Great Basin National Park

Great Basin National Park, on the far eastern side of Nevada, is on the list of the 10 least visited national parks. Salt Lake City, the closest major city, is about 200-ish miles away, so it’s pretty much in the middle of nowhere. And therefore perfect for a COVID-19 road trip in late August 2020.

It may not have quite the same draw as Grand Canyon or Arches or Yellowstone, but Great Basin has the only glacier in Nevada, 3,000+ year old Bristlecone Pine trees, and is officially designated an International Dark Sky Park. There’s also a cave open for tours in non-COVID times.

The entire park is at 6,000’ elevation or higher, so even on a hot day, it’s a bit cooler, which is a good thing for Nevada in August. There are several small, pleasant campgrounds scattered around the park. We camped at Upper Lehman Creek, at nearly 8,000’, appropriately named, with a pretty creek flowing through.

The first day at Great Basin, we drove up to the top of the road to Wheeler Peak to see the views from the overlooks and then to Snake Creek Road for a short hike.

The next day was a high elevation hiking day, and we headed to Bristlecone and Glacier Trail. From the end of the road at Wheeler Peak, there are several trails to choose from. Starting at 9,800’, all the trails go up at least a little. The Bristlecone Trail is about 1.5 miles and 600’ up to the Bristlecone Pine area, where there are actually 3,000 year old trees.

Another mile beyond the Bristlecone Pine trees, is the end of the trail at the Rock Glacier at 10,800’. The trail is rough walking on a rocky trail and slow going at that elevation, but the views were great. The Glacier Trail also intersects with the Alpine Lakes Trail, and we found a little energy on our way back down, and completed the loop via the lakes and then it was time for a rest.