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100 Great Basin National Park 775-234-7331 Great Basin National Park Web Site
Open Year-Round
No Entry Fee Charged
View the dramatic mountains and canyons at Great Basin. Explore the tunnels and decorated galleries of Lehman Caves. A winter river scene in Great Basin. Great Basin National Park, created in 1986, consists of the former Lehman Caves National Monument, the former Wheeler Peak Scenic Area and lands that were once part of Humboldt National Forest. The park has four developed campgrounds, one of which is open year-round, and two primitive camping areas. Lehman Caves, despite its name, is a single cavern. It is small but richly decorated and extends a quarter-mile into the limestone. Great Basin also offers backcountry hiking to alpine lakes, a bristlecone pine grove, a glacier, streams and meadows. Trails range in difficulty from easy to arduous. Much of the park's backcountry is at elevations of 9,000 feet and above. The Wheeler Peak Scenic Drive, which provides access to the high country, is open when weather permits. On rocky slopes near the end of the scenic drive, hikers can walk among bristlecone pines that are 2,000 to 3,000 years old. Fishing, cross-country skiing and ranger-led programs are other park attractions. Mountain biking is allowed only on park roads. Fees are charged for cave tours, camping and use of the sanitary dump station. Photo credits in order: Photo by Weldon Heald, courtesy of National Park Service. Courtesy of National Park Service. Photo by Weldon Heald, courtesy of National Park Service. |