frosty
This is one of the least visited, most isolated, out-of-the-way parks in the country. With plenty of time on our hands, and being just two day’s drive away, I decided we should go see it. It has two big sights: the Lehman Caves, with some pretty spectacular and rare cave formations, and the Wheeler Peak Scenic Drive, which goes up to about 10,000 feet where there are trailheads to see a remnant glacier from the ice age and a bristlecone pine grove.
Unfortunately, we didn’t see either one. I didn’t take the seasons into account when I laid out the trip. The Scenic Drive was closed above 9,000 feet, and cave tours won’t open until May 23rd, two weeks after our visit. Oops.
So we did what we could, a couple of short hikes and a 4×4 expedition to see parts of the park that were open. Another time, maybe, or other glaciers and other caves.
Wheeler Peak from Mather Point, where the road closed. No, not the snow-covered one in front, the one in back with the glaciated face. The summit is 13,063 ft, the tallest mountain in the Snake Range.
On The Road – frosty – Great Basin National ParkPost + Comments (22)