GREAT BASIN NATIONAL PARK

July, 2020

We had no idea what we were getting ourselves into when we decided to take a much-needed break from our daily routine in Williams, Arizona to head north to visit Great Basin National Park in Baker, NV.  Yes, we did our homework and read all about the place in our National Geographic Guide to National Parks.  The guide described the features of the park: the South Snake Mountain Range, flat basins where precipitation collects in playas (or lake beds), ancient Bristlecone pines (!), the Lehman Caves (!), and an Ice Age “cirque” in the only glacier (!) in Nevada.

First of all, what is The Great Basin?  Well, it covers over 90% of Nevada, is a desert biome, and just misses the inclusion of Las Vegas, Reno and Carson City in its turf. 30 million years ago when tectonic plates stretched the Earth’s crust and created the uplift that resulted in the formation of 160 mountain ranges throughout North America, The Great Basin was formed. Think miles and miles and miles of flat with mountain ranges contiguously on either side.

Within Nevada’s borders there are hundreds of mountain ranges, and we were surprised to learn that it is considered to be the most mountainous State in the country (take that Colorado)! 

The Great Basin includes nearly all of Nevada, much of Oregon and half of Utah as well as portions of California, Idaho, and Wyoming.  The name is rather misleading.  Streams and rivers in this part of the world have no outlet to the sea, rivers or other large bodies of water, and many “small basins” result.  “Drains” like the Great Salt Lake, Pyramid Lake, the Colorado Watershed, portions of the great salt pan that forms part of the floor of Death Valley, and Humbodt Sink are considered marshes and mud flats (!) and are all part of the Great Basin. After all, the mountain run off has to go somewhere.

From outer space the basin looks like a giant bowling alley, only the sides are higher than the bottom.

Our travels took us thru Ely (pronounced EE-lee), a former mining town (copper) and stage coach station along the Pony Express and Central Overland route, and an important cog in the intercontinental railroad. In town there are remnants of railroading’s golden era to view, as well as a museum dedicated to its memory.  We stopped to get groceries on our way to Baker.  Ely is the largest city along US 50 in Nevada with a population of around 4,000. 

Nevada Highway 50/US Highway 50 stretches for 287 miles from Carson City to Fernley, Nevada, and passes nine towns, two abandoned mining camps, a few gas stations and, according to AAA, “the occasional coyote.” Back in the day, AAA told their membership that it was “totally empty; there are no points of interest,” and motorists were advised ” to not to drive there unless they’re confident of their survival skills.  We don’t recommend it”. In 1986 Life Magazine gave it the title of the “Loneliest Road in America.”

Why in the world would we ignore these warnings?  Why have we committed to the RV lifestyle if not for an occasional risk and the experience to see something totally different?  We are driven to be more than mere tourists and to fully experience the places we venture to see.  The National Parks have been our beacon and guide, and Great Basin National Park was calling us.  We tell everyone that the journey is just as important as the destination. 

We arrived in Baker about 2:00.  Just so you know, Baker’s population is 68.  That said, we drove into the parking lot at the Stargazer Motel, and we wondered if we had made a colossal mistake.  The office for the Motel was squished into a small space just off the road, and lodging was not evident.  Given the current COVID-19 advisories, only two people were allowed inside the pint-sized office at one time.  However, behind the mask, co-owner Jake was very warm and welcoming, and gave us the key to room 10. Where was room 10?  We were directed to drive down the street a quarter mile or so just past the unattended, open-24-hours gas station to a small building with a green roof.  The lot behind the old attendant’s building had several campers and other vehicles parked in assigned sites, and we began to wonder what we had set ourselves up for.

So into Room 10 we went, and we were incredibly surprised!  The room was spotless and we felt like we were in our own little cabin complete with a comfy bed, table and two chairs, small refrigerator, microwave, and actual china dishes and flatware.  The enterprising owners had thoughtfully supplied “green” dish soap, bath wash and shampoo, and a coffee maker and coffee. We felt right at home. 

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After unloading the car and some minor unpacking we decided to head up the Wheeler Peak Scenic Drive to the trailhead at 9600 feet. Wheeler Peak, at 12,600 feet is the tallest peak in the Snake Range. About a quarter mile west of town we turned north and began the 7 mile stretch of road that would bring us to the turn off for the Wheeler Peak Scenic Drive or, if we wished, we could continue straight just a bit further into the parking lot for the Lehman Cave Visitors Center and cave itself.

Along the roadway and to the east were private homes whose owners must have a wicked sense of humor and whimsy – they have created “Fence Art” and other artistic treasures for the enjoyment of travelers visiting Great Basin National Park.

Driving up Wheeler Peak Scenic Drive was glorious! Every turn in the long and winding, two-lane, 12-mile road, past sagebrush, piñon-juniper and aspen forests, manzanita and mahogany, rewarded us with spectacular views, stretching to the horizon and beyond. It’s rumored that golden eagles enjoy the thermals. 

Mather Overlook was our first stop and we took time to reflect on the contributions of Stephen Mather realizing that there is at a minimum a plaque in his honor in some location in every National Park. Mather was an industrialist and conservationist who, in the early 20th century led a campaign to promote the creation of a unified federal agency to oversee our National Parks. In 1916 Congress directed the Department of the Interior to establish the National Park Service, and in 1917 Mather was asked by President Woodrow Wilson to lead the new agency. He served until 1929, during which time Mather created a professional civil service organization, increased the numbers of parks and national monuments, and established systematic criteria for adding new properties to the federal system. We have been neglectful in not recognizing Stephen Mather before now.

The views from Mather Overlook were incredible.  We ventured on to Wheeler View and we were excited to see the Great Basin glacier, Jeff Davis and Wheeler Peaks.  Amazing!  Back in the car to continue our scenic drive to the parking lot where the Wheeler Peak trailhead begins; the hike to the top a mere 8-mile trek ascending 3,000 feet.  At the parking lot, we were turned back by a Park Ranger who was evacuating the area because of a reported fire.  Disappointed but looking forward to our return the next day we headed back to our motel room.  We stopped at the Great Basin Visitors Center for hiking recommendations before we called it a day.

While in Ely we had picked up food for breakfast and lunch, but had not included dinner plans in our shopping. So where does one eat in a town of 68 souls? We had decided to try Kerouac’s Restaurant for dinner, after all it was billed as “an homage to life on the American road.”  The restaurant is the brain child of the motel co-owners Jake and Kate, and conveniently “attached” to the motel itself. It is only open Thursday-Sunday from 4:00pm to 8:00pm, and due to the virus, service was limited to takeout and self-seating.  They offer a complete full bar and the menu selection is limited to pizza, salads and burgers; Barbara was delighted to find roasted brussels sprouts as an option.  The first night we had a bolognese pizza, a large Caesar salad, and brussels sprouts, of course.  We were not disappointed – the food was fresh, from scratch, well-prepared and tasty. We enjoyed dinner on our patio with a glass or 2 of a delightful sangria.

We had planned to spend the evening looking at the stars in this incredible dark sky land, but the cloud coverage made it impossible.  Oh, well.  Time for a great sunset and good book before bed.

Up the next morning we had our coffee and breakfast, packed our lunch, and headed up Scenic Drive around 9:00 after determining that the fire from the day before was extinguished and hiking trails were open.  We parked at the Wheeler Peak Campground and found three options:  Sky Islands (the easiest 0.4-mile and wheelchair accessible trail); Alpine Lakes (a 1.5-mile loop through Englemann Spruce and Limber Pine); and Bristlecone Trail (a 2.7-mile alpine trail).  We decided to combine the Forest Trail and the Bristlecone Trail into a 5-mile hike. 

Despite starting our hike at 9,500 feet and ascending to 11,000 feet, the Alpine Lakes Trail was an easy walk. We were in the shadows of some of best forest coverage we have hiked to date. 

The highlight of this Trail was the chance to see two exquisite glacier lakes: Stella Lake and Teresa Lake.  It’s been a long dry Spring and Summer for the region, and the shoreline for each of the lakes was much larger than expected. We imagined that with the snow runoff in early Spring they had been much fuller. Regardless, the waters were crystal clear, the scenery beautiful.

After a 5-10 minute rest it was time to tackle the Bristlecone Trail.  A ranger we encountered along the way told us that the grove of Bristlecones was not to be missed, but to be forewarned – the trail was a challenging uphill 0.8 of a mile hike. Not to be daunted by this challenge, off we went.  The last quarter-mile over a very rocky and steep path was the most difficult part of he hike – we are happy to report that we got to the top (and back down) in one piece! 

According to our National Geographic Guide to National Parks it’s not the Redwoods in California that are amongst the oldest living organisms on the earth – it’s the Bristlecone Pines! These ancient trees thrive where other trees can’t; their contorted limbs have survived thousands of years of damaging storms and timberline conditions – “wind-driven ice, freezing temperatures, and rocky soil.”  One investigator concluded, “adversity begets longevity.” These magnificent trees have dense insect-resistant wood with high resin content that prevents rot.  Bristlecones grow slowly, one branch at a time; their needles living up to 40 years.  Great Basin National Park is home to a magnificent grove of ancient Bristlecone Pines, many over 3000 years old. Some of the trees have even earned names:  Adversity (born 100 b.c.; died 1400 a.d.) and Reluctance to Die, a 3000-year-old tree.  Brian said that the Bristlecones reminded him of larger versions of bonsai trees. It was truly humbling to be walking amongst these beauties.

We hiked back to the parking lot and enjoyed a well-earned lunch before heading back to our room. What a glorious day in the woods of Great Basin National Park! 

Back to Kerouac’s for supper – we shared a burger and some fries and some more of those tasty brussels sprouts as we waited patiently for the night sky to appear. 

And did it ever!  We were dazzled by the Milky Way which Barbara doesn’t remember seeing since she was a child in Colorado.

We had some nagging light pollution from the gas station so we hopped into the Jeep and headed out to the Baker Archeological site, about a mile out of town and a half-mile down a dirt road.  Millions and millions of stars!  We were wishing we owned a telescope because we were sure we were seeing planets as well.  We weren’t able to locate a comet that we were told was visible in the sky (find the North Star and look downward?).  It didn’t take away from our truly incredible dark night sky experience one little bit.

Friday morning was checkout. We had breakfast and stopped but a minute at the Lehman Caves Visitors Center and took a short walk to the Caves’ entrance. Guided tours are required for visiting the Caves, but due to the congregant nature of the tours none are being offered in this time of the corona virus.

So off we went and parked at the trailhead for the Baker Creek trails.  We had three trails to choose from:  Baker Creek to Baker Lake; South Fork Baker Creek loop; or Timber Creek. 

The Park Ranger had recommended the fairly easy “through the forest” South Fork Baker Creek Loop.  We mistakenly took the Baker Creek to Baker Lake Trail despite seeing a posted warning to avoid the trail because a hawk had attacked a hiker the day before.

We were prepared (???) to face an aggressive protective nesting hawk, but not the literally breath-robbing and exhausting uphill 3-mile trek starting at an elevation of 2,600 feet, and ending at nearly 8,000 feet!  We turned back after about an hour, realizing our mistake and exhaustedly headed back to the car for a final farewell to Great Basin National Park.  Barbara finished the day with a good feet-soaking in frigid Baker Creek.

Driving south on highway 93 and heading back to Williams, we marveled at the incredible beauty along this stretch of endless straight-as-an-arrow highway where mountains seem to just rise up out of the desert floor.

Miles and miles of unoccupied land stretch to endless horizons.  The sweeping vistas and full complement of colors ranging from purple to pink and orange are breathtaking on this forever highway. 

We were driving along the Great Basin!  We’d travel it all over again in a heartbeat!

Barbara and Brian