These mountains are a serious obstacle to travel between the more level terrain of the Great Salt Lake Desert and the Humboldt River Valley. The First transcontinental railroad was routed around the north end of the range, on its way to Promontory Summit in Utah.
The mountains obstruct movement from the flat regions of the Great Salt Lake Desert to the Humboldt River Valley. The first transcontinental railway circumvented the north side of the mountain range as it headed toward Promontory Summit in Utah.