Great Basin National Park
California and Utah are both rich in National Parks so it is surprising that Nevada, sandwiched between them, can manage only one wholly within its boundaries. The Great Basin is a 520000 square kilometre (200000 square mile) hollow in the earth’s surface that covers much of Nevada, half of Utah and parts of some adjoining states. There is no outlet from the basin, all water either evaporates or seeps through the rock. Great Basin National Park is an area of high mountain terrain rising out of the parched basin. Its microclimate fosters streams, pine forests and alpine meadows. Lehman Caves are also found here, but we chose not to visit as we have seen many other caves and felt we could use the time elsewhere.
Wheeler Peak from Alpine Loop Trail
Wheeler Peak is the highest mountain in the park at 3982 metres (13063 feet) high. It is a member of the Snake Range of mountains. The peak is so high that a patch of ice close to the summit survives all year round, forming a mini glacier. There is a path up to the summit from the Scenic Drive, but it is likely to be very hard work for anyone who has not acclimatised to the high altitude.
Snake Valley from Mather Overlook
The Mather Overlook at a height of around 2750 metres (9000 feet) gives an excellent view back out into the desert. This is still too low for the hardy bristlecone pines that inhabit the higher slopes but the microclimate in the National Park is already evident in this picture. Snake Valley in the distance straddling the border between Nevada and Utah is clearly very dry, yet the mountain slopes in the foreground are covered with lush green vegetation.
Wheeler Peak from Baker Archaeological Site
Taken from outside the National Park this picture reverses the view from Mather Overlook. The mountains of the Southern Snake Range rise above the desert with Wheeler Peak in the middle. In the foreground is Baker Archaeological site, the remains of a 700 year old Fremont Indian village. It was excavated in the 1990s by a team from Brigham Young University and low walls have been constructed to show where the original buildings stood.
Trees & snow, Alpine Loop Trail
A fresh covering of snow, a tinkling stream and a pine forest in Nevada? You have to go to an altitude of over 3000 metres (10000 feet) to find it, but, yes it does exist. The Wheeler Peak Scenic Drive takes you up to the necessary altitude, but then you have to walk. We tried the Alpine Loop Trail that takes you past two small Alpine Lakes, Stella Lake and Teresa Lake. However the altitude made the walk hard work and we were not sure that we had stayed on the correct trail, so we turned back without finding either of the lakes.
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© Mike Elsden 1981 - 2025
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