General information about the National Park
Great Basin NP is located in eastern Nevada. The name refers to the desert that forms a drainless basin between the Rocky Mountains to the east and the Sierra Nevada to the west. Although the park is the least visited national park in the U.S., it has two really great highlights, Bristelcone Pine Grove and Lehmann Caves. But there is much more...
Number of visitors
In 2023, Great Basin NP ranked 54th in the visitor statistics for the most visited national parks.
Best time to visit: Spring, summer and fall.
Our visits:
So far 2 visits: September 1999, September 2019
Entrance fees and opening hours
- Free of charge
- Covered by the Anual Pass*
- Usually, depending on the snowfall, the park is closed from autumn to spring.
*The Anual Pass is so to speak the "flat rate" for all Parks managed by the National Park Service. The pass costs a one-time fee of $80 and can be purchased at the entrance to each National Park, National Monument, etc. The pass is valid for 13 months.
Lehman Cave
Description: The cave was discovered in 1880 by Absalom Lehman. In 1922 it was elevated to the status of a National Monument. In 1986, when the Great Basin National Park was established, the cave was integrated into the park. It is a stalactite cave made of gray and white limestone. It is located at the foot of Wheeler Peak.
The cave can only be visited as part of a guided ranger tour. These are offered throughout the year. There is a 60 minute and a 90 minute tour. These cost $9 and $11 respectively. Tickets can be purchased online or at the associated Visitor Center. We recommend prebooking the tour online as they are often fully booked.
Here you can find everything you need to know about the tickets.
Our rating: A large cave worth seeing. Anyone who has made the long way to the park, should definitely stop by. You learn a lot of interesting things about the park and the history of the cave. The groups are relatively small and you have plenty of time to look at everything.
Alpine Lakes Loop
Description: The Trealhead is located at the end of the park road directly below Wheeler Peak. Thus, on the trail you always have beautiful views of the surrounding mountains and the two lakes you pass. Stella Lake and Teresa Lake are two small glacial lakes that fit picturesquely into the beautiful landscape. The trail is very well developed and easy to walk.
Trail length: 3mi roundtrip
Altitude difference: approx. 427ft
Time needed: 2-3 hours
Difficulty level: easy - The trail itself is easy to hike but you should not forget that you are hiking above 9800ft.
Our rating: A beautiful, easy to walk trail that we liked very much. We can recommend the trail to anyone who visits the park. The trail leads through a coniferous forest and is not particularly spectacular. The special thing is the altitude in which you are here, because you start at an altitude over 3000m. We liked it here, because the small lakes offer nice photo motifs with Wheeler Peak in the background.
The Bristlecone Trail
Description: The trealhead is at the end of the park road just below Wheeler Peak. It is the same as the one to Alpine Lakes. The trail leads to both the several thousand year old Bristlecone Pines and on to a rock glacier.
The trail is very well maintained and except for the fact that it is uphill all the way, it is very easy to walk. After a good mile you reach the Bristlecone Grove. Here there is a short loop trail where you can learn some interesting things about these ancient trees. Afterwards you can decide whether you want to go back to the parking lot or continue up towards the glacier.
Trail length: 3mi roundtrip (Bristlecone Grove)
Altitude difference: approx. 590ft
Time needed: 2-3 hours
Difficulty level: easy to moderate - The trail is technically not difficult to hike. However, the altitude difference is noticeable, since you are here at altitudes above 9800ft.
Our rating: Bristlecone Pines are found in very few places in the US and that's why we really wanted to see this ones. Although we did not find them as great as the ones in the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest, they were still worth seeing. It is fascinating that there are creatures that can become so old. Those who are not afraid to hike at altitudes above 3000m should not miss these trees.
The Glacier Trail
Description: From the Bristlecone Pine Grove you can hike even further uphill and after a little more than a mile you will reach the only glacier in Nevada. Again, as far as we hiked, the trail was well maintained and easy to walk.
Trail length: 4.6mi roundtrip from the trailhead
Altitude difference: approx. 1115ft
Time needed: 3 hours
Difficulty level: easy to moderate - The trail is technically not difficult to hike. However, the altitude difference is noticeable, since you are here at altitudes above 9800ft.
Our rating: We did not hike all the way to the glacier, but only a few hundred meters to a viewing platform on the glacier. The view was enough for us and those who still have a little strength to walk uphill should calmly risk another look. We found it quite interesting.
