Although the Carson Range is a spur of the Sierra Nevada, it lies entirely within the hydrographic Great Basin. The eastern slopes of the Carson Range drain into the Carson River in the south and the Truckee River in the north. The southern slopes, in California, drain into the West Fork of the Carson River, while the northern slopes drain directly into the Truckee River. The western slopes of the Carson Range arise along the eastern shore of Lake Tahoe, and so these streams drain into Lake Tahoe, from there into the Truckee River. The Montane Zone occupies most of the range, and includes many types of highly diverse communities.
Montane forests are the most abundant communities.
Droughts since the 1970s have made the Jeffrey pine and white fir populations susceptible to bark-beetles, and in some areas standing dead trees comprise 90 percent of the forest stands. A small Sierra juniper woodland occurs in the Genoa Peak area. Otherwise, the species is uncommon in the Nevada portion of the range, but such woodlands occur in the California portion of the range between South Lake Tahoe and Meyers, and north of Martis Peak. The Pygmy Conifer Zone is represented in small patches just above base elevations on the east side of the range. Sagebrush-Ephedra communities are also common in this zone.