great basin national park

563lidiac

This is a smaller and lesser-known national park, but it's well worth a visit. Because it's not as well-known as the others, you won't be facing the crushing crowds you face in some of the other parks. There is beautiful and secluded camping -- we spent two nights with no neighbors at one of the campgrounds -- and there are designated "RV" and "no-RV" campgrounds which is nice if you are a tent camper and like peace and quiet and darkness. Lehman Caves are worth multiple visits and then there's the Wheeler Peak summit for a strenuous but low-skill-level hike (just a half day of long, hard hiking -- no scrambling or climbing required). Check out nearby Ely for some local color.

MCTourer

Lehman Cave tour and Bristlecone trail on Wheeler peak were singular experiences. The vistas are grand. Be prepared for summer rainstorms and lightning when hiking, best to go in the morning. Nice visitor center.

Tourist894

We went in January so part of the park was closed due to snow. The visitors center was also closed. This is a park to see in the spring/summer/fall time of year. Unless you snowshoe or snowmobile don't go in the winter.

taili

We enjoyed just driving around the park and taking many pictures of the scenery, but the highlight was the cave tour - with a great guide.. Before you go be sure to check on what is open and what time tours are available - this is a season impacted thing.

mikelQ3986UC

The Lehman Cave was probably the best cave We have ever visited as far as the beauty and variety of formations. Our guide was excellent. We hiked to the bristlecone pine grove. It was very impressive to see what is known as the oldest living organisms on earth(5000 yrs.)We were there during the annual astronomy festival and approximately 30 volunteers set up powerful telescopes for public use. The view of the night sky with the naked eye was also fantastic, due to the absence of background light.

westernu_12

Nice drive from Ely to Great Basin.We took the first 90 minute cave tour. Fortunately we had reservations as it filled up. After the hike we drove up to the end of the road and did the Alpine Lakes Loop Trial. This is a nice hike (at high elevation, but not a lot, maybe 600 feet, of elevation gain.) You can gather pine nuts.Other hikes will take you to an arch, or the only glacier in Nevada.

W9891BSbrianm

So this Park is way out of the way and you'll drive far to get there. I'd still recommend going because it's beautiful and the drive there alone is fabulous in experiencing desert scenery. Do go on the Lehman Cave tour and do drive up the road to the Wheeler Peak viewpoints. I camped at the Wheeler Peak sites, which are stunning.

tooluser

The park is in a very remote location and so it's very dark at night. Excellent stargazing. No entrance fee! I drove up the mountain (twice) and the fall colors were in full swing in the many aspen trees. The nature path at the top of the road near the campground was nicely laid out, and I saw deer and turkey while walking it. More challenging, the hike to the bristlecone pines was spectacular. Nice visitor center. Lots to love.

canman66

I was travelling from Capitol Reef to Reno so decided to make a stop at Great Basin NP. So glad I did. I usually stick to the desert on vacation so finding this pristine alpine ecosystem in the region was something of a surprise. I did the lakes loop hike. If you are only seeing one of the lakes, I suggest Teresa - smaller, but prettier than Stella. The views on the mountain are jaw-droppingly beautiful. Also took the Lehman Caves tour with ranger Steve. This was really the highlight of the visit. Much smaller cave than Carlsbad, but a very beautiful place to explore nonetheless.

ricf441

This is a great park. Do the Bristlecone Pine hike it's totally worth the amazing views. Also make sure that you do the Lehman Caves tour. It's a great activity and a way to see the underside of the park that you have been exploring. They have many more trails that we didn't get to explore on this trip. We'll be back.

892cherylj

This park was great mainly due the sparse attendance. The cave tour was nice, but we enjoyed the scenic drive the most. Wish we had more time and it were warmer so we could have hiked some trails. We were told the bristle pine hike is great.

Kingla39

We loved this park. The hike on the Bristlecone trail was very rewarding and the tour of the Lehman cave was awesome. The park is fairly easy to see if you have a full day, but it is hard to get to. Make sure you make advance reservations for the cave tour. The day we went all tours were sold out. It is a very long way to go and not be able to tour the cave.

WonderingCzar

Vast isolation. Starry starry nights in the darkest of skies. Walking with ghosts in a grove as ancient as recorded time. The flash of Aspen gold on piney green.

28pattyg

we went for the Astronomy Fest-it was the highlight of our trip. The Ranger talent show was pretty good too.

thusarik

This park is gorgeous, with hiking trails and an underground cave (Lehman's Cave) to explore. Our small group tried to summit Wheeler Peak in 2009, but had to turn back when we saw a black cloud spitting lightning. We returned in 2014 and made it to the peak (13,063 ft!) This time we started out much earlier (7:30 am)