Great Basin National Park is located in eastern Nevada’s basin and range territory and is one of the least visited of the national parks. The nearest town is tiny Baker, NV with a population of around 40. Beyond that, the next community is at least 70 miles away. This is one of the most remote national parks and therefore, least crowded. The park boundaries enclose the Snake Mountains with the basin area’s lower elevation being outside the national park designation and part of the national forest service. The Great Basin National Park preserves several ancient features. Wheeler Peak stands at 13,063 ft. and conceals an ice and rock glacier on its northern side. A bristlecone pine forest is close to the summit and contains species over 3,000 years old. Lehman Cave is a limestone cave about 300 ft long with beautiful timeless formations. Petroglyphs mark the interior of rock caves along the Snake Creek. The upper elevations are filled with mountain creeks and meadows lush with wildflowers. Park management has worked to minimize and reverse the effects from years of using the land for grazing, mining and fishing. Although park development includes two Visitor Centers, some sparse campgrounds, a few scenic overlooks, and picnic areas, there is a real feeling of being in a vast wilderness. Many of the areas we visited were accessible only by dirt and gravel roads.
Wheeler Peak, Lehman Creek and Baker Creek
The crown jewel of the park, Wheeler Peak is the second highest mountain in Nevada. The northeast face drops 1500 ft. into a glacial canyon – the only glacier in the whole basin and range region. As the road climbs to 10,000 ft. in elevation, several scenic overviews are located along the way. The trailhead to the summit is located among aspen trees, pines and clear running mountain creeks. Lehman Creek once had its water diverted toward a gold mine 10 miles away. An engineering and construction marvel, the now abandoned Osceola Ditch is visible throughout this area. Wild roses and more wildflowers are found at the water’s edge. Also here in the heart of the Great Basin National Park, are alpine lakes and rushing streams. Baker Creek provided us with some dramatic and solitary sights and sounds.
SLIDESHOW: Click following photo to begin
Snake Creek Area
Snake Creek is named after the mountain range that comprises the Great Basin National Park and is located in the southern section. Following the graded gravel road, we traveled about 12 miles into this area of the park, passing sagebrush, juniper and pinion pines until we reached upper level aspens. The dry campground looked perfect for tents, but not possible for a trailer. We opted for a day trip and the creek provided a beautiful background for an afternoon picnic.
SLIDESHOW: Click following photo to begin
Strawberry Creek Area
At the very northern quadrant of the park is the Strawberry Creek area. A wildfire caused by lightning burned much of the lower area in 2016. Massive efforts to restore the vegetation have continued since then with seeding via helicopters and constant inspections by rangers to locate and remove invasive species. Traveling along the dirt road, we climbed up 7,400 ft. into the upper areas that were once used by Basque shepherds to graze their thousands of sheep. Aspens ring the meadows and a beautiful variety of wildflowers now grow along the creek’s edges.
SLIDESHOW: Click following photo to begin
Although the crowds of the more popular national parks were nonexistent, Great Basin National Park is far from empty. Climbing to the summit of Wheeler Peak and scaling the vertical walls of the glacial cirque attracts plenty of adventure seekers. The diverse trail system draws both backpackers seeking less crowded but stunning mountain explorations and day hikers wandering the ancient forests and rock formations. The park is a hidden gem and we hope to return for further explorations.
CAMPGROUND REVIEW: Whispering Elms RV Park
We stayed outside of the Great Basin National Park, just a short distance from the entrance, in the town of Baker, NV. There were not many choices for RV campgrounds with full or, even, partial hookups inside the park or in the town. We made reservations well ahead of our stay as the RV park is booked up quickly. This is an older park with quirky flower beds and a dirt access road. Located behind the only saloon in town, it was only a short walk to an ice cold beer and a friendly local bartender! The sites were of various shapes and sizes, with lots of shade trees. We had a pull through gravel site with a picnic table and fire pit. The sites are jack-n-jill style, so we faced our neighbor’s patio as we entered and exited the rig. We saw lots of birds, including nighthawks, goldfinch, robins, and swifts, as well as swallow tail butterflies. The evenings were pleasant under the trees and the stars were visible between the branches. Being an older park, the power was glitchy and sometimes affected our A/C from working properly. The bathroom and shower building is old, not air conditioned, and in need of some maintenance. It was a little more primitive than the price suggested, but it was pretty much our only option for an RV park. Unless we opt for a dry camping spot inside the Great Basin National Park, we would return here for our next visit.
Next up… Solstice in Baker
Their RV Travels 