The Mount Grafton WSA is located in east-central Nevada, in White Pine and Lincoln Counties, approximately 30 miles south of Ely, Nevada. The WSA includes 73,216 acres of public land and five privately owned inholdings totaling 280 acres.
Mount Grafton itself, at 10,990 feet, is the tallest peak on
BLM-administered land in Nevada. These highly scenic mountains of the Schell
Creek Range are rugged with numerous rock outcrops, crags and peaks scattered
throughout the high country. Every feature of the WSA is on a large scale, its
three major peaks being the last to hold snow in the late spring, the first to
carry snow in autumn. From the
peaks, the view of surrounding valleys and mountains is expansive
and contributes to the exhilaration that is a definite part of the experience of
ridgeline hiking. Wildlife is abundant: Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep, mule deer,
elk, raptors, and mountain lions are among the many species in the area.
Extensive forested areas include pinyon, juniper, aspen, limber and bristlecone
pine, and white fir.