Came here with my husband and WOW! Great Basin National Park is an incredible park! The scenery is…read moreabsolutely stunning, with beautiful mountain views, 3,000-5,000 year old bristlecone pines, and great hiking trails. It was much less crowded than many other national parks, since it's so remote. If you're looking for breathtaking landscapes and a quiet escape, this park is definitely worth the visit!

As part of our quest to visit all 63 U.S. national parks, we set off on a six week road trip. I…read morehave a personal rule: I only count a national park as "visited" if I actually spend time there, hike or walk through it, and truly experience it. On this trip, we thought we had visited 13 national parks, but Great Basin National Park became the surprise number 14 and one of the most memorable adventures of the entire journey. Sometimes the best experiences are the ones that almost do not happen. While we were in Canyonlands, my husband suddenly asked, "Wait a minute, did we actually visit Great Basin National Park in Nevada?" I looked at my list and saw that it was marked down, but when he asked the important question, "Do we have pictures? Do we have proof?" I had to admit we did not. And when we thought about it, we realized we had never really explored Nevada beyond Las Vegas. Then came the realization: we were only about four and a half hours away. Considering we had driven all the way from the Chicago area across the country, that suddenly felt like a small detour. My first thought was, "Well, we have to go!" The idea was not immediately accepted, but by the next morning the decision had changed. We packed our things and headed out for what became an unexpected and wonderful addition to our journey. The drive itself was an adventure. The landscape between Canyonlands and Great Basin was incredible, constantly changing from one world to another. My husband kept commenting that it felt like we were traveling through different planets. Desert landscapes transformed into mountains, open valleys, and forests, each one completely different from the last. Then we found ourselves on Highway 50, known as "The Loneliest Road in America." The name suddenly made perfect sense. We drove for more than 100 miles seeing almost no other cars. It was both strange and beautiful, a feeling of being completely surrounded by the vastness of the West. Great Basin National Park was a wonderful surprise. It is a smaller park, but it has so much to offer. The contrast between the desert surroundings and the alpine environment is remarkable. The park rises dramatically into the mountains, with beautiful forests of ancient bristlecone pines, high mountain peaks, and peaceful alpine lakes. The hiking was absolutely beautiful. Walking through the pine forests with mountain views all around felt refreshing after so many desert landscapes. The alpine lakes were stunning, and the scenery had a peacefulness that was different from the larger, more famous parks. We also explored the Lehman Caves, which added another unique dimension to the experience. Seeing the formations inside the caves was fascinating and reminded us once again how much variety exists within our national parks. Great Basin may not have the fame of Yellowstone, Yosemite, or Zion, but that is part of its charm. It feels quieter, more personal, and like a place where you can truly connect with nature. What started as a question from my husband turned into one of the best decisions of our trip. Because of Great Basin, our six week adventure became a journey to 14 national parks instead of 13, and we ended our incredible road trip with one more unexpected gift from nature. Sometimes the forgotten places become the ones you remember the most.

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.

The tour was 90 minutes long and the ranger did an amazing job educating people about the basics of…read morethis cave! The I side temperature is around 45-50's so it's a little chilly so just a long sleeve is good cos you'll be walking. Oh and a lot of ducking your head if you're taller than 5ft. The cave is well light because they just got new lights installed. It's very breathable place but If you're claustrophobic then I don't recommend going. Many area have tight spaces.

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!

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!

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.

This is a great stop on the way up to Wheeler Peak in Great Basin National Park. Definitely worth…read morechecking out either in the way up or the way back. The telescopes are free and provide a decent view of the peak and surrounding areas. I

I loved staying at Hidden Canyon Retreat l! It was so amazing and peaceful, and our room was large…read moreand cozy! The only downside was that the hot tub wasn't super clean. Aside from that, everything else made for a really enjoyable stay. Even the drive to it feels like you are alone! Super cool spot!

I was at this Ranch 6/15 -16 , 26 Was a 10. Friendly staff…read morewho rea;;y cares about their guests. Very clean rooms and property. The store at the office was so nice and goes with the rooms that have everything you need to cook. The stars are great at night. They turn off the lights on the property as to make it dark. It is a oasis in the dessert. I would recommend this gem to anyone. Great for kids also.

This was a great place to stay! There are RV and camper spots and tent spots. We parked our RV in…read morethe biggest row, farthest from the reservoir but just a short walk away. Our site was huge with electric and water hookups, garbage can, and a shelter with lighting and a picnic table. The bathrooms were very clean and the lawn was nice- people were playing horseshoes but everything quieted down a lot once it got dark. Dump station on the way out of the camp and there was no wait for it. We were just passing through as we are moving across country and I'm glad we picked this spot just a few miles outside of Beaver. It was peaceful and beautiful and probably a lot of fun for longer stays for fishing and boating. Camp host was nice and helpful.

Great place to visit. Love to fish or camp great day. Can…read morehave a nice picnic, rent kayaks beautiful place