Ode to a Hidden Gem: Great Basin National Park
Maggie Slepian
With more than 60 National Parks in the US, there are a few that soak up much of the glory. Yellowstone, the Grand Canyon, Zion, Yosemite, and Rocky Mountain National Park see massive visitation numbers each year. This is thanks to many factors, including famed designations, ease of access, proximity to large population centers, and photogenic features that look really good on your Instagram feed. But with those high visitation numbers comes crowding, a strain on resources, and it can be nearly impossible to get a backcountry permit or campsite reservation.
That’s where the lesser-known National Parks come in. I was recently asked to write a roundup of the least-popular National Parks, and out of the ones I wrote about, one sticks out in particular: Great Basin National Park in eastern Nevada. Smack dab in the middle of nowhere. At least, that’s what it felt like.
I have a map of the National Parks on my wall, with an orange pin denoting each that I’ve visited. Naturally, the goal is to visit every one of them. If I didn’t have this map, Great Basin wouldn’t have even been on my radar. As it happened, Jeff and I were on a road trip around Southern Utah, and took a route through Nevada on our way back to Montana. I checked the map, and Great Basin was only a few hours out of the way. If we stopped there and did an overnight, we could check another national park off the list.
We drove through hours of sandy washes and dusty mesas on UT-130. Once we turned onto NV-487, it really felt desolate. We saw just a few other vehicles, and like something out of Looney Toons, there was a dead cow by the side of the road on one of the more empty stretches.
By the time we turned onto the winding road leading to the visitor center, it seemed like we were lightyears away from the populated areas we’d been in for the past few weeks.
Great Basin National Park is the fifth least-visited national park in the US. It’s not close to anything, and it doesn’t have the allure of epic megafauna and natural features of the more “destination-worthy” parks. But what I learned from the kind rangers at the charming visitor center is that Great Basin is home to a 13,000-foot peak, miles of well-maintained hiking trails, the world-famous Lehman Caves, and is a designated International Dark Sky Park. The rangers were more than happy to tell us about the ecology of the larger Great Basin region, and give us suggestions for an overnight in the backcountry. When I asked about a permit or campsite reservation, they laughed. “You don’t need a permit, just know where you’re going, follow all Leave No Trace principles, and have fun.” This is about as far from trying to backpack in a popular national park as it gets.
We set off from the trailhead and did a wonderful 24-mile loop over the next two days. The trail signage rivaled any trail system I’d ever hiked, with each intersection carefully labeled, the trail name and mileage printed on glossy metal signs. The trail itself was smooth and well-maintained, and there was ample dispersed camping at both Johnson Lake and Baker Lake. From the 11,000-foot pass, we could look out at rippling peaks and expanses of evergreen forest. Farther down in the valley lay miles and miles of sagebrush. It was peaceful, quiet, and impressively expansive. We saw a grand total of three people the entire time we were out.
We cowboy camped to get the full effect of the night sky, and I can honestly say in all of my years of sleeping outside, I’ve never seen so many stars. With the rise of the nearly full moon, the pale walls surrounding our basin were illuminated. We hiked out the next morning to complete the loop on more well-signed, beautiful trails that climbed and descended through the trees until we were back at the trailhead.
Apart from the easy backcountry access, lovely trails, and solitude, Great Basin has a fascinating history. Mining camps were scattered around the South Snake Range, and you can see the remains of the structures along the Baker-Johnson Lake Loop. There are even interpretive signs five miles up from the trailhead! This park throws everything it has into making the journey special.
If you’re planning a visit to Great Basin, keep in mind that it’s at a surprisingly high elevation. We started the hike around 9,000 feet, and reached over 11,000 feet. Our campsite was at 10,000 feet. That’s no small elevation to get used to, and also means that access is trickier in the winter. This is a great park for summer and early fall. Take the time to visit and learn about the ecology and history during those times, and you won’t regret it.
We had no expectations when we drove into Great Basin, and it was truly an incredible experience. The resources, trail maintenance, ease of access, and low-key vibe at this park was such a different realm from the more populated places we’ve explored, and I have the rest of the least-visited parks on my immediate bucket list.
