[Great Basin National Park, Aug 31, 2024]

I woke up early and drove the 4 hours from Salt Lake City to Great Basin National park. I gained an hour as I crossed from Utah to Arizona, which gave me more time in the day despite the long drive. I was at the visitor center in Baker, NV, around 9:30 am.

I got my first views of the South Snake Range and Wheeler Peak from the patio at the visitor center. I couldn’t wait to get up there! But first, I went inside to get my passport stamp and to check in with the rangers. I had read online that the big parking lot at the top of the scenic drive was closed for repaving. This left limited parking for the park’s most popular trails. The ranger confirmed that I am unlikely to find a parking space so late in the morning and suggested I arrive before 7 am tomorrow for a chance at a spot. He also suggested a couple of other hikes for me to do. I still decided to drive all the way to the top just in case I got lucky.

The 12-mile scenic drive gains over 4,000 ft in elevation and passes through multiple ecological zones. It’s the equivalent of driving from Baker, Nevada, to the frozen Yukon, thousands of miles to the north. The small parking lot at the top was, indeed, full, so I descended back down to an overlook and stopped there to have a little snack and regroup.

Almost every national park site has a Mather Overlook. They bear the name the first director of the National Park Service, Stephen Mather. It is usually a place with some of best views in the park. Here at Great Basin, the Mather Overlook is located on the Wheeler Peak Scenic Drive and has dramatic views of Wheeler Peak.

A bronze relief carving of the Wheeler Cirque really showcased the giant bowl I was staring at. For much of the last 2 million years, a human standing at this boardwalk would have been looking at a giant glacier filling up this valley. The ice carved the deep, rounded bowl here called a cirque. I had learned to look out for cirques during my Alaska cruise earlier this year, and it was cool to learn more about glaciers in a climate almost exactly opposite of Alaska.

After this much needed break, I was ready to start hiking! I still wasn’t sure which of the 2 trails at the top of the scenic drive I was going to do the next day, and today’s hiking was going to help inform that decision. One of the hikes I was considering would take me all the way to the top of Wheeler Peak at 13,000 ft, so I needed to know how I felt hiking at lower altitudes if I were to attempt that.

The first trail I did was Osceola Ditch. I learned a lot about the gold mining that happened in this area before the park was established from signs along the trail. In 1872, prospectors James Matteson and Frank Heck discovered gold three miles west of what is now Great Basin National Park. The town of Osceola grew as gold mining exploded. But one obstacle was the lack of water, which was so scarce it was called “liquid gold.” In 1889, construction of the 18-mile Osceola Ditch began. It would collect water from Lehman Creek and its tributaries on the east side of the range. The mining company purchased the water rights from Absalom Lehman, who had recently discovered Lehman Cave (more on that later). The ditch was initially successful but gold production did not meet expectations. Beginning in 1892, water shortages caused by mild, dry winters made gold mining even more difficult. By 1905, mining activity at Osceola came to a virtual standstill. Only the trail that follows the old ditch remains.

I loved the views of the valley below, even though there was a lot of haze from wildfires up in Idaho. The trail was pretty flat but I definitely could feel the altitude. I would quickly get out of breath at every little uphill.

Baker Lake Trail was more forest-like. I wish I had time to hike all the way to Baker Lake, a beautiful lake in a glacial cirque with snow often lingering on its banks late into the summer. This trail was all uphill and it gave me a good sense of my capabilities at this altitude (8,000 ft). I was out of breath the entire time I was going up. Between this trail and Osceola Ditch it became clear to me that climbing up the 13,000-ft Wheeler Peak would require me to spend more time here to acclimatize before I attempt it. Alas, I enjoyed the beautiful meadows, the views of the Snake range ahead of me and the giant snow pole that made it obvious how much snow falls here. It was a couple of feet taller than me!

After all this hiking, my snack from the morning had long evaporated and I needed a proper meal. Because Great Basin National Park is so remote, the Lehman Caves Visitor Center actually has a cafe – a rarity in national parks! That was perfect as I had only a little over half an hour before my reservation for the Lehman Caves tour.

The 2-mile long Lehman Cave was re-discovered in 1885 when Absalom Lehman, a rancher who owned the land, stumbled upon it. He offered private tours of the cave, which became popular with locals. In 1922, the cave became a national monument and its management was taken over by the US Forest Service. The US Forest Service appointed the Rhodes family as custodians. Weddings and musicals took place at the cave under their management. They built 15 cabins near the entrance for visitors to spend the night – only one remains that bears their name.

In 1933, management of national monuments was transferred to the National Park Service. In the 1950s, with increased park visitation after WWII and the Mission 66 initiative, many improvements were made. These include the construction of the Lehman Caves visitor center and a new entrance tunnel to replace using the natural entrance.

I did the Grand Palace tour, which lasted 90 minutes. We toured many amazing formations. One interesting feature of the cave is the Inscription room. The initials of visitors from more than a century ago, before the cave became a national monument, are visible on the ceiling in this room. The sunken garden at the end was my favorite feature.

After the cave tour, I walked up a short trail to see the natural entrance. It is so tiny! I can’t believe tours of the caves began here for decades. There was a small ladder descending 60 feet into the cave from here.

After the cave tour, it was finally time for me to check in to my hotel. It was actually a small ranch/retreat-type place on the Utah side, about 30 minutes from the park entrance. I was a little nervous driving the last 6 miles on a dirt road, but it was fine. I descended into a canyon and understood while the place is called Hidden Canyon Retreat. It was a large property with several buildings, one of which is where I checked in. There was also a very well stocked pantry there, which was great since the nearest grocery store is 90 miles away in Delta, UT. I picked up some snacks for later as well as for my morning hike the next day. My room was in another building around the corner. The room was large and even had a kitchenette, which included everything one needed to cook (the retreat pantry also included a freezer full of meats from a local butcher). Of course, I took a dip into the hot tub and enjoyed some rest and relaxation before going to bed early. I need to be up early the next morning to snag one of those coveted parking spots at the top of the scenic drive.