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| Campfire Programs | Junior Ranger Programs | Ranger Programs | Visitor Centers |
Great Basin National Park is opened year round, except for New Years day, Thanksgiving and Christmas. The majority of park visitors come July and August and lowest visitation is in January and February. You can enjoy sightseeing by personal car, biking (established roads only), camping, a cave tour, fishing, hiking, photography, picnicking, ranger led activities and watching wildlife.
Hours
Location - The Visitor Center is located on NV Hwy. 488, 5.5 miles from the town of Baker, and half a mile inside the park boundary.
Closures - The Visitor Center and cave are closed Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day.
Special Programs - Regularly scheduled tours of Lehman Caves are offered year round. Tours may be 30, 60 or 90 minutes in duration. Longer tours go further along the same route. The 30 minute tour visits only the Gothic Palace. Distance for the 90 minute tour is 0.54 miles. Children under the age of 5 are not permitted on the 90 minute cave tour. Nightly campfire programs, daily guided Bristlecone hikes, and weekend kid's programs are offered Memorial Day to Labor Day.
Wheeler Peak Scenic Drive is only open to the Upper Lehman Creek Campground and Lehman Creek Trailhead. Opening dates of the higher portions of the road depend on weather. The road usually opens for the summer season starting in May, June or early July. It usually closes by late October or November.
Exhibits - The Visitor Center exhibits include cave formations, ancient bristlecone pines, plant communities and seasonal exhibits.
Available Facilities - The Visitor Center houses exhibits, two short audiovisual presentations, the Great Basin Natural History Association bookstore: 775-234-7270, and a concession gift shop and cafe: 775-234-7221.
Ranger / Naturalist programs include scheduled walks, guided hikes and evening campfire programs by rangers, offered Memorial Day to Labor Day. Check bulletin boards in the park for details.
Bristlecone Pine Ranger Guided Hike
The ranger-guided hike to the ancient bristlecone grove in the Wheeler Peak cirque is an excellent way to learn more about the natural history of these incredible trees an the Wheeler Peak area. Meet the ranger at 10am at the Bristlecone Trailhead. The group hikes at a relaxed pace 1.4 miles (with an elevation gain of 600 feet) to the bristlecone grove, stopping along the way for discussion. From that point, you may continue on to the glacier, hike the Alpine Lakes Loop Trail, or return the 1.4 miles to the parking lot. This program is weather conditional. Summer only.
Lehman Caves Tour Information
Lehman Caves can only be entered with a guided tour. Cave tours are 30, 60, or 90 minutes long. Longer tours go further along the same route than shorter tours. The full tour route is 0.54 miles round-trip. The First Room Tour (30 minutes) visits only the Gothic Palace, the first room in the cave. Because children under 5 years of age have a limited attention span, they are not permitted on the 90 minute tour. Cave tours are limited to 25 persons per tour. Cave tours often sell out during busy summer months. To ensure space, buy your tickets early in the day, or in advance over the telephone: 775-234-7331 x242. Great Basin National Park is on Pacific Time. Fees vary with the length of the tour.
Campfire programs are offered nightly in the summer season at Upper Lehman Creek Campground and on Friday and Saturday evenings in Wheeler Peak Campground. Program topics vary, covering subjects related to Great Basin National Park's cultural and natural resources. Programs last 40-60 minutes. Please come prepared with warm clothing and a lantern or flashlight. Summer only.
As in other National Parks, Great Basin has a Junior Ranger Program for youth ages six through twelve. The Junior Ranger Program really helps the youth get the most out of their visit to a National Park and to become involved as an official Junior Ranger and earn their patch.
A fun, educational kids' program. Meet the ranger at the amphitheater in the Upper Lehman Creek Campground. The program begins at 2:30pm on Fridays and Saturdays, and lasts an hour. All children must be accompanied by an adult. Summer only.
Other programs that your child may enjoy are the daily Bristlecone hikes and Evening Campfire programs.
A good walk to break in a young hiker begins at the Summit Trailhead and leads to beautiful Stella Lake. Round trip distance is under 2.5 miles. Elevation gain is minimal.
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