To be honest, I didn’t know Great Basin National Park existed until I saw it on the US National Parks map hanging in our house. That was years ago. This year, we finally had the opportunity to visit the park and it did not disappoint!
Great Basin is located in eastern Nevada – not far from the Utah border. It’s a little off the beaten path, but I think that’s part of what makes this park so special. During our visit, we took a guided tour of Lehman Caves, hiked to mountain lakes and glaciers, and camped inside the park.
Cave Tours
It’s not every day you have the opportunity to take a cave tour and hike to the top of a mountain in the same park. When I saw Great Basin had cave tours, I knew I had to jump on it. Exploring Lehman Caves can only be done through a ranger-guided tour. At the time of our visit (August 2023), tour tickets were released on a rolling 30-day basis, which means that the earliest you can purchase tickets for your visit is 30 days before that date.
Two tours are offered during the summer: Lodge Room and Grand Palace. Grand Palace is the longer of the two at 90 minutes. This is the tour we selected. We wanted to see as much of the cave as possible. I booked our tickets when they became available 30 days out and didn’t have any issues purchasing for our desired tour time that day. I would recommend purchasing tickets in advance. A few days before our visit, I noticed our tour date had sold out.
We learned more about the history of the cave and the area in general on our tour. We also got to see some very cool and unique formations within the cave. We’ve toured a lot of caves, and I’d have to say that this is one of the most photogenic!
More details about visiting the cave can be found at the Great Basin NPS site here: Lehman Caves Tours – Great Basin National Park (U.S. National Park Service) (nps.gov). Make sure to read through them thoroughly. Some tours are seasonal, and some have age restrictions.
Scenic Drives
Wheeler Peak Scenic Drive is a 12-mile road that gains over 4,000 feet in elevation. The scenic drive does not continue all the way to the top of Wheeler Peak (although you can hike to the top). It climbs up toward Wheeler Peak Campground, which is at 9,500 feet in elevation. It’s a scenic drive with many opportunities to look out on the desert below and out toward the mountains above. Note that it is a narrow, windy road with several switchbacks. We took our 20-foot travel trailer on this road and camped at Wheeler Peak Campground. The longest trailer/vehicle allowed on this road is 24 feet in length.
Hiking
We were able to do two spectacular hikes on our visit to Great Basin National Park: Alpine Lakes Loop and Glacier Trail. Both trails start at the top of Wheeler Peak Scenic Drive. The hiking at this park absolutely blew me away. I love hiking in the mountains surrounded by pine trees and mountain streams. The mountain lakes and glaciers were icing on the cake!
Alpine Lakes Trail
- Quick Facts
- Length: 2.7 miles roundtrip
- Elevation Gain: 440 ft
- Trailhead/Parking: Bristlecone Parking Area (near Wheeler Peak Campground)
- Link to NPS site
This was one of my favorite hikes on our whole two-week trip. It was a low-medium effort hike with big payoffs in terms of views and scenery. The hike takes you to two alpine lakes. We hiked through the pines and along the mountain streams, occasionally passing through open fields, on our way to the first mountain lake: Stella Lake. Just before arriving at Stella Lake, we met a couple who had just gotten married by the lake. It really was a beautiful area!
We set out a little later in the day than we intended, but it all worked out for the best because we got to see some beautiful sunset colors on the mountains and reflecting on the lakes. By the time we got to Teresa Lake, the sky was lighting up with the colors of the sunset. It was an impressive sight!
Glacier/Bristlecone Grove Trail
- Quick Facts
- Length: 4.8 miles roundtrip
- Elevation Gain: 1,040 ft
- Trailhead/Parking: Bristlecone Parking Area (near Wheeler Peak Campground)
- Link to NPS site
A small portion at the beginning of Glacier/Bristlecone Grove trail overlaps with the Alpine Lakes trail. Then it turns and heads into the mountains. The trail begins by passing through pines. Then it opens up to some incredible views before climbing up above the tree line to the only glacier in Nevada.
Once we were above the tree line, we were mainly hiking through rocky fields – with an occasional snow field crossing. This area was surrounded on three sides by mountainous walls, and the temperature here was significantly cooler. In addition to being home to a glacier, there was also a rock glacier in this area. We had never heard of a rock glacier until we read about it on an informational sign.
There is an option to take a short side-trail through Bristlecone Grove from the Glacier Trail. We were anxious to get up to the glacier, but we did take this side trail on our way back down. It was well worth it. Bristlecone Pines and Limber Pines can grow into very unique, twisted shapes. They grow slowly, in harsh environments where other trees cannot grow. Check out the link on the Great Basin NPS site to read more about the Great Basin Bristlecone: Bristlecone Pines – Great Basin National Park (U.S. National Park Service) (nps.gov).
Camping/Lodging
The park has several campgrounds within its boundaries. We were fortunate enough to get a site at Wheeler Peak Campground – although it wasn’t easy. Some campgrounds are first-come-first-served only, while others can be reserved 30 days out. Wheeler Peak is reservable; however, sites were going incredibly fast (within seconds of being released). We were able to snag a site for one night a couple weeks before our visit due to a cancellation. It ended up being our favorite campsite/campground to date! To read more about our camping experience at Wheeler Peak, check out the blog post: Wheeler Peak Campground – Miles of Yellow Lines.
There is no lodge and there are not any cabins inside the park. For lodging other than camping, you’ll need to stay outside the park and drive in.