We recently had the privilege of discovering and visiting Great Basin National Park, a gem of a hiking spot in Nevada! This southwest mountain destination was absolutely gorgeous in late September, with early fall foliage and temperatures that were super comfortable. Whether you want to see beautiful mountain vistas, caves, or the Milky Way, Great Basin National Park has you covered!
KNOW BEFORE YOU GO!
Visit Duration & Time Of Year
We wanted to make the most of our time, and visited the park for 3.5 days. This timeframe actually worked perfectly for a more leisurely approach! I felt that we were able to see a large percentage of the park and surrounding attractions without feeling rushed.
We visited the park from September 22 – September 25, and I would absolutely recommend this time of year! The weather was super pleasant: Warm and sunny during the day, and cool at night. Visually, we got to see some really lovely early fall colors, making the area all the more scenic!
Cell Service / WIFI
Route 50 (“The Loneliest Road in America”), and much of Great Basin, has little to no cell service. The opportunity to be cut off from technology was quite refreshing, but be sure to prepare by printing out maps, trails of interest, and general park information before arrival! (We were able to get a bit of service at the Visitor Center, so that was helpful for essential communication!)
Surrounding Towns
Whether you’re camping, staying at an Airbnb, or stopping by on a day trip, knowing where to find food and supplies is always helpful before arrival! Just a few miles from the main Great Basin park entrance, you’ll find Baker, Nevada, home to a super cute general store. Apart from Baker, you can find Ely, Nevada about an hour away for a few restaurants and additional activities. (The highway drive between Great Basin and Ely offers some additional state parks and historical sights if you have the time!)
RECOMMENDED HIKES & ACTIVITIES
Wheeler Peak Scenic Drive & Alpine Lakes Loop
We drove up to 10,000 ft in elevation along the stunning 12-mile Wheeler Peak Scenic Drive, landing at the Summit Trailhead parking lot, which is the starting point for several trails in the area of varying difficulties. (This would also be the place to start if you were hiking up to Wheeler Peak.)
The entry to the trails from the parking lot brings you through gorgeous twisted “quaking” aspen trees.
If you see nothing else, be sure to follow the signs to the Alpine Lakes Loop. It’s one of the most popular trails in the park for a reason! There are stunning mountain views (including of Wheeler Peak), lovely colorful trees, and it’s all quite easy in terms of exertion. Between about 2:30-5:00pm the temperatures and lighting were absolutely perfect.
Typically one can access the lakes through the Bristlecone Trailhead, but it was closed during our visit. I really enjoyed the views that we got beginning at the Summit Trailhead instead, and would definitely recommend this route!
Note that Wheeler Peak Scenic Drive is closed off for much of the winter season before you plan a trip!
Baker/Timber Creek Trails & Lehman Caves
The Baker/Timber Creek section of the park has a wide range of trails varying from easy to moderate to strenuous, so there was plenty to choose from for all hiking levels. In late September in the morning hours, we found a good amount of shady trees and beautiful greenery.
The trail maps can be found by the parking lot. If you plan to do a nearby cave tour following this hike, as we did, leave yourself plenty of time to make your way back before your time slot!
Be sure to check out the Lehman Caves! There are multiple options for tour lengths, and we found that doing our cave tour on the same day as our hiking in the Baker/Timber Creek area worked perfectly as they are located pretty close together.
Sage Steppe Loop Trail
The easy, 1 mile Sage Steppe Loop Trail, which begins at the Strawberry Creek Trailhead, is easy to add in on any day at the park. Unfortunately this area was scorched by fires a few years ago, but has recently been reopened. It’s not as lush currently, but it was still an enjoyable walk.
Serviceberry Trail
The Serviceberry Loop Trail pays off big time! The early part of the climb is nothing to boast about, but is necessary to reach the scenic summit. Upon reaching the highest elevations of the hike, you’ll find colorful aspen and truly unique vistas. We could not get over the picturesque views of the moon in broad daylight overtop the colorful leaves on the walk back down. I would highly recommend this spot!
This hike starts at the Serviceberry Trailhead on Snake Creek Road.
Stargazing
You’re in for a treat when it comes to the night sky at Great Basin! Unfortunately none of my lame cell phone photos did it justice, but in person it was the best view of the Milky Way that I’ve ever had…Too cool! Do yourself a favor, and search “Milky Way Great Basin National Park” online to get an idea of what you can see!
Ward Charcoal Ovens & Cave Lake State Park
If you’re looking for additional sights to see outside of the main park, take a drive down the highway to Ward Charcoal Ovens State Historic Park! Check out the six charcoal ovens that were used from 1876-1879 to process silver ore, shelter travelers, and hide stagecoach bandits. There are also a few nearby trails for leisurely walks.
Further down the highway, even closer to Ely, Nevada, you’ll find Cave Lake State Park. This area had some very pretty options for hiking and scenic drives.
For a few days of peace and quiet, beautiful hiking, and incredible night skies, I’d say Great Basin National Park is absolutely worth a visit when traveling through Nevada or the southwest!
Check out more of our travels here!