Great Basin National Park

Great Basin National Park lies on the border of Nevada and Utah. The closest town to the park is Baker, NV which sits at an elevation of approximately 5300 feet. At it's highest point inside the park, Wheeler Peak, at over 13,000 foot elevation, is more than double the elevation of the desert town of Baker.

We visited Great Basin National Park on Memorial Day weekend in late May. Because this park is a little more out of the way and not as popular, we had no problem finding a last minute spot for our RV. After settling in our first day, we decided to use the evening to ride into the park and get the lay of the land. We wandered down into the Grey Cliff's and Baker River camping areas. If you can get it, anywhere in here is a beautiful spot to camp. We got out and wandered around next to the river. There are plenty of hiking trails that start in this area. We then went through the group camping area towards the picnic area and across the cattle guards. We have a 4 wheel drive truck and decided to do some off-roading. We had pretty good cell service and the trails are marked on google maps.

Our second day we decided to take the Wheeler Peak Scenic Drive. This drive takes you up past 10,000 foot elevation and towards the glacier area of the park. There are several hiking trails in this section of the park. We decided to hike the Alpine Lakes Loop to the Bristlecone Pines and on to the Glacier Trail. This combination of 3 trails was approximately 6 miles in total length. In late May we were surprised that we had to hike through snow. However, the definition of a glacier is that the area gets more snow in winter than melts in the summer. Over time the snow becomes an icy mass. Because of these conditions, it's recommended to wear good waterproof boots and use hiking poles. Also be sure to bring plenty of water and a snack or lunch on your hike. At our highest point in our hike, we hit 10,650 feet in elevation.

The two lakes that we passed on our hike were Stella and Teresa Lake. These lakes are small and are glacial cirques. The majority of the water in the lakes is from snow melt. We felt that during the spring melt is a great time to visit since these lakes still had a lot of water in them. The Bristlecone Pine area is incredibly fascinating. These unique trees survive at a high altitude and are very slow to decompose. Beyond the Bristlecones is the start of the Glacier Trail. This was a pretty good hike through snow and rocky terrain. We felt that the extra effort to take this portion of the hike was well worth getting down into the glacier and the basin.