Great Basin National Park

Great Basin protects the heart of the Snake Range, a single mountain that rises almost two miles above the desert floor of eastern Nevada. The name comes from the vast region all around it, a place where no river ever reaches the sea. Every drop of rain and snow either sinks into the ground or dries away under the sun, which is why the country here feels so wide, so dry, and so still. The mountain, watered by that same snow, becomes a green island of life above the sagebrush sea.

The park is famous for three very different wonders, all on the same slope. Its bristlecone pines, gnarled and wind-carved, are among the oldest living things on the planet, growing slowly for thousands of years on the harshest, rockiest ground near treeline. Below them lies Lehman Caves, a cool marble chamber hung with rare shield formations, thin stone plates that jut from the walls in a way you almost never see in other caves. And overhead is one of the darkest skies left anywhere in the Lower 48.

It is also one of the most rewarding parks precisely because so few people make the long drive to it. Wheeler Peak, the second-highest summit in Nevada, holds a small glacier in the shadowed bowl below its north face, the southernmost glacier in the country. Between the desert base and that icy cirque the mountain passes through several distinct life zones, so a short drive up its shoulder is a bit like a road trip from Mexico to Canada, all in one place.

• Main Entrance, reached by NV-488 off US-6/50 near the little town of Baker, is the one way in, leading straight to the Lehman Caves Visitor Center at the base of the mountain. From there the Wheeler Peak Scenic Drive climbs into the high country, though that upper road is seasonal and snow-dependent, usually open only from about late spring into fall.
• The park sits in far eastern Nevada, close to the Utah line. From Ely, Nevada, follow US-6/50 east for roughly 68 miles to Baker. From the Salt Lake City area to the northeast, take US-6/50 west across the desert. Whichever way you come, the drive is long and empty, so fill your tank in Baker or Ely and carry food and water, because services near the park are very limited.

• The Lehman Caves Tour is the classic first stop, a ranger-led walk of about 60 to 90 minutes through decorated rooms like the Grand Palace and the Gothic Palace. The cave can only be seen on a guided tour, so it is worth reserving ahead.
• The Bristlecone Pine Trail is a walk of roughly 2.8 miles through a grove of trees that are 3,000 to 5,000 years old, some of the oldest living things on Earth, reached from the top of the scenic drive.
• The Wheeler Peak Summit Trail is a strenuous climb of about 8.6 miles round trip, gaining nearly 3,000 feet, and it is one of the finest alpine hikes in Nevada, ending on the 13,065-foot summit.
• Lexington Arch, in the quiet southern part of the park, is a rare limestone arch reached by a rugged trail of about 6 miles round trip, a reward for those who like to get well off the beaten path.

Long before it was a park, this mountain and the wide country around it were home to Native people, and the greater Great Basin remains the homeland of the Western Shoshone, who have lived across this land for thousands of years and are still here today. To them the range and its springs, plants, and animals have never been simply scenery. They are part of a living homeland, and their long connection to this country deserves respect from every visitor who comes to enjoy it.

The park grew up around its cave. A rancher and miner named Absalom Lehman is credited with bringing the caves to wide attention in the 1880s, and in 1922 President Warren Harding set the site aside as Lehman Caves National Monument. For decades after that, the cave below and the mountain above were looked after separately, the underground rooms drawing curious travelers while the high peaks stayed wild and little-known.

In 1986 Congress joined the old monument with the surrounding Snake Range to create Great Basin National Park, one of the last national parks established in the twentieth century. The name honors the enormous interior region it stands for, that great bowl of desert and mountain where rivers run to no ocean.

The mountain also carries a hard lesson in its history. In 1964 a bristlecone pine here, a tree that may have been among the very oldest ever found, was cut down during a research study. The loss of that ancient tree, remembered by the name Prometheus, helped change how people protect such old and irreplaceable life, and today the park asks visitors never to disturb these trees so they can keep standing for the ages.

• The bristlecone pines here are among the oldest living single organisms on Earth, some nearly 5,000 years old. They grow so slowly, and their wood is so dense and full of resin, that even long-dead trees can stand silver and unrotted for centuries.
• Wheeler Peak's north face shelters a small glacier, the southernmost in the continental United States, tucked in a shaded rock bowl where winter snow survives the summer sun.
• Lehman Caves holds an unusual number of shield formations, flat disc-shaped plates of stone up to six feet across that jut from the walls. Shields need very particular water chemistry to form and are rare in caves, but Lehman has more of them, packed into its space, than almost any known cave.
• The cave stays a steady 50 degrees Fahrenheit all year, so it is cool on a hot summer day and a warm refuge in winter. It is also a bit tight in places, so tours involve some ducking and narrow passages.
• The Wheeler Peak Scenic Drive passes through about five distinct plant zones in only a dozen miles, from pinyon and juniper at the bottom to subalpine meadow near the top, which is why people say you can drive from desert to alpine in an afternoon.
• Great Basin is one of the least-visited national parks in the Lower 48, which is exactly why it keeps its deep quiet and its extraordinary dark. Fewer lights and fewer crowds mean a night sky most Americans never get to see.
• Despite the desert setting, the park's streams hold Bonneville cutthroat trout, a native fish left behind from a vast Ice Age lake that once covered much of this region.
• The park was named an International Dark Sky Park, a formal recognition that its skies are among the darkest and most star-filled anywhere in the country.

• There is no entrance fee to drive into the park, though a fee applies for the ranger-led Lehman Caves tour.
• Lehman Caves can only be seen on a guided tour that leaves from the visitor center, and tours fill up, especially in summer, so reserving ahead is strongly recommended.
• The Wheeler Peak Scenic Drive climbs about 12 miles to roughly 10,000 feet on a paved road, but it is snow-dependent and usually open only from late spring into fall.
• The Summit Trail to Wheeler Peak is about 8.6 miles round trip with nearly 3,000 feet of climbing, a serious high-altitude hike best started early in the day.
• Services near the park are very limited. Baker sits about a mile east with a handful of options, and the nearest larger town, Ely, is about 68 miles northwest, so fuel up and stock up before you arrive.

There is no fee just to enter and drive through Great Basin National Park. A separate fee does apply for the ranger-led Lehman Caves tour, which is the only way to see the cave. Interagency passes and reservations relate to the cave tours rather than a park gate, so check the National Park Service website for current tour details before you go.

Lehman Caves can only be visited on a ticketed, ranger-led tour that leaves from the Lehman Caves Visitor Center, and the walk lasts roughly 60 to 90 minutes. The cave stays a cool 50 degrees Fahrenheit all year, so bring a light jacket, and be ready for a few tight, low passages where you will duck and squeeze. Tours fill up, especially in summer, so it is smart to reserve ahead.

Great Basin bristlecone pines are among the oldest living things on Earth, some of them nearly 5,000 years old, growing slowly on windswept, rocky slopes near treeline. You can walk among them on the Bristlecone Pine Trail, a loop of about 2.8 miles reached from the top of the scenic drive. Please never carve, climb on, or disturb these trees. One ancient bristlecone here, known as Prometheus, was cut down in 1964, a loss that helped teach the world to protect such irreplaceable old life.

You cannot drive to the summit, but the Wheeler Peak Scenic Drive climbs about 12 miles up the mountain's shoulder to roughly 10,000 feet, passing through several plant zones from desert to subalpine. From the trailheads up top you can hike to alpine lakes, the bristlecone grove, or the strenuous 8.6-mile round-trip Summit Trail to the 13,065-foot peak. The upper road is snow-dependent and usually open only from late spring into fall.

Great Basin sits far from any city, high and dry in remote eastern Nevada, so it has some of the darkest night skies in the country and is recognized as an International Dark Sky Park. On a clear, moonless night the Milky Way is bright enough to seem to cast a faint shadow, and the park runs astronomy programs and an annual astronomy festival. Bring warm layers, let your eyes adjust for a while, and skip the bright flashlight to enjoy the show.

Late spring through early fall is the best window, because that is when the Wheeler Peak Scenic Drive and the high trails are usually open and the days are warm and dry. Summer is ideal for the peak, the lakes, and the bristlecones, while fall brings golden aspen and cooler air. Winter buries the high country in snow and closes the upper road, though Lehman Caves stays open year-round. Clear, moonless nights in any season are wonderful for stargazing.

Very remote. Great Basin sits in far eastern Nevada near the Utah line, and services around it are limited. Fuel up and stock up on food and water in Baker, about a mile from the entrance, or in Ely, about 68 miles northwest, before you head in. The drives to the park are long and empty, so it is best to arrive with a full tank and everything you need.

A full day lets you take a Lehman Caves tour, drive the Wheeler Peak Scenic Drive, and walk one of the shorter high trails. Two days is better if you want to hike the Summit Trail or the Bristlecone and Alpine Lakes loops, explore Lexington Arch, and still have a clear night for stargazing. Because the park is so far from other stops, many people build a full day or two around it.

Pets on a leash are welcome in campgrounds, parking areas, along roads, and on a few developed paths, but they are not allowed on most trails, in the backcountry, or inside Lehman Caves. Bring plenty of water, never leave a pet in a hot vehicle, and check the park website for the current pet rules before you visit.

There is no hotel or lodge inside Great Basin, but the park has several campgrounds, including the high Wheeler Peak campground near the top of the scenic drive, which are often first-come, first-served. For a bed indoors, look to the small town of Baker just outside the entrance, or plan a longer stay in Ely to the northwest. Because rooms nearby are limited, it helps to sort out lodging before you arrive.