July 2019

I read recently that Great Basin National Park, near Baker, Nevada, is one of the top 5 parks to visit in the summer because it is beautiful and less crowded than many of the other more well known national parks. All true! Plus much of the park is at higher altitudes so it is much cooler than down below. With unseasonably hot weather in Nevada, it was quite a relief to get out of the heat, at least for a little while.

We started out at the visitor center near the Lehman Caves, about 7 miles from our campground. I’ve heard that the caves are beautiful, with 1.5 miles of passages, but the tours for the day were all full and we have been in a lot of caves lately.

Leaving the visitor center we decided to take the dirt road to Baker Creek and the Grey Cliffs. Check out the multitude of pine nuts!

Doubling back we started up the Wheeler Peak Scenic Drive that winds its way steeply to Wheeler Peak, the second highest mountain in Nevada. The road ends at 10,000 feet and there are multiple trails from there, with one leading to the 13,063 foot summit.

Along the way we stopped at Mather Point, with beautiful views and a plaque commemorating Stephen Mather, a conservationist and first director of the National Park Service.

Next we came upon two dear, one a young fawn, who were very confused. We stopped to let them pass but they couldn’t decide whether or not to cross in front of us. After running back and forth they finally decided to go back to where they originally crossed onto the road and wait for us to pass by. So funny : )

At the end of the road we parked near the Wheeler Peak Campground and I decided to take the Alpine Lakes Loop Trail, passing by two sub-alpine lakes on a 3-mile loop, with great views of Wheeler Peak. With a 600 foot elevation gain the hike was rated moderate but it wasn’t too bad.  What a fantastic hike it was! The lakes were stunning and the views were breathtaking. It took me about 90 minutes and I had a huge smile on my face the whole way!

I crossed a stream and passed a small waterfall and started getting glimpses of Wheeler Peak.

 

A little further on, about half way around the loop, I came upon Stella Lake. Wow!

It was near the lake that I started to see many colorful rocks.

As I approached Teresa Lake I saw these beautiful flowers with bright green leaves growing on ether side of a clear creek flowing into the lake. Positively enchanting!

Then I saw the emerald green Teresa Lake. It truly took my breath away when the sun came out from behind the clouds and shined on the lake at 10,230 feet! Plus I was almost chilly there, a welcome relief from the high 90’s back at our campground.

What a fantastic hike! Next time I will do the 4.5 mile Bristlecone/Glacier Trail, which is supposed to be equally spectacular.

I joined back up with Richard and we headed back to our campground after a picnic lunch. This was indeed a beautiful, uncrowded park, just as I had read about.