Nevada’s Great Basin National Park is home to the dramatic 13,000-foot Wheeler Peak, one of its most stunning assets in between dry desert and lush forest. The gorgeous pines that also characterize this landscape offer incredible beauty, and the rich formations in Lehman Cave are not-to-miss. One of the least-visited of the U.S. National Parks, there is an opportunity for solitude on many trails that meander through meadows up mountains, and around alpine lakes, ruins, and Nevada’s only glacier.
Our family visited Great Basin National Park our our Summer 2021 RV Road Trip, having driven there from Zion National Park in Utah. After spending some time at the visitor center and our campground, the Lower Lehman Campground in the park, we headed out to hike the Baker Creek Loop. Keep in mind that many of the sites and hikes within the park will be inaccessible if you are in a motorhome of length over 24-feet.
The 3.1-mile long Baker Creek Loop was the perfect hike for our crew. With a 900-foot elevation gain, it was challenging on the front-half, but we took a few short breaks along the creek, and the trail was shaded much of the way. The meadows were bright, the birch trees gorgeous, and the wildflowers colorful.
We all pretty much RAN down the trail on our the second half of the hike, happy to give our legs a break after the steep climb up.
On our second day in Great Basin National Park, we set out to explore Lehman Caves. We had made a reservation a month in advance through Recreation.gov for the Parachute Shield Tour (check in advance to see if this length of advance purchase will extend beyond COVID). This hour-long tour traveled about 0.35 miles, and visited the Lodge Room, the Inscription Room, the Cypress Swamp, and the Grand Palace sections of Lehman Caves, including a chance to see the famous Parachute Shield formation. We all LOVED this tour, and especially loved pointing out our favorite cave formations – cave bacon, cave popcorn, and columns, along the way. The kids are becoming quite the cave experts! We all also really enjoyed the opportunity to experience the cave in pure darkness – incredible!
It had been a great two days in Great Basin National Park!
