Great Basin National Park is a relatively small portion of the Great Basin as a whole. There is no…read moreNational Park entrance fee required to visit. Per Google: "The Great Basin is a large, arid region in the western United States, defined by its geography and centered on Nevada. It is situated between the Sierra Nevada and Cascade ranges to the west and the Rocky Mountains to the east. The region includes most of Nevada, about half of Utah, and parts of Idaho, Wyoming, Oregon, and California." While planning our visit, I looked on the nps.gov website, I saw that there are cave tours. I signed up for the Lehman Cave Parachute Shield Tour. The tickets are purchased from recreation.gov website. We started off with a visit to the Great Basin Visitor Center where we looked at exhibits and got a general feel for the area. We bought a few small souvenirs and were on our way! I must say that the park was super beautiful with the changing of the leaves! Parts of the mountains were lit up with red & gold foliage! We drove the Wheeler Peak Scenic Drive all the way to the Wheeler Peak Overlook. Go slow-ish and enjoy the views! We stopped by: Osceola Ditch Trail - was a man-made waterway used for mining Wheeler Peak Summit Trail Summit Trailhead Bristlecone-Alpine Lakes Trailhead Mather Overlook Wheeler Peak Overlook - end of the scenic drive and has an awesome view of [yes!] Wheeler Peak Wheeler Peak Overlook is the final destination of the scenic drive. There are stops along the drive. Since we weren't hiking, we stopped at most of the pull-outs and parking lots. Wheeler Peak stands at 13,063 feet and is the second tallest point in Nevada! There are viewing scopes you can use to get a closer look! We made a quick stop at Mather Overlook. You can see Wheeler Peak from here as well. This overlook is named for Stephen Mather, the first director of the National Park Service (NPS). There's a cool bronze relief map of the Wheeler cirque. Then we drove back down to the Lehman Caves Visitor Center for our tour. The tour was very informative and was roughly an hour long. We stayed in Ely, NV which suited our needs. Baker, NV seemed pretty desolate from what I saw driving on the NV-487. Great Basin National Park is fairly remote compared to other National Parks, but definitely worth coming out to visit at least once!

This review is for Baker Creek Loop which was a ~3.5 miles round trip that took ~2 hours to…read morecomplete. With the unexpected closure of the last 10 miles of Wheeler Peak Scenic Drive, we had no choice but to do a different hike in the area. Baker Creek Loop was a scenic forest trail with a meadow halfway through. Starting the trail clockwise; trail was an incline up the mountain and a decline back down to the aspen forest. Fall colored aspens were prominent at the start and end of the trail! Wooden bridges were slippery with ice. Decent sized parking area at the trailhead. Restroom available at the parking lot. Required to drive on gravel road for ~3 miles. Short video of the hike for those interested! https://youtu.be/gmfUHF9BAc0

Wheeler Peak is Nevada's most majestic summit, a veritable tree of life-…read morehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5D-NeXE8ADA From its peak, you can behold Nevada, California, and Utah. As a drive or a hike, it is breathtaking. One can behold the stunning landscape of the Basin&Range. There's desert, alpine scenery, ancient pine trees, glaciers. As a hike, it takes plenty of preparation. The road towards the top (tho not at the summit itself) is open seasonally. Far from the madding crowds of Las Vegas, Reno&Burning Man/Black Rock City, Wheeler Peak is spectacular, desolate wilderness. And on a clear day, one can really see forever.

Road to top is open seasonally. Typically opens in early June. Early May typically has 3 miles…read moreopen. In late May, only 5 of 13 miles open. You need to get to the top to see the alpine gardens and lakes, the glacier, and the bristlecone pine forest. Or at least access to these attractions without a 6 mile snow shoe hike. Wheeler Peak is the highest freestanding Peak in Nevada (though not the highest point in Nevada). The sky is the darkest sky in the USA. One of the absolute best places for star gazing.

Baker Lake was my first backpacking trip…read more We started our hike up at 9:30 AM and arrived at Baker Lake around 1:30 PM. The hike up was strenuous because of our packs and the elevation gain. The trails are well marked though and the scenery was very nice. We were able to set up camp not far the lake. The trout were biting and we were able to catch a few. We enjoyed our over night stay at Baker Lake. It was peaceful and the stars & moon lit up the night sky. All the backpackers and hikers we saw on the trail were very friendly.

located on Baker Creek area in Great Basin NP. near Lehman Caves Visitor Center…read more You will drive through a well maintained dirt road about three miles long. On the way, you'll pass the towering Grey Cliffs and Grey Cliff group campsite, an RV dump facility, and the Baker Creek campground. At the end of the road is a parking area for the trailhead for the Baker Creek and South Fork Baker Creek/Timber Creek trails. The elevation here at the trailhead is 8,000 feet. The NPS newsletter shows the Baker and South Fork Baker Creek trails as starting out as a single trail, but the signage at the trailhead is different, it shows the trails start out separately, with the Baker Creek trailhead about 20 yards north of the South Fork trail. Both trailheads are on the western side of the parking lot. My boyfriend and I hiked this trail yesterday and we had a little difficulty with the altitude. Make sure you take water, food and sunscreen. The breeze coming off the frozen creek is chilly on this shaded trail so be prepared to throw on some extra layers as needed. Most of this hike will be in tree cover. You will see beautiful high alpine meadow with a few aspen groves. Baker Creek trail is 3.1 miles RT with starting elevation of 8,0000. A moderate hike through a forest with ponderosa pines, beautiful meadows with views of Pyramid Peak, Wheeler Peak and Baker Peak. You will pass several beautiful creeks, some switchbacks and loose rocks but follow the trail. We saw wild turkeys. It was an enjoyable experience, and a very serene atmosphere.

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.

Incredible area to stop And see…read moreHistory! The ovens are so interesting as well as great photo opps! Each on is different. There is a path to part of the way and ground stable enough for a stroller a wheelchair would Work too and it's a very short walk to the ovens. I loved the detail of the bricks and the orange moss growing out of them. The whole area is beautiful. Definitely worth a stop.

What a historic and educational stop this was for us…read more Back in Pandemic 2020, my husband and I traveled up through Northern Nevada and this park was on our list of places to see. It's about 7 miles from the town of Ely and very easy to access. We were the only people out here at the time so it was perfect. There is a fee of $5 to pay. There are six bee hive shaped charcoal ovens which were highly used from 1876 - 1879 to help process the silver ore that was discovered in this area. The Egan mountain range hosts the ovens and it's just a beautiful park. Once the mining ended, the ovens were used as a shelter for travelers and sometimes a hide out for bandits on the loose. The park features camping, picnicking, hiking, mountain biking and fishing. Lots of wild life her including mule deer and elk. We hiked around a bit and just took in the sights and sounds of this wonderful place. Definitely worth a stop should you be traveling this way.

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!

Ronda was awesome! I thought I was going to find just a few topaz but wow I'm impressed! Note: do…read morenot attempt to drive a car to topaz mountain 4×4 jeep or pickup truck highly recommended. My ford F150 handled trail like a champ.

Topaz mountain is hard work for few rewards. The staff is helpful and friendly but breaking rocks…read moreis hard. The price is expensive with no guarantee of finding anything. There is a portapotty and a shade area to rest in or eat lunch but save your money and buy topaz on EBay.