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Great Basin National Park is a remote park in the middle of the Nevada desert with several unique ecosystems. This peaceful park is the perfect place to go if you’re looking to get away from the crowds.
Introduction to Great Basin National Park
Great Basin National Park is named after the Great Basin, a dry and mountainous region between the Sierra Nevada and the Wasatch Mountains. It’s known for its groves of ancient bristlecone pines, which are some of the oldest known living trees in the world, the Lehman Caves, and Wheeler Peak Glacier. The park was established by President Warren G. Harding as Lehman Caves National Monument on January 24, 1922. It was elevated to Great Basin National Park on October 27, 1986, thanks to efforts led by Nevada Congressman Harry Reid (1939–2021).
Great Basin National Park covers 77,180 acres. It boasts more than 800 species of plants, including 11 species of conifer trees; 61 species of mammals; 18 species of reptiles; and 238 species of birds. A total of 12 trails, ranging from 0.3 miles (500 meters) to 13.1 miles (21.1 kilometers) long allow you to explore several diverse areas of the park.
Planning Your Trip to Great Basin National Park
Solitude. If that word appeals to you, look no further than Great Basin. This national park with diverse landscapes is located a long way from civilization and doesn’t get the number of visitors it deserves, which only makes it better.
I spent two days at Great Basin and could have easily doubled that. I thoroughly enjoyed the hiking trails and would love to come back and do more, since some are accessible by 4×4 only.
Before getting into some of the trails and highlights of the park, here’s some essential information to help you plan your trip. Check the official website for more info:
Entrance Fees to Great Basin National Park
Great Basin National Park is a fee-free park (as of December 2025). If you’d like to take a ranger-guide tour of Lehman Caves, however, you’ll have to purchase tickets. They’re not covered by any interagency passes.
When to Visit Great Basin National Park
The park is open year-round, but many areas are inaccessible in the winter, such as the upper part of Wheeler Peak Scenic Drive. Some unpaved roads are closed in the winter while others require high-clearance vehicles.
Visitor Centers at Great Basin National Park
There are two visitor centers at the park. Both feature exhibits about the park’s natural and cultural history:
- The Great Basin Visitor Center is located in Baker, the nearest town to the park. The Forgotten Winchester, a rifle manufactured in 1882 that was found leaning against a juniper tree in the park in 2014, is on display there. It’s closed during the winter.
- The Lehman Caves Visitor Center is at the entrance to Lehman Caves. It features a cafeteria and a small general store. It’s open year-round.
Note: The Lehman Caves Visitor Center is closed through Spring 2026 for an electrical replacement project at Lehman Caves. In the meantime, the Great Basin Visitor Center will remain open through winter (as of December 2025).
Camping at Great Basin National Park
There are five developed campgrounds and one primitive campground within the park boundaries. None of the campgrounds have access to potable water. Prices are current as of April 2025:
- Lower Lehman Creek Campground has nine reservable sites at $20 per night. It’s the only campground open year-round. (Note: the campground closed on May 19, 2025, for expansion and rehabilitation.)
- Upper Lehman Creek Campground has 23 reservable sites at $20 per night. It’s open May through September, and stays open until the winter weather closure.
- Wheeler Peak Campgroud has 37 reservable sites at $20 per night. It’s typically open mid-May through September, and stays open until the first snow.
- Baker Creek Campground has 37 reservable sites at $20 per night. It’s typically open mid-May through the winter weather closure.
- Grey Cliffs Campground has 16 reservable sites at $20 per night. It’s typically open mid-May through the winter weather closure.
- Snake Creek Campgrounds consists of 12 free first-come, first-served sites at various sites along Snake Creek. They’re typically open May through the winter weather closure.
Wheeler Peak Campground
We camped at Wheeler Peak, which is at the end of Wheeler Peak Scenic Drive. It’s a gorgeous campground at an elevation of 9,886 feet. Spectacular views of the mountain and the changing colors of the leaves made it a dramatic setting.
Our campsite was spacious and there were no other tents nearby. There was a pit toilet and water located next to the site. It got quite windy and cold at night, however, and we had one bad tent collapse on the second night.
Activities at Great Basin National Park
Fishing, back country hiking and camping, climbing, skiing, and other outdoor activities are available. Check the official website for more information on these activities. Information about ranger-guided programs can be found at the Lehman Caves Visitor Center, including summer astronomy programs.
Lehman Caves
The Lehman Caves — the longest cave system in Nevada — are one of the most popular features of Great Basin National Park. Discovered by Absalom Lehman in 1885, they’re home to several small creatures including bats, spiders, and mites, and are full of spectacular formations including stalactites, stalagmites, and cave bacon.
Tours of Lehman Caves
The only way to visit the Lehman Caves is on a ranger-guided tour. They’re limited to 20 people and sell out quickly. Booking online is highly recommended, and you can reserve tickets up to 30 days in advance. Walk-up tickets are available at the Lehman Caves Visitor Center for same-day tours, but they usually sell out within the first hour.
Tour options
Note: Due to an upgrade of the cave’s electrical system, tours are unavailable until Spring 2026.
Six tours are available on a rotating basis throughout the year, with schedules change depending on the season. Prices are current as of April 2025:
- The 30-minute Gothic Palace Tour visits Gothic Palace and the Rose Trellis Room. It’s ⅓ mile (500 meters) long. Tickets are $8 for adults, $4 for kids age 5-15, and free for kids under 5.
- The 60-minute Lodge Room Tour visits the above plus the Music Room and Lodge Room. It’s ½ mile (800 meters) long. Tickets are $12 for adults, $6 for kids age 5-15, and free for kids under 5.
- The 60-minute Parachute Shied Tour visits the Lodge Room, the Inscription Room, Cypress Swamp, Grand Palace, and Sunken Garden. It’s 0.6 miles (1 kilometer) long. Tickets are $12 for adults, $6 for kids age 5-15, and free for kids under 5.
- The 90-minute Grand Palace Tour visits all of the above. It’s 0.8 miles (1.3 kilometers) long and limited to visitors age 5+. Tickets are $15 for adults and $8 for kids age 5-15.
- The 20-minute First Room Accessible Tour is for guests who can’t negotiate stairs or narrow passageways. It’s ¼ mile (400 meters) long and visits Gothic Palace. Tickets are $5 for adults, $2 for kids age 5-15, and free for kids under 5.
- The Introduction to Wild Caving Tour lasts 3 hours. It’s a difficult tour involving scrambling and belly crawling. The route is 1 ½ miles (2.4 kilometers) long, and it’s limited to visitors age 16+. Tickets are $40 per person.
Gothic Palace Tour
We decided to do the Grand Palace tour. It was a great choice because we were able to see all of the best rooms in the cave. The ranger who led our tour was enthusiastic and funny, and we learned a lot about the formations present in each room. The first room we visited was the Gothic Palace, which has very high ceilings and all kinds of amazing formations.
Music Room
Next was the Music Room. We felt as if we were inside a giant pipe organ. We were then shown how cave bacon and the other formations are created.
Lodge Room
The ranger had some intriguing stories about how the Lodge Room was used over the years. It was shocking to many on the tour that in the early 20th century, people would enter the cave in their best clothes for parties. They would bring food and drinks, bands would play live music, and there would be dancing. Lots of garbage accumulated over the years and irreparable damage was done.
Inscription Room
If we had taken the Lodge Room tour, it would end here, but we still had a good half hour to go on the Grand Palace tour. We continued with the Inscription Room, where early 20th century visitors would leave graffiti on the walls of the cave.
Grand Palace
The final area of the tour was the Grand Palace, which is the most spectacular room in the cave.
Mountain View Nature Trail
The Mountain View Nature Trail, a short and easy informative trail through a pinyon-juniper forest, is just outside the Lehman Caves Visitor Center. It’s 0.3 miles (500 meters) long.
The trail starts at the historic Rhodes Cabin. It was built in the 1920s by Clarence and Bea Rhodes, the Forest Service custodians of the Lehman Caves, as one of several to provide accommodation for visitors to the caves. An interpretive exhibit is located inside.
The trail has a few species of trees marked with information, and you might be able to spot a few critters along the way.
The scenery is pleasant and the views are wonderful. If you’re interested in learning about the ecology of the park, the visitor center loans out trail guides.
The trail also passes by the natural opening of the Lehman Caves. It was used until 1939, when the current entrance was created to provide easier access. Early visitors would climb down the hole to access the cave system — it’s hard to imagine people climbing down a rope in formal clothing! The protective cage-like structure, installed in 1997, allows bats to easily enter and exit the cave.
Wheeler Peak Scenic Drive
With a 4,000-foot elevation gain over just 12 miles, the Wheeler Peak Scenic Drive will have you wonder if you’ve been suddenly transported from Nevada to Colorado. The stark contrast between the desert at the beginning of the road and the sub-alpine forest at the end is simply amazing.
The road starts near the Lehman Caves Visitor Center – at an elevation of about 7,000 feet – in an area full of sagebrush. At 8,000 feet, you enter a pinyon-juniper forest. Douglas firs and pine trees start to appear at 9,000 feet. Finally, after 10,000 feet, aspen trees dominate the landscape. The road ends at the trailheads for the Alpine Lakes Loop Trail, the Bristlecone-Glacier Trail, and the Wheeler Peak Campground.
Wheeler Peak Scenic Drive, with an 8% average grade, is open from about May through November, weather permitting. Vehicles or trailers longer than 24 feet are prohibited from using the road.
Osceola Ditch
The first stop on the way up is the Osceola Ditch, at 8,400 feet. In 1872, James Matteson and Frank Heck discovered gold 3 miles west of what is now Great Basin National Park. Starting in September 1889, miners working for the Osceola Mining Company dug the 18-mile ditch to provide water to the mine. Absalom Lehman, the man who discovered the Lehman Caves, sold the water rights, and the ditch was completed on July 4, 1890. The mine ceased operations in 1905 but resumed between 1936 and 1942, and again for a short time after World War II.
A short 0.3-mile round-trip trail takes you to the remnants of the ditch. The trail extends 5.2 miles (8.4 kilometers) all the way down to Strawberry Creek Road.
Hairpin Turn
At a hairpin turn a few minutes past the Osceola Ditch turnout, I stopped to take a photo of the desert, which seems to extend endlessly into the horizon.
Mather Overlook
Next is the Mather Overlook, named for Stephen Mather (1867–1930), the first director of the National Park Service. From this spot at just over 9,000 feet, you’ll get breathtaking views of Wheeler Peak and the forest on its slopes. Looking to the east gives you another view of the never-ending desert.
Wheeler Peak Overlook
The final stop, at nearly 10,000 feet, is the Wheeler Peak Overlook, which gives another perspective of the mountain. Wheeler Peak is the second-tallest mountain in Nevada, rising to 13,065 feet.
Wheeler Peak Area
The Wheeler Peak area is at the end of Wheeler Peak Scenic Drive. You’ll find some of the park’s most popular hikes there.
Alpine Lakes Loop Trail
The Alpine Lakes Loop Trail is an easy 2.7-mile (4.4 kilometer) trail that passes two glacial lakes. It starts and ends at the end of Wheeler Peak Scenic Drive and connects to the Bristlecone Pine Trail. The elevation gain is 440 feet (134 meters).I decided to take the trail counter-clockwise and continue on the Bristlecone Pine Trail.
The beginning of the trail takes you through a pine and aspen forest. I was able to spot the occasional mule deer prancing through, and the vivid yellows and oranges of the changing leaves made the hike more enjoyable.
A little over a mile of walking takes you to the first stop, Stella Lake, which is small but very scenic. The lake was created by a retreating glacier and is fed by melting snows and summer storms. I stopped for a snack and to enjoy the solitude and serenity.
About ¾ mile later, you’ll arrive at Teresa Lake. Like Stella Lake, it was created by a retreating glacier, but it isn’t as large or nearly as scenic. It’s interesting to note that no fish live in either lake — both freeze nearly to the bottom during the winter.
Continuing along the trail, you’ll walk through a pine forest until reaching the intersection with the Bristlecone Pine Trail. To complete the loop, it’s another 0.6 miles (1 kilometer) to the trailhead.
Bristlecone Pine
The Bristlecone Pine Trail is a 2.8-mile (4.5 kilometer) round-trip hike that starts at the end of the Wheeler Peak Scenic Drive. It’s moderately difficult with a 600-foot (183 meter) elevation gain. Bristlecone pines are among the longest-living species on earth, with some over 5,000 years old.
The beginning of the hike is shared with a section of the Alpine Lakes Loop Trail heading clockwise. You can link the two trails for a combined distance of 4.1 miles (6.6 kilometers).
After 0.6 miles (1 kilometer), turn left to continue on the Bristlecone Pine Trail — the Alpine Lakes Loop Trail heads to the right. The trail then follows a rocky slope with views of a pine and aspen forest and the desert in the distance.
At the end of the trail is the most accessible of three bristlecone pine groves in the park. A short loop takes you through the grove, with interpretive panels explaining the stories of a few individual trees. Some may appear to be dead, but after reading the panels, you’ll be surprised to find out they’re still alive.
Bristlecone pines have been known to live over 5,000 years old. They’re highly adaptable to their environment and often live in isolation where other trees cannot survive. Their wood is also extremely resistant to decay and doesn’t rot — some can remain standing for thousands of years after their death. I’ll leave you with a few more photos from the grove:
Glacier Trail
You can continue on the Glacier Trail for another mile (1.6 kilometers) to reach the last remaining glacier in Nevada. It’s a moderately difficult trail with an additional 500-foot (152 meter) elevation gain. The last ½ mile (800 meters) is especially steep and rocky. I would have gone up if it wasn’t getting too late!
Map of Great Basin National Park
A Flat in the Desert: Car Trouble at Great Basin National Park
This story details my stressful experience getting a flat tire at Great Basin. (Thankfully, Parkview Mechanics has opened up just outside the park in Baker since my trip. They’ve been providing service to unlucky travelers for a variety of issues — not just tire problems (as of December 2025). I wish they’d been around in 2015!)
Uh-oh
On our final morning at Great Basin National Park, we were hoping to have everything packed up and to be on the move by 10am. We had a long drive to Moab, Utah, ahead of us for some time at Arches National Park, and we wanted to enjoy the scenery along the way.
We woke up to the breathtaking mountain scenery at the Wheeler Peak Campground, had breakfast, and started packing our things when I noticed something I had been dreading — my passenger-side front tire was low.
If you don’t know Great Basin, it’s in the middle of nowhere. To make matters worse, we were camping 12 miles up a mountain without a cell signal. The nearest settlement is sleepy Baker (population 68), 17 miles from our campsite.
Rolling Down to Baker
Martin inspected the tire and thought it had enough air in it to last a while, so I decided to try to get to Baker. We saw a service station the day before and I was hoping I would be able to get a patch or a new tire if necessary. There HAD to be SOMETHING. The nearest city was over 60 miles away!
We completely unloaded the car and I told Martin and Gönül to just pack up and wait. I’d be back as soon as possible and we’d be on the road in no time. Or would we?
I slowly made my way down the mountain and got to the main road. When I arrived in Baker, I drove to the service station I spotted the day before but it was closed. I drove back through town and popped into the Great Basin Visitor Center to ask the ranger if there was anywhere I could have the tire repaired. She said the only place would be at the Border Inn — a service station, motel, and casino on the Utah state line. That was over seven miles away.
Pop!
I took a quick look at the tire and it seemed good enough to drive seven miles on, so I hopped back in the car, put on my flashers, and started crawling down the road.
About halfway there, I heard a pop and knew the worst had happened — the tire burst wide-open. I got out of the car in the sweltering desert heat, pulled the spare and jack out of the trunk, and went to work. 15 minutes later, I was back on the road and making my way to the state line.
When I arrived, I went inside and asked the manager if I could get a new tire.
“Well, we don’t do tires here. You have two choices. You can head east into Utah and go 89 miles to Delta, or you can head west into Nevada about 65 miles to Ely. It’s Saturday so you might be able to find someone working in both places.”
Decisions, Decisions
Wonderful! Now what am I supposed to do? On a donut it would take me well over an hour to get to either town. If I had everyone and everything with me and didn’t have to go back up the mountain, I’d go east since we were headed that way to Arches.
At that point, I was worried about Martin and Gönül. I wanted to contact them to discuss our options. I could drive back up the mountain, pick them up, and head east to Delta, or I could go on my own to Ely while they worried about me being lost or kidnapped in the desert. Hoping the signal would miraculously work, I tried to call them. Nothing.
I was time to make an executive decision: it was off to Ely. I put on some driving music, turned up the volume, and tried to enjoy the scenery. It was a long and lonely drive, and the four or so cars and trucks I encountered all flew past me at around 80 or 90 mph.
Thank You, Gale Oil & Tire!
When I finally rolled into Ely at around 11:30am, it seemed as if nothing was open. I made a right turn and luckily stumbled upon Gale Oil & Tire. They were able to take care of the tire in just 45 minutes.
The person who helped me was a friendly man who saw my Illinois plates, listened to my story about the tire popping in Baker, and immediately cut me a deal.
“Tell you what. My mom lives in Chicago and I was there last week. I love it there. I’ll give you a 10% discount on the tire and I won’t charge you for the mounting and balancing, and I’ll recycle the old one for free, too.”
It was an unexpected moment of kindness, but it made a frustrating morning much better. I had nowhere else to go and he easily could’ve charged me a lot more. I ended up paying just $130 for the new tire — six weeks later in Albuquerque, I paid $185 for the exact same brand after a different tire popped. (Note: Gale Oil & Tire closed its doors on August 10, 2020, after nearly 40 years in business.)
Back to Great Basin
I thanked the crew, jumped back in the car, and raced back to Great Basin. When I finally arrived it was after 2pm. Martin and Gönül had been patiently waiting for me for over five hours, and, as expected, they had plenty of ideas about what they thought had happened to me.
We quickly packed up the car and hit the road. Because we were way behind schedule, and my travel partners had already eaten lunch, I decided to grab some snacks down at the Border Inn.
Moral of the story: make sure your car and all four tires are in good working condition before heading to Great Basin. And you might want to take along a full-size spare!
