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Great Basin National Park

4.4 (72 reviews)

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Cindy K.

This is not my favorite park I have ever been to and there's no tollbooth here. To Pay you have to go to the visitor center and pay. I have a national Park pass so I didn't go in. I don't know if you're supposed to. I don't know how that works when you have a national Park pass. It seems like there's not many scenic drives in this park and maybe I'm missing a whole bunch of them. I don't know, but I only saw one and it was very windy. I believe it was up to Wheeler point. . Or Wheeler peak or maybe it was called Wheeler Road.... Anyway, I drove up a very windy scenic road and there's no side rails and there isn't even like a little concrete lip. I was white knuckle driving and when I was on the outer edge, I couldn't even look out at the valley. It was terrifying. I did not think I was scared of heights, but that was an 11,000 foot elevation so you're high up . I thought the drive was terrifying and as long as there wasn't a car coming toward me, I was driving in the middle and going 3 miles an hour. It's the most terrifying drive I've ever been on but the scenic payoff was incredible and well worth it . I went there over Memorial Day weekend . I stayed in Ely.

Ziad A.

Underrated park. Amazing caves. Low foot traffic. Small town. Best for stargazing. Lehman caves was an awesome tour, most ppl come for that

Quinney H.

I finally took a day trip to Great Basin National Park in Baker, Nevada in early July, and it was absolutely majestic! Highlights from my hike in the park included: two alpine lakes, bristlecone pines, aspen trees, Nevada's only glacier, an epic rock field, majestic mountain springs, wildflowers, mind blowing views of the Great Basin Desert that surrounds the park, multiple wildlife sightings (i.e., deer, wild turkeys, and a woodpecker), and endless picturesque views. I now consider this remote national treasure one of my favorite national parks in the United States.

Paige T.

If you're into remote locations, quiet, and extremes- this place is for you! Hiking over 10K feet, alpine lakes, bristlecone pine trees that are thousands of years old, a rock glacier, and caves are all here. We combined a few trails to see the bristlecones, 2 lakes, and the glacier in 1 day, and it was great! We lucked out on parking- currently there are only 22 spots open to access all the alpine area hikes (!)- for some reason they are doing construction on another lot during the "busy" season. People were parked in all kinds of creative and dangerous ways along the scenic road during Labor Day weekend. Another day, we took a cave tour (reserve online 30 days in advance, and know that the lighting system is currently causing partial cave closure- we booked a 90-minute tour and when we got there, were told it was unavailable and all tours were 60 minutes. Our guide was engaging and knowledgeable. Bring all the food and water you need- we ate dinner at the 1 restaurant in Baker and it was excellent, but brought all other meals.

Bristle Cone pine trees
M P.

Doable hikes. Great views! This was an interesting place to visit. Make sure you see the film explaining the park at the visitor center.

lake stella
Wesley T.

This is the first national park i've been to and I had an amazing time! I guess this is a more lowkey park based off what I had read but it does not disappoint. I've heard of nightmare lines at other parks getting in but for this one we just drove right in! They have a handful of campgrounds and they all require reservations ahead of time. Our campground however is usually FCFS but since it's peak season, we were able to reserve ahead. Our campsites were beautiful and right next to Baker Creek making it a soothing sleep for us. After our awesome Lehman Cave tour, we drove up the scenic drive route and stopped to hike to Lake Stella. It was absolutely stunning. An in and out hike during late May with snowing mountain views with a half frozen lake at the end, as a nooby hiker this was 100% worth it. Overall Great Basin National Park was great and a definite recommendation!

Walking up to find the Bristlecone Pines.
Alisha S.

I'd never even heard of this national park and it was suggested to me as I was planning my great summer road trip. I must admit, I was getting cold feet as our dates edged closer and I knew I'd be in the Nevada desert in the middle of summer. I am so glad we went!! It was amazing. First off, Wheeler Peak creates its own weather so we got to enjoy rain and lightning in July. (Plan your hiking in the morning or risk getting rained out as we did.) You are up in a totally different environment enjoying the trees and running streams. You can climb 10,000 feet by car in about 20-30 mins. We left heat and sun at the base and watched the temperature drop as we climbed. We saw wild turkeys and plenty of butterflies. The bristle cone pines are extraordinary and you can feel their age. Lehman caves is also here but I'll save that review for it specifically. Absolutely make a date with Great Basin. It's worth the drive and seeing the town of Baker, pop 70, at its feet is its own experience.

Lehman caves
Sean D.

Excellent National Park in Northeastern Nevada not far from the Utah border. Its very remote location lends to it being called the least visited National Park in the US. Great hiking trails and cooler weather are part of the allure to Great Basin as are the various campgrounds within the park. The visitor center near the entrance is very nice with helpful staff, a small gift shop area, and a small museum. The Lehman Caves are a must do, reservations suggested, where you will be enamored with a variety of stalagmites, stalactites, shields, and other various formations during a ranger guided tour...small visitor center, gift shop and cafe' are attached to the caves which get very busy, especially in the summer months. Wheeler Peak has several beautiful trails, bristlecone, and is also very picturesque with snow being observed on the ground as late as July. This is the only National Park that I know of that doesn't have a pay booth so it's basically free to visit. Highly recommend a visit to this beautiful park where you can spend the better part of a day or more enjoying the outdoors.

Chris J.

This is such a unique national park, it rises up from the desert below and supports 6 different biomes based on the gained elevation. Some stuff I saw today are alpine lakes, bristlecone pines, Nevada's active glacier, meadowlands with 13,000ft+ Wheeler Peak soaring above, and six miles of hiking bliss. I love this park; the best part is how secluded it is, I felt like I was the only one there.

Alpine lakes hike, drought year
Jeffrey S.

What a strange, desolate, wonderful island in the desert. What an unexpectedly rugged but manageable park. If you know what to expect, you'll love it. So, what can you expect? Well, for starters, it is not massive. Whereas you enter the majesty of Yosemite Valley, or peer over the incredible edge of the Grand Canyon, this is a different scale. You have to take it into context: there is nothing but lonely desert for miles, and then all of the sudden there's a big mountain, with alpine lakes and a small glacier. It's about the whole ecosystem here, and not any one feature. Your first stop will probably be the visitors center right off the highway in Baker. Note the hours--when we visited, they were only open in the afternoons on certain days, so our morning visit was more of a chance to pick up a map and get into the park. The road takes off from there and winds up to the fork to the park visitor center/cafe/gift shop, and that's more about the HQ for Lehman Caves. We forked to the right instead, and went all the way up the Wheeler Peak Scenic Drive and parked at the end. The campground there was closed for maintenance (in all of 2021, I believe) but we found parking, and set off for the Bristlecone Pine trail, to the interpretive trail (very very cool) and eventually around the entirety of the Alpine Lakes Loop. In a drought year, the lakes were not much to see, but still a nice destination and we made our way back to the car. Unfortunately, it was a last-minute trip and Lehman Cave tickets were all sold out. I will need to return to see that part of the park. There are several other hikes to do. We did dip down to the Osceola Ditch hike for a bit of mining history. We drove around Grey Cliffs and Baker Creek. We didn't even get to the other dirt road farther south. It's still plenty large at over 77K acres. The best part was the quiet nature, the views from up above that show just how flat and desolate the surroundings are, and the chance to see something that not a ton of people make time to see.

Amy S.

An amazing place to visit. We visited in mid-September and thoroughly enjoyed all parts of it. We tent camped in upper Lehman campground and it was such a nice clean place. The campsites were nicely spaced and the bathrooms were the cleanest primitive facilities I've ever seen. We had planned to climb Wheeler Peak but the weather had another idea (snow). We did get to hike the alpine lakes loop which was very pretty. The dark skies are legit - we got to enjoy the first night before bad weather moved in. The cave tour was informative and interesting. Be sure to check out the gift shops and the little cafe near the cave entrance. Good coffee and breakfast.

Christopher H.

Baker, Nevada. Highlights: Lehman Caves, Stargazing & Wheeler Peak. Parking/Roads: Majority of the driveable portion is paved. Many dirt roads. Handicap: Not an ideal place for handicap & unhealthy. High altitude, high desert temps (super cold & nasty dry heat). Hours: 24/7. Park has no official hours. Cost: Free Distance: Los Angeles, CA @ 600 miles 8-9 hours. Las Vegas, NV @300 miles 4-5 hours. Salt Lake City, UT @ 240 miles 3-4 hours. Boise, ID @ 450 miles 7 hours. As you can pinpoint, Great Basin is quite desolate. Ely, Nevada is the largest town nearby to stock up on food, supplies & gear. Common activities: Hiking, cycling, stargazing, wildlife, ecosystems, and plants. Famous landmarks/sites: -Lehman Caves (Orchards & Aqeduct) is most famous. -Baker Archealogical Site(s) -Wheeler Peak -Johnson Mining Ghost Town. -The Basin. It's called Great Basin cause there is nothing comparable. Adjacent Attractions: Very little. Just desert. Ward Charcoal Ovens @ 60 miles 1 hour (west). Cathedral Gorge State Park @ 130 miles 2 hours (south). Ely, Nevada has several museums, attractions & restaurants. Baker as a town is puny. Doesn't have any. Travel safely my friends. @cigarcpa

Peter D.

This national Park, great basin national Park, is the home to Lehman Cave Tour. I was lucky to have been able to reserve a ticket on recreation.gov for the parachute shield tour. The place is fascinating, and offers a wonderful look at The geological processes of stalactite, stalagmite, and column formation. The interpretive guided tour which was conducted by Ranger Jesse O. Was packed with information and done in a very captivating and charismatic presentation. The national Park service should be proud to be represented by Ranger Jesse O. I highly recommend visiting this out of the way gem of a national Park

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Ask the Community - Great Basin National Park

Review Highlights - Great Basin National Park

We had planned a weekend of camping and had planned to summit Wheeler Peak, Nevada's second highest peak.

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Lehman Caves - Typical cave feature on the Gothic Palace Tour.

Lehman Caves

4.8(45 reviews)
6.8 mi

These caves are located in The Great Basin National Park. You need to go to the Lehman Caves…read moreVisitor Center. This is a different location from The Great Basin Visitor Center. In order to visit the caves, you need to purchase a ticket (which is also your reservation) and a National Park Entry Pass of some sort. I purchased my tickets for the Parachute Shield Tour online at the recreation.gov website. I got a Senior ticket ($6) & a regular ticket ($12). There is no additional fee. When I went to check-in, I presented my ticket confirmation email and my National Park Pass. The tour is about an our long. It is said that Absalom S. Lehman discovered the caves when riding his horse. The horse broke through a crust covering the cave's natural entrance. No one really knows for sure who discovered the cave or how. Lehman Caves was designated Lehman Caves National Monument before it became part of The Great Basin National Park. We gathered at a door that looked like the right door. It was the right place to be at, but not the one we used. The Ranger met us here and instructed us to use the shoe washing station. After we all washed the soles of our shoes, we all walked up the hill to a different door to begin our descent into the cave. It's the same door we exited from at the end of the tour. The first room we arrived at was the Lodge Room. Then we walked through a man-made walkway called "The Panama Canal" which led us to the next room, The Inscription Room. Here, you can see where the explorers belly crawled through "Fat Man's Misery" (natural entrance) to get here. When they made it to the Inscription Room, they used the soot from their flame to inscribe their name on the ceiling. To get to the Grand Palace, we walked on the path called "The Rocky Road" which took us past the Lake Room & Cypress Swamp. Our tour ended at the Sunken Garden. To exit, we retraced our paths back to where we entered. We toured these rooms: Lodge Room Inscription Room - has names & dates on the ceiling Cypress Swamp - many stalactites suspended from the low ceiling resemble a swamp full of Cypress Trees Lake Room - named for the small, year-round pool to the side Grand Palace - the largest room on the tour and absolutely wondrous Sunken Garden - deepest part of the cave at about 235 ft below the surface. There's a viewing platform here. The Grand Palace is where you'll see the cave bacon, stalactites and stalagmites that almost touch, this tour's namesake, the Parachute Shield, and other points of interest. Lehman Caves boasts of shield formations, most iconic is the Parachute Shield which is pictured on souvenirs. While most other caves have a couple shield formations, Lehman Caves amazingly has more than 500. Just before the end of our tour, the ranger asked if our group wanted to experience the cave pitch black. We all agreed and the lights were turned off for a minute or two. It was pretty eery, the silence and darkness. Once the lights were back on, we walked out of the cave. This was a very fascinating tour. They say that each time you enter the cave, the experience will be different. If we ever come back here, I'd be willing to take the tour again!

Lehman Caves is a small part of the experience when exploring Great Basin National Park. It's…read morelocated 6 miles from the entrance and just past Wheeler Peak Scenic Drive which takes you to the summit of Great Basin. Since Lehman Caves are done by guided tours with park rangers at specific times, I'd suggest signing up for a tour and checking off going inside the caves in the morning and then having the remainder of the day to drive to Wheeler Peak and do some hiking at your own leisure. This way you're not held hostage to taking an afternoon tour and having to keep an eye on the clock. There are two types of Lehman Cave tours. - Gothic Palace - 30 minutes - $8 fee - 10:30am, 1:30pm - no reservation needed - Lodge Room - 60 minutes - $12 fee - 9am, 11am, 1pm, 3pm - reservation required. 9:30am, 12:30pm - no reservation needed Reservations for cave tours can be made online at recreation.gov. Spontaneously walking up for day of tours can be made at the Lehman Caves Visitor Center which again is situated 6 miles into Great Basin Park and just past Wheeler Peak Scenic Drive. Here's the gist from my experiences... During my first visit to Great Basin back in 2019, I enjoyed seeing the 60 minute Lodge Room. It was a photogenic cave from my recollections. I recommended it at the time. Now for my return visit back in September of 2024, I tried the 30 minute Gothic Palace and was disappointed. You enter one simple room. The hanging walls of stalagmites and stalactites aren't so dramatic. And for a quick 30 minute tour, half the time is spent reviewing rules and procedures. Yes, the ranger turns out the lights for a few moments and gives you a few minutes to capture a few photos. My thoughts were...."I'd rather be hiking at the top of Wheeler Peak." So I guess what I'm trying to say is...choose the 60 minute Lodge Room tour over Gothic Palace. But either way for me....caves are just not my thing, yet I still return to them as I'm a glutton for punishment, lol. Extra notes... - Average cave temperatures are 52 degrees. - No touching the walls due to oils from your hands. - Before entering, you'll wipe the soles of your shoes in a liquid to prevent the spread of disease to the resident bats. - When you complete the tour, you can consider walking the Mountain View Nature Trail for 1/3rd of a mile which starts beside the cave entrance/exit. Though...this nature trail has zero to offer. You're better off getting onto Wheeler Peak Scenic Drive ASAP. Overall, Great Basin NP is host to a variety of natural wonders and ecosystems including ancient bristlecone pine trees, alpine lakes, cascading streams, craggy mountain peaks, a lone standing glacier, adventurous hiking trails and these Lehman Caves. You can include a guided cave tour as part of your journey but in my opinion, you wouldn't be missing anything special if you decide to opt out and simply get started exploring the park on your own terms.

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Lehman Caves - Inside the Gothic Palace

Inside the Gothic Palace

Lehman Caves - 09-21-2025

09-21-2025

Lehman Caves - On the 30 minute Gothic Palace Your, you'll confront stalagmites and stalagtites.

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On the 30 minute Gothic Palace Your, you'll confront stalagmites and stalagtites.

Cave Lake State Park - Steptoe Creek

Cave Lake State Park

4.8(13 reviews)
44.8 mi

We had the opportunity to visit this hidden gem in 2020…read more We aren't fishermen/women but we do like to camp, hike and explore. We arrived later in the day and found a trail map. We chose the hardest trail both grade and altitude wise and off we went. We were there in early October and the leaves were changing so that was a plus. Our hike was a great challenge and we got in a terrific workout. The lake itself is currently being drained to fix the dam. This will take some serious time so I would not advise heading here to fish until this work is completed. I can only imagine how beautiful the lake is when full. I still found it lovely to visit and hike the surrounding mountains. Plenty of quality campsites and not crowded at all. In Nevada, we still have many wide open spaces to explore. So grateful for that fact! I will definitely return once the lake is full again so I can really enjoy the area even more.

We came, unfortunately, when the lake was drained for dam reconstruction. However, that didn't stop…read moreus from taking in a beautiful part of Nevada!!! The aspens in early October are absolutely beautiful and so fun for a hike up the hill and to play in. Cave Lake isn't far from Ely, and Ward Charcoal Ovens is also nearby. I feel like that's important to mention because of how far out Cave Lake already is. It's good to know you can see some other sites!! Our whole family wants to go back to really explore some of the trails - one day!

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Cave Lake State Park
Cave Lake State Park
Cave Lake State Park - Chimney Rock

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Chimney Rock

Great Basin National Park - parks - Updated May 2026

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