You might be looking at that cover photo and thinking that does not look like Nevada, that’s exactly what we thought too! We associate Nevada with Vegas and lots of desert terrain. We were so surprised to arrive to Great Basin in April to learn that most of the scenic drive hadn’t opened for the season. Turns out the climate in the park ranges from desert in the basin to what you would expect in Northern Canada at Wheeler Peak. The Wheeler Peak scenic drive ends at over 10,000 feet where you can see beautiful mountain lakes and bristlecone pine groves. However, the main attraction is Lehman caves, open daily (except during a pandemic). So, to recap, the main attractions are the caves, the scenic drive, and the bristlecone pines….we saw none of these! We still managed to have a fun day experiencing the park and somehow hiked around ten miles!
Lehman Caves and Visitor Center
When planning our pandemic inspired southwest road trip we rolled the dice that Lehman Caves would reopen by the time we arrived. Well, they reopened a month after our visit, boo! This definitely seems like the main attraction, so be sure to purchase tour tickets ahead of time from Recreation.gov if required.
The Lehman Caves Visitor Center was awesome! It contained many exhibits to learn about the caves and the rest of the park. The visitor center has the best food in town, a great cafe with very good food options made fresh when you order. We thoroughly enjoyed our “breakfast and learn” here before heading out into the park for an day of hiking.
Wheeler Peak Scenic Drive
Since we visited in early Spring much of the park was still closed, including most of this scenic drive. What a bummer! Also, a lesson learned in researching the park ahead of time! So, as an alternative, the park ranger suggested we drive our car as far as allowed and hike to Mather Overlook to get a feel for the scenic drive, “it’s only a mile one-way”, she said. We took her advice, but it WAS NOT a mile! We clocked it at 2 1/4 mile up, making it 4 1/2 miles total! In the end, we were glad we made it up to Mather Overlook, the views of Wheeler Peak were great. Go in the summer and drive it!!
Pole Canyon
The Pole Canyon hike was open because it was at a lower elevation. This hike offered a lot of solitude and some pretty cool views as you increased elevation into the mountains. This particular hike would be beautiful in the Fall when the aspen trees are changing to yellow against the pine forest. We thought this was just okay the time of year we went, and would prefer the cave or one of the higher elevation hikes if we had the choice.
Best time to visit:
This is definitely a summer or fall destination. The aspen trees would be beautiful in the fall. In our opinion it was not worth it in the winter/early spring (unless you’re going just for the cave).
Where we stayed:
Great Basin is VERY remote, and hotel accommodations are limited in the surrounding small towns. We were so glad to find the Hidden Canyon Retreat! They offered large suites with two king beds and a small kitchenette suitable for preparing some meals if needed. They include breakfast in the form of tokens for a meal at the Great Basin Cafe inside the park. The boys loved their game room with ping pong and foosball. In the summer months, you can enjoy their pool!
Speaking of remote, groceries and gas are VERY limited in the immediate area of Baker, NV. Come prepared with a full tank of gas and whatever food you would like to have on hand during your stay. There are only about four restaurant options in the area, one being a food truck and one being the Great Basin Cafe.
Other things to do:
Schedule a tour of Lehman Caves.
In the summer or fall hike the Bristlecone and Alpine Lakes Loop, located at the end of the scenic loop. Bristlecones grow best between 9,500 and 11,000 feet elevation, so that’s where you’ll find these 2,000-3,000 year old trees with gnarly trunks from being weathered at high elevations. There is a younger, not so gnarly bristlecone at the visitor center, but it’s not the same.
