Original: The Sierra Nevada ( , snowy mountain rangeCarlson , Helen S. , Nevada Place Names : A Geographical Dictionary , University of Nevada Press , 1976 , p. 215 ISBN 978-0874170948 ) is a mountain range in the U.S. states of California and Nevada , between the California Central Valley and the Basin and Range Province .
Simplified: The Sierra Nevada stretches 400 miles ( 650 km ) , from Fredonyer Pass in the north to Tehachapi Pass in the south .