Park Overview

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Located in eastern Nevada near the Utah border, Great Basin National Park protects more than 77,000 acres of rugged mountains, high-desert valleys, alpine lakes, ancient forests, caves, and some of the darkest night skies in the country. The park takes its name from the Great Basin, an enormous region of the American West characterized by “internal drainage,” meaning its rivers and streams have no outlet to the ocean. Instead, water collects in lakes and playas, sinks into the ground, or evaporates within the surrounding basins. Explorer John C. Frémont recognized this unusual drainage pattern during his travels through the West in the 1840s and helped popularize the term “Great Basin” for the vast region between the Sierra Nevada and Wasatch Mountains. The area's history as a protected landscape began on January 24, 1922, when President Warren G. Harding established Lehman Caves National Monument to preserve the spectacular underground cave system. More than six decades later, Congress established Great Basin National Park on October 27, 1986, incorporating the former national monument into a much larger park created to preserve a representative portion of the Great Basin and its outstanding geological, scenic, natural, and cultural resources. Rising above the surrounding desert is 13,063-foot Wheeler Peak, the second-highest mountain in Nevada and the centerpiece of the park's dramatic Snake Range. Great Basin is perhaps best known for its groves of ancient Great Basin bristlecone pines, some of which have survived for more than 4,000 years and rank among the oldest living non-clonal organisms on Earth. Below ground, visitors can explore Lehman Caves, an elaborate marble cave filled with stalactites, stalagmites, flowstone, cave popcorn, and an unusually large concentration of rare cave shields. Other highlights include Wheeler Peak Scenic Drive, Stella and Teresa Lakes, Lexington Arch, Baker Creek, Wheeler Peak Glacier and the surrounding alpine terrain, as well as miles of trails that climb from sagebrush-covered desert into forests of pinyon pine, juniper, aspen, limber pine, and bristlecone pine. Its remote location and exceptionally dark skies also make Great Basin one of the country's premier destinations for stargazing and Milky Way photography. Despite its name and remote desert setting, Great Basin is an incredibly diverse park where visitors can travel from hot desert terrain to cool alpine environments, explore an underground cave system, walk among trees thousands of years old, and climb above 13,000 feet—all within one of the quieter and less crowded national parks in the American West.

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Closest Airports

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Cedar City Regional - 140 miles (2.5 hrs)

St George Regional - 205 miles (3.5 hrs)

Salt Lake City Int'l - 230 miles (4 hrs)

Las Vegas Harry Reid Int'l - 285 miles (5 hrs)

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Lodging

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Unlike many national parks, Great Basin National Park has no hotels, lodges, cabins, or other traditional lodging within the park itself, but several interesting options can be found in and around the tiny gateway community of Baker, Nevada. One of the most convenient is the Stargazer Inn & Bristlecone General Store, a small renovated roadside inn in the heart of Baker offering four motel-style rooms as well as private cabins with kitchenettes, bathrooms, and porches that are perfect for enjoying the area's exceptionally dark night skies. For something more secluded, Hidden Canyon Retreat sits approximately 14 miles south of Baker on a remote property near the eastern edge of the park, offering comfortable lodge-style accommodations surrounded by hundreds of acres of high-desert scenery, along with a pool and hot tub, wildlife viewing, and private access to trails leading toward the park. Baker also has several smaller vacation rentals and unusual properties, including Great Basin Basecamp Airbnb, Desert and Starry Night Cottage, and even a Vintage remodeled 1952 trailer with wonderful views of the mountains. for travelers looking for something considerably different from a traditional hotel. The small Whispering Elms Motel & RV Park also offers a handful of simple motel rooms close to the park. Travelers wanting a much larger selection of accommodations can stay in Ely, approximately 65–70 miles west of Baker and a little over an hour from Great Basin, where options range from familiar chain hotels to classic Nevada properties. One of the most interesting is the historic Hotel Nevada & Gambling Hall, which opened in 1929 and retains much of its old-school Nevada character, with rooms paying tribute to famous former guests such as Jimmy Stewart and Wayne Newton. Ely also offers more conventional choices such as Prospector Hotel & Gambling Hall, as well as chain hotels. Perhaps the most unusual overnight experience in the region can be found at the Nevada Northern Railway in Ely, where visitors can spend the night in a historic railroad bunkhouse or even Caboose No. 22, an authentic caboose that remains part of the railway's active equipment roster and provides a remarkably rustic glimpse into railroad life. Because Great Basin is so isolated and lodging around Baker is extremely limited, visitors planning to stay close to the park should reserve accommodations well in advance, particularly from late spring through fall.​

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Camping​

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Camping is one of the best ways to experience Great Basin National Park, particularly because its remote location and exceptionally dark skies make spending the night beneath the stars an attraction in itself. The park has five developed campgrounds—Lower Lehman Creek, Upper Lehman Creek, Baker Creek, Grey Cliffs, and Wheeler Peak—all equipped with picnic tables, fire rings or grills, tent space, and vault toilets, but none have electrical, water, or sewer hookups, and potable water is sometimes unavailable at the campgrounds. Wheeler Peak Campground is perhaps the most memorable place to pitch a tent, sitting at nearly 10,000 feet near the end of Wheeler Peak Scenic Drive and providing easy access to the park's high-country trails, ancient bristlecone pines, and spectacular night skies. Lower Lehman Creek is the park's only campground that remains open year-round, while the others generally operate from late spring through fall depending on snow and weather conditions. For a more primitive experience, the Snake Creek area has 10 free, first-come, first-served primitive campsites reached by Snake Creek Road; these have no potable water, and the road is unsuitable for RVs and trailers longer than 30 feet. Visitors willing to carry their gear farther into the wilderness can also backcountry camp throughout much of Great Basin, providing opportunities to spend the night near remote alpine lakes and beneath some of the darkest skies in the Lower 48. Restrictions apply around developed areas, bristlecone groves, and several other locations, and a free registration permit is mandatory for certain routes, including the Baker Creek–Baker Lake–Johnson Lake–Snake Creek area. Outside the park, Whispering Elms in Baker has a large grassy tent-camping area along with showers and laundry facilities, while Hidden Canyon Guest Ranch, about 14 miles south of Baker, offers campsites in a secluded mountain setting along the eastern edge of the park. One of the best finds for budget-conscious campers is Sacramento Pass Recreation Area, roughly 20 miles from Great Basin, where the Bureau of Land Management maintains tent and RV campsites with picnic tables, fire rings, shade shelters, and toilets. Camping is completely free, sites are first-come, first-served, and stays are permitted for up to 14 days. There are also extensive opportunities for free dispersed camping on surrounding BLM and Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest lands, including areas around Ward Mountain, Timber Creek, East Creek, and Berry Creek; most BLM and Forest Service lands in the region are open to dispersed camping unless specifically posted otherwise, making Great Basin an excellent destination for travelers looking for secluded places to pitch a tent far from developed campgrounds. 

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When to Visit​​

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The best time to visit Great Basin National Park is generally June through September, when the park's high-elevation roads and trails are most accessible, although each season offers a very different experience. Summer provides the best overall access, with the upper portion of Wheeler Peak Scenic Drive generally open from June through October and snow gradually disappearing from high-country trails leading to the alpine lakes, ancient bristlecone pine groves, and Wheeler Peak. Despite Great Basin's Nevada location, temperatures vary dramatically with elevation—the desert valleys can exceed 100°F on hot summer days while temperatures around 10,000 feet may remain in the 60s or 70s. July and August also bring frequent afternoon thunderstorms, making early starts particularly important for hikers heading above treeline. Fall is arguably the best time to visit, particularly from mid-September through early October, when summer crowds diminish, temperatures become cooler, and groves of aspen turn brilliant shades of yellow, orange, and gold along the slopes of the Snake Range. Longer nights and generally clear skies also make fall outstanding for stargazing, although snowstorms can arrive surprisingly early and begin closing high-elevation roads and facilities. Spring, particularly April through May, brings blooming desert wildflowers, flowing streams, returning birds and wildlife, and pleasant temperatures at lower elevations, but winter often lingers much longer in the mountains. Deep snow can remain around Wheeler Peak, and Wheeler Peak Scenic Drive may not fully reopen until around Memorial Day or later—in particularly snowy years, high-country access has been delayed into July. Winter is the park's quietest season and transforms the Snake Range into a snow-covered landscape ideal for solitude, photography, snowshoeing, and cross-country skiing, but access becomes considerably more limited. Wheeler Peak Scenic Drive and several other park roads close to vehicles because of snow and ice, and many seasonal facilities are unavailable. For most first-time visitors hoping to experience Lehman Caves, the bristlecone pines, alpine lakes, Wheeler Peak Scenic Drive, hiking trails, and Great Basin's famous night skies, late June through September provides the best combination of accessibility and weather, while September is especially appealing for cooler temperatures, fall color, fewer visitors, and outstanding stargazing.

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Best Hikes

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• Wheeler Peak - 9 miles, 2,900' elevation (aspen groves, alpine lakes, 360-degree summit views)

• Alpine Lakes, Bristlecone & Glacier Loop - 6.5 miles, 1,300' elevation gain (ancient trees, alpine lakes, incredible views)

• Baker-Johnson Lake Loop - 13 miles, 3,700' elevation gain (non-stop views, alpine lakes, pristine backcountry camps)

• ​Lexington Arch - 6 miles, 1,400' elevation gain (enormous arch, scrambling optional, excellent sunset hike)

• Baker Lake Loop - 11.5 miles, 2,700' elevation gain (gorgeous views, alpine lake)

• Pole Canyon - 6.8 miles, 1,600' elevation gain