, with elk summering in southwest unit 173 and migrating into units 172 and 171 during fall and winter. Pronghorn antelope inhabit the open sagebrush valley floors and lower slopes. Mountain lion are resident throughout. Desert bighorn sheep were reintroduced to the Clan Alpine Mountains in 1986. Wild horses (BLM Clan Alpine Herd Management Area) range across portions of the unit. Sage grouse use the sagebrush steppe; chukar occur on rocky canyon slopes. Golden eagles and prairie falcons are present.