Great Basin National Park Trip: Top 10 Highlights and More.

[DVD]

Here's a good old fashioned trip report with words and photos (until I get the go-pro drone and more ).
Our adventure trips are usually nomadic affairs: camp overnight, pack up in the morning, and hit the trail. Rinse and repeat. This trip was a bit different. Once we got to Great Basin National Park, we set up a base camp (actually 2), heading out on daily adventures and returning to camp at the end of the day. It was a wonderful and memorable trip, and we both agreed that we felt more rested and refreshed when vacation ended. Here are some trip highlights.

1. Bristlecone pines.
One of those things that needs to be experienced. Pre-trip research to view photos was kind of underwhelming. But these are remarkable trees: the oldest living single organisms on earth, with some estimated at over 5,000 years old. For context, this is before the rule of the pharaohs in Egypt. These trees could have been 1000 years old when Moses was negotiating with the Pharaoh. Age aside, these are impressive trees - big, old, gnarly, bent, and twisted. I appreciate that. It's one thing to see photos, entirely different to hike among these trees, rap on them, feel the soft boughs, and immerse in the experience.

Old, bent, and twisted

Playing hide-and-seek with 3000-yr-old friends

These trees are so dense (because they grow so slowly) that dead ones rot very slowly and are nearly impervious to bugs. These dead trunks feel like stone. Some dead trees are estimated to have died in the 15th century

The hike to the bristlecones continues to the southernmost glacier in the U.S. (barely visible streak of white)​

2. Wheeler Peak.
Neither of us are mountain climbers, so climbing to the top of Wheeler Peak wasn't in our plans. But since we were at the park for nearly a week, and that big mountain was there, and we had hiked many other areas (acclimatized to the elevation), we decided to try the summit hike our last full day. 13,065 ft summit. Second highest peak in NV. Home to the southernmost glacier in the US. It was a slog and not really pretty once above the treeline. But the accomplishment and vista from the top made it worthwhile.
Maybe.

Made it!

Rough hiking terrain

Ominous sign just below the treeline

It's all fun and games below the treeline - beautiful hike looking up at Wheeler Peak!​

3. Nighttime skies.
This is a dark-sky area, and we were fortunate to have clear skies, a late moonrise, and incredible star gazing. The milky way nearly dominated the sky. The constellations popped. We even saw a few shooting stars. This was what we did every night for 8 nights! This trip really has me considering taking up photography, so I can get those nighttime shots. All I have is a mental image of the soft glow from the tent with the bright swath of the milky way above and bright stars.

No photos, but we we bought this poster to commemorate the experience. (Poster by Tyler Nordgren: https://www.tylernordgren.com/.../great-basin-national-park)​

To be continued.​

 

[DVD]

GBNP Top 10 Continued​

4. Camping.
Laurie and I are both social people, but when it comes to camping, we like to get away from other people. If I can see, or hear, or smell other campers, it kind of ruins the experience. We had 6 nights at beautiful, remote, dispersed sites, with nobody else around.

The first couple nights at GBNP, we camped at a primitive site within the national park. There are a handful of free, dispersed sites along the gravel Snake Creek trail. We drove the length of the trail and saw only one spot occupied. Because we would have friends join us the next day, we set up camp at the Pinnacle Mt. site, which has room for 2 vehicles. As a bonus, there was also a super clean outhouse for this site.

South Pinnacle site on Snake Creek trail - view toward the creek

Same site, looking toward the mountain​

After unloading the vehicle and setting up camp, we filled our shower bags from the creek, and then took our chairs down to the stream and enjoyed a cold drink to celebrate our first day in GBNP.

Babbling brook behind the campsite - "Annihilating all that's made to a green thought in a green shade"​

After a couple days camping along Snake Creek, we broke camp and spent a night at a nearby B&B. After that we set up base camp a bit closer to the main attractions in GBNP. We found a very nice dispersed site on BLM land just outside the park boundary.

Another great site - base camp near Grey Cliffs area​

5. Lehman Cave.
I think the National Park was created because of the cave. We were able to get the 1-hr tour. Similar to our "mountaineering" experience, this was our first caving exploration. It was an incredible and unforgettable experience. Laurie suffers a bit from claustrophobia, but she was OK and also enjoyed the tour. The park guide needed a tail-gunner to make sure the group stayed together and "deputized" Laurie for that role and let her use an official park service flashlight. She thinks that helped a bit with the claustrophobia. I complained about abuse of authority when Laurie threatened to knock me upside the head with the 5-lb flashlight if I didn't move along, but they didn't take my complaint seriously.

Tunnel leading to the cave

Water drops, enlarging the stalactites

These "parachute" stalactites are supposed to be very rare

Pathway through the cave​

6. The journey.
The trip to and from GBNP is 500+ miles, and we broke it into 2 travel days each way to allow some time to explore sights along the way and take secondary highways. Even though we've travelled northern AZ and southwest UT many times, it's always dramatic, pretty scenery, and it's fun to reminisce about places we've visited along the way (Marble Canyon, White Pocket, Nautilus before it caved in, Barracks hike near Zion, etc.). It's also nice to see new scenery, as we headed to Cedar Breaks National Monument.

Cedar Breaks overlook​

Late in the afternoon, we pulled off the highway just north of Cedar Breaks to find dispersed camping. We found a nice spot in an area named the Twisted Forest, with forested sites as well as big views of the Cedar Breaks valley. After leaving AZ heat in the morning, we especially enjoyed the chill air at approx. 10,000 ft elevation.

Campsite in the twisted forest

This spot overlooking Cedar Breaks was taken. Darn.​

We had a short day to get to GBNP, allowing plenty of time to stop at interesting sights along the way. We started by exploring trails around the Brian Head ski resort in the morning before getting back on pavement toward GBNP.

Twisted forest hike​

Our route took us past an attraction named Parowan Gap, so we stopped to view the interesting topography and even more interesting petroglyphs.

Close up, with a wild-eyed face

There were a handful of big panels like this​

A bit further down the road, Laurie caught a glimpse of old coke ovens half-hidden in the hills, so we turned around and found a trail back to them. Turns out they are part of the rambling remnants of the Frisco ghost town.

This is the most intact oven

Group shot​

To be continued.​

 

[DVD]

GBNP Top 10 Continued​

The return trip was more of the same, except we camped outside the Grand Canyon (North Rim). We took the paved road toward the visitor center for 5 or so miles, then headed off on FS trails toward the rim of the plateau, forking a couple times to turn onto less maintained FS trails. It's a bonus to find a trail with big ruts or clearance obstacles to keep trailers and Subarus out.

Sunrise overlooking Marble Canyon, with Navajo Mt barely visible in the far background

Great start to the day - great view and great coffee!​

7. Solitude/remoteness.
This was probably the defining aspect of the trip. Supposedly, GBNP is the most remote, least visited national park. As we approached GBNP on secondary roads, the population density seemed to plummet. The highway traversed multiple small ranges (6K elevation) with wide valleys in between and straight roads. I'd say that you could see 10 miles or more and never any cars. I saw one video where they stopped the car in the driving lane, walked 10 yards forward to set up video tripod on the center stripe, returned to the car, drove past the camera, stopped the vehicle, did a little dance in the middle of the road, and then retrieved the camera.
A few more examples:

• The BLM camping just outside GBNP. We set up camp on a decently graded trail and left the tent up for 3 days and nights and saw only 1 vehicle go past.
• There is no entrance fee for GBNP (just camping fees for supported campgrounds) and the primitive camping on Snake Creek Trail was also free!
• The visitor center was closed at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday morning Labor Day weekend (even though the official site specified it should be open).
• On various hikes, we'd sometimes see others passing, but we didn't have to worry about other people at the bristlecones or Wheeler Peak or other trails. It was great!

Remote trail near Grand Canyon north rim leads to a point overlooking Marble Canyon

We camped off this trail just a mile or so from GBNP park boundary

Laurie hiking around Stella Lake. I'm sure it would be beautiful regardless, but the experience is enhanced by the solitude​

8. Hanging out with friends (and B&B).
We had a great time with friends Chuck and Pam, who joined us for a good portion of the trip. They aren't quite the avid campers that we are, so they camped one night with us and then stayed 3 nights in a nearby B&B (Hidden Valley Lodge - very nice!). We joined them for the 1st night in the B&B to get a respite from the dusty trail. It was nice to view the star show from the hot tub! And everybody was glad that I took the opportunity to shower. The lodge was so nice that Laurie and I changed plans and stayed there a second night - leaving our remote campsite empty for the night.

Great place for star gazing

Laurie and Pam at the start of the Alpine Lakes/Bristlecone hike​

9. Extended time in one area.
It was really nice to spend days really getting to know a place - especially one with so much interest as GBNP. It's a big park, and we did it justice, exploring many different areas of the park as well as the extended area. And at the end of the day, it was great to to have camp mostly set up, compared to our usual nomadic approach with a new campsite every night.

Hiking Snake Creek Overlook trail - another cool, twisty tree!

Dugout cabin at Bonita mine site

Can you spot the vehicles hiding in the trees? Lunch stop along the scenic Success Trail in the mountains near Ely, NV

Exploring the Strawberry Creek area of the park to see how fire recovery is going​

10. Land Rover.
Sharing the Land Rover love. When reviewing photos from trip, I was surprised at how many featured the Land Rover. The LR3 was the platform for the entire trip and did a great job - from cruising the interstate at 80 MPH, to crawling tough trails in low range / offroad height, to providing shelter. It's been a great vehicle for us and taken us on many adventures!

The vehicle seemed to enjoy the beautiful campsite

Laurie's sketch from the same location as above

Love the tailgate! Best mini-coke ever, returning to the trailhead after the Wheeler Peak climb

Exploring trails around Brian Head ski resort - almost looks like a house-sized rooftop tent!

The horse that brought us back to the coke ovens​

Continued​

 

[DVD]

Continued​

A few final comments, if anybody is planning to visit the area.

Time shifting. This was funny but also a bit frustrating. GBNP is just a few miles from the NV/UT border and doesn't get good mobile coverage. Sometimes a phone would pick up a UT signal and set the clock to MST. Within hours-or minutes-you might pick up a NV signal, which would reset the clock to PST. Phones are connected to watches, but there's some latency, so any kind information about time could be an hour off. The only certainty was on the vehicle clocks - ours doesn't connect to any external source and Chuck and Pam's uses a satellite feed. Many times we'd ask what time it is, for example, when making plans for dinner when the restaurant opens at 5.
"My watch says 3:30, but my phone says 4:30."
"Both my watch and phone say 3:30"
"I've got 4:30."
"Better go to the vehicle to make sure."

Lack of facilities. Don't expect a lot of services at GBNP. The nearby town of Baker has a gas station (well, standalone gas pumps with no building or nothing - just put your credit card in the pump), and a couple restaurants (surprisingly good). One bar sold take-out beer for reasonable prices. But if you need milk or hamburger or fruit, you're out of luck. We were exploring near Ely one day, so I took the opportunity to refill my propane tank; there's no such service in Baker.

Small town hours. The establishments in Baker have weird hours. We think that maybe they might try to stagger hours to have some time off while other establishments are open. Or maybe it's just random. One place has a nice espresso bar, and we were planning to head through Baker the next morning so decided to have breakfast and coffee there. Good thing we checked because they were closed mornings on Thur and Fri.
One evening we were in town hoping to get early dinner. There are 2 nice restaurants, but one wasn't open until 5:30 and the other was closed that day. So we went to the bar that opened at 5 to have a beer. We asked if they served food, and the answer was no, but the barkeep said we could bring in food from the foodtruck next door. Cool! But when we got to the foodtruck, we found they closed at 5. It all worked out, but just don't expect the establishments to be open set hours.

Overall summary. Great trip!

 

[Ace Brown]

And a great report!

I think I’ve been to every spot you visited but I don’t recall Stella Lake. I also climbed Wheeler Peak and learned how valuable hiking poles could be. I found the descent hard on me and got poles at the first opportunity. I’ve spent time at GBNP on two occasions. Love the place.

I too have become a base camper. I just finished eight days of nomadic travel and it was very tiring. I don’t care if it’s not “overlanding”.


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[Jupiter58]

Great report and pics! Got me thinking about doing more of a base camp on a trip. GBNP sounds like a great area. I have been through baker but did not know the park was around!


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[Mighty Dodge Ram]

Great write-up, thanks for taking us along. Quick question: what vehicle tent are you using and how do you like it?

 

[DVD]

I think I’ve been to every spot you visited but I don’t recall Stella Lake. I also climbed Wheeler Peak and learned how valuable hiking poles could be. I found the descent hard on me and got poles at the first opportunity.

Hi Alan, always great to catch up with you - if only on the forum board.
Stella Lake is a detour loop on the hike to the glacier. A little background. GBNP came highly recommended from my sis-in-law, who did a camper trip from AZ to AK a couple yrs ago and said that GBNP was a highlight of the entire trip and Stella Lake, the highlight of GBNP -- "a spiritual experience." So we had to check it out. It was pretty, a nice little alpine lake, but we were also thinking: sis-in-law doesn't get out much .

We took poles (1 each) on the Wheeler Peak climb, and I could tell I used them the next day when my entire-body soreness included the upper body. On the last part of the steep descent, just before the treeline, Laurie's knees started killing her, but with some ibuprofen and an extra hiking stick (I gave her mine), it was all good. Once we got below the treeline, with less angle and softer dirt, everything was fine. I should add that on the ascent she bounded ahead of me. I stopped to see a man about a horse at the last clump of trees below the treeline and blithely told her I'd catch up. I'm stronger climbing on bike, so I figured this would be the same. We both settled into our stride for the steep ascent, and I never caught up.

 

[DVD]

GBNP sounds like a great area. I have been through baker but did not know the park was around!

Glad you enjoyed the report. Wow, I considered that the park was the only reason Baker existed. The only paved entrance into GBNP intersects highway 487 at Baker, and it's about 5 miles in. Next time you pass through, maybe take the detour and check it out. They were restricting the size of the cave tours because of Covid, but there were still walk-up spots available midweek (the week before Labor Day weekend).

Quick question: what vehicle tent are you using and how do you like it?

It's a Napier SUV tent (Model 84000). I like it! We've worn out a few tents, and this is a fairly new purchase. It's big but sturdy. Mostly it's a good fit for our camping preferences. We usually sleep in the back of the LR3 (megamat duo fits perfectly and it's a bit more secure but also just seems more comfortable to sleep on the flat interior surface). So the tent functions as a big changing room and place to keep all the supplies dry and out of the elements. We sometimes joke that the tent is for the dog because we usually take our big doberman, and he sleeps in the vestibule room. But we've also used that room as a kitchen if it's windy or raining.
I was commenting to myself that it would probably be OK in mosquito country, but I'm not sure. You can cinch the tent-to-suv part pretty tight and close - I usually don't bother.

 

[Mighty Dodge Ram]

Thanks! My stepson just bought one for use with his Grand Cherokee, I’ll share your pics with him. I sleep in the back of my full-size p/u but often think that having a connected tent/vestibule would be cool.

 

[DVD]

Here's a photo of the inside, attached to the vehicle.

We had a similar Land Rover branded day tent (so no floor) that we used for 6 yrs or so, until it broke a couple years ago. We kind of cut our teeth using that tent and bought kit and devised processes that work for us. The bedding is all rolled up for travels, and then it's a quick, easy job to unroll it (inflate megamat) and sleep in the back of the vehicle. On this trip where we did the basecamp thing, easy to attach/detach from the tent, and the vehicle-opening can zip entirely shut for weatherproofing. When I can no longer heft the fridge in and out, I guess it's time to buy a Sportsmobile or Sprinter van .

 

[Todd780]

This spot overlooking Cedar Breaks was taken. Darn.​

To be continued.​

Fantastic pictures and write up. Quote enjoyed vs a video.

Funny enough, the truck looks like a fellow members truck. Not sure if it the same. But it sure looks like it. Maybe? @BretEdge

2021 Ford F250 Tremor Adventure Rig

I'm now the very stoked owner of a 2021 Ford F250 Tremor that will be the base of my family's upcoming adventure/overland rig. My wife, son and I live in Moab. We're mountain bikers, hikers, backpackers, occasional canyoneers, avid road trippers and overlanders. I'm a professional adventure and...

expeditionportal.com

 

[BretEdge]

Fantastic pictures and write up. Quote enjoyed vs a video.

Funny enough, the truck looks like a fellow members truck. Not sure if it the same. But it sure looks like it. Maybe? @BretEdge

2021 Ford F250 Tremor Adventure Rig

I'm now the very stoked owner of a 2021 Ford F250 Tremor that will be the base of my family's upcoming adventure/overland rig. My wife, son and I live in Moab. We're mountain bikers, hikers, backpackers, occasional canyoneers, avid road trippers and overlanders. I'm a professional adventure and...

expeditionportal.com

Haha yep, that's us. It was a spectacular site, even w/ the neverending parade of OHV's who rolled through camp until almost dark.

 

[jmodz]

Thanks for the trip report! I’m going to try and head to Great Basin next week depending on weather! Your write up was super helpful as I’m going to try and do similar things!
One thing to note, Wheelers Peak is actually the second tallest peak in NV. Boundary Peak is the tallest at 13,147.

 

[ITTOG]

Thanks for the report. It was a good read.

@Todd n Natalie I thought it was BretEdge as well. Good catch.