3 Best Things to Do in Great Basin National Park
Protecting Bristlecone Pines over 5,000 years old, Nevada’s only glacier, and numerous plant and animal endemics that can only be found in the Snake Range, Great Basin National Park is truly an island in the sky, being surrounded by one of the harshest deserts on all sides.
That being said, Great Basin National Park is pretty much next to nothing in terms of being convenient to get to.
On top of this, most of the best things to do within the park involve some level of hiking or backcountry experience.
For this reason, I highly recommend coming to Great Basin National Park with the intention to hike a number of trails, as there are truly few other things to do off Wheeler Peak Scenic Dr., the main road in Great Basin National Park, that aren’t trails.
Hiking Checklist - Great Basin
Obviously, for camping, you will need general backpacking gear. For this reason, I wrote a separate post about what backpacking gear is worth the money, from my experience, and what the best alternatives are to save you money.
Read My Separate Post: Best Ultralight Backpacking Gear
In addition, here is a complete list of must-have things that you will want for any hike in Great Basin National Park.
3 Best Things to Do in Great Basin National Park
The following list is written in no particular order of best or worst.
However, my experience in Great Basin National Park was limited to only a short stay, where I didn’t take photos on every trail I visited. For this reason, I have every intention of returning for a longer visit to hopefully see some more of what Great Basin has to offer!
On a different note, you can save time when you arrive by purchasing your National Park pass, along with your other outdoor gear, at REI before traveling to the park!
1. Wheeler Peak Trail
Distance: 8.7 miles / 14.0 km
Standing tall at 13,064 ft. (3,982 m), Wheeler Peak is the tallest mountain in Great Basin National Park.
For this reason, Wheeler Peak is one of the most sought-after hikes within the park, but there are a few things to consider before making the climb.
First, the Wheeler Peak Trail is very exposed and hot during the typical summer climbing season, which is one main reasons why you’ll likely want to get an early morning/ middle-of-the-night start on the trail.
Second, there are multiple trailheads to consider, which really comes down to either more distance from the Wheeler Peak Trailhead or more elevation gain from the Alpine Lakes Trailhead.
Personally, I recommend the traditional Wheeler Peak Trailhead for a slightly easier ascent, which is the route linked below.
AllTrails: Wheeler Peak Trail
2. Alpine Lakes Loop Trail
Distance: 2.6 miles / 4.2 km
There aren't a lot in terms of natural alpine lakes across the Snake Range. However, both Stella and Teresa Lake, off the Alpine Lakes Loop Trail, are easily the two most accessible lakes within Great Basin National Park.
Additionally, this relatively easy loop can be extended with the Glacier Trail to hike to Brown Lake, for only an extra 0.4 miles (0.6 km) each way.
AllTrails: Alpine Lakes Trail
3. Lehman Creek Campground
Both the Upper and Lower Lehman Creek Campgrounds are two of the most beautiful front-country campgrounds within Great Basin.
That being said, there isn’t a lot in terms of lodging or other services near Great Basin, meaning all campgrounds within Great Basin National Park are very popular during the summer travel season.
For this reason, it’s important to reserve your campsite as soon as you know your dates, which can either be done directly through Recreation.gov below or by clicking the links.
Book Here: Upper Lehman / Lower Lehman
No information is collected by this website when using the provided Recreation.gov booking widget. All reservations made here are secure through the official website.
Additional Early Season Gear
Depending on the winter snowpack, many trails in Great Basin National Park can be covered in snow well into June or even July.
For this reason, micro-spikes are a must on many upper-elevation trails throughout the park, such as the Wheeler Peak Trail.
Therefore, I recommend coming prepared, as many hikers miss out on trails that they could have done simply for this reason alone. I personally use the Yaktrax below.
