Great Basin National Park in Nevada was the next stop on our journey. It was about a five hour drive from our motel in Idaho Falls. Since departure day was a Sunday, we found the Christ Community Church to attend which was only 10 minutes from the Motel West. It was another great service, which included singing some older hymns, and hearing an impassioned message from the preacher. We left feeling uplifted and ready for a new day.
Shortly after leaving Idaho Falls, we saw a sign stating “Last Services For 85 Miles.” Fortunately, I had filled the gas tank the night before so that would not be a problem. The sign was accurate. We drove for miles and miles, 85 to be precise, on a deserted and desolate stretch of highway that had very little to offer in the way of scenery. Yes, there were mountains to look at, but they were not as majestic or interesting as what we had been seeing and the valleys and meadows between were also not very appealing.
It was a long drive, but we finally reached a little town with a gas station and some semblance of civilization, before seeing another “Last Services For 85 Miles” sign. Then continued more of what we had seen the previous 85 miles. Beth kidded that perhaps this area was where they had tested early atomic bombs. It was that desolate looking. Perhaps she was right!
At long last we reached the first of the Great Basin visitor’s centers. Beth went in to get our passport stamped and to ask about some things to do. When she returned, she said there wasn’t a whole lot to do as far as hiking goes, but if we hurried we might be able to get a spot for the cave tours the park is famous for, which was starting in a few minutes. We headed for the Lehman Cave Visitor’s Center five miles away but we were too late, as there was only one spot available. We weren’t too disappointed, as we have seen many caves over the years, and had seen Carlsbad Caverns last month.
Wheeler Peak is the tallest mountain peak in the park, at over 10,000 feet, but to reach it you have a rather long hike straight up, or you drive the Wheeler Peak scenic road, which rises about 3,000 feet in 30-40 minutes. After seeing Mount Rainier, we decided Wheeler Peak would not compare, so we decided to forgo the drive and hike part of the Lehman Creek Trail, which goes to Wheeler Peak. We hiked the steep incline trail for about an hour and a half, reaching an elevation of about 8,200 feet, before turning around to descend to our car. It was the first time Beth and I had hiked over 8,000 feet and we did fine. I guess we have acclimated to the elevation as it did not create any problems for us, which could’ve been a problem living at sea level.
At one point during our hike, we encountered a father and son hiking the trail as well. It turns out he had just retired last month, and to commemorate this, he and his son were on a two week tour of some parks in the area of their home in Fort Collins, Colorado. We had a nice chat with them and wished them well. We can add them to the list of nice folks we have met over the last month and a half.
Back at our car, we viewed the great basin extending before us like a giant tea cup saucer. Flat lands for miles and miles. We can understand why the park got its name. The contrast between the high Wheeler Peak and the great basin below it was quite dramatic. Since there was not another hike we were interested in tackling, we chose to end our time at Great Basin and head to Utah.
As we drove out of the park, we agreed that Great Basin was a lot of work for not that big of a return. I believe the caves are the primary attraction at the park and while we had not planned on taking a tour of them, perhaps we should have scheduled to do so to make the drive more worthwhile. In the end, we did get another passport stamp in our book, hiked to over 8,000 feet for the first time, and added Great Basin to our growing list of parks visited. We left with no regrets.