Great Basin National Park is a hidden gem in Nevada. In its remote location with fewer crowds, it gives the sense that you’ve discovered something that most people drive right past. The park’s dramatic scenery and vastness create the kind of wonder you feel when something grand is before you, like standing on the beach looking out at the ocean. While it seems like you could easily explore it all given the fewer crowds, a little planning can go a long way, especially when visiting with kids.
Planning Your Great Basin National Park Visit:
- Getting there- from Las Vegas it’s about a 4.5-hour drive North on 93.
- Best time to visit- Labor Day weekend was a great time to go. The prime time would be spring, summer, and fall, given that the winter brings snow to the higher elevations and much lower temps.
- Entrance fee- Currently there is no entrance fee. The link to their website is here.
- Duration of stay- You will need 1-2 full days in the park.
- Must see- Lehman Caves, Wheeler Peak, Strawberry Creek.
If I planned this trip again, I would:
- Stay in Baker, NV (book lodging as early as possible)
- Reserve the Lehman Caves Tour well in advance
- Arrive early at Wheeler Peak for parking
- Save one evening for stargazing
What we did each day
Day 1 Lehman Caves:
We visited over Labor Day weekend and spent two nights in Ely, NV with our kids to visit Great Basin National Park.
It was about a 4.5-hour drive from the Las Vegas area to Great Basin National Park. This park is one of the more remote national parks, so fill up your gas tank and be prepared to disconnect!
We arrived at the main Visitor Center by mid-day, where we briefly stopped. Our kids were going bonkers from the car ride, so we cut this Visitor Center short and didn’t even collect the Junior Ranger packet. If you know, you know. From there we drove to the Lehman Caves, which also had another Visitor Center.
I didn’t expect there to be two Visitor Centers, but there were! Another surprise is that they weren’t that far apart from each other, only a couple of miles.
The Lehman Caves Visitor Center had a café and outpost-type of store where you can get lunch or picnic items, information, supplies, along with nice souvenirs. (Visitor center and cave tour operations change seasonally, so check the NPS website for current conditions before you go). We checked into our tour reservation there and explored the center while we waited for the tour to start.
Lehman Caves
The tour of the Lehman Caves was about an hour, and it was AMAZING. I was nervous about how my young children would behave during the 1-hour tour with no quick exit option, and they did great. The tour guide made it fun, and the sight itself was something to behold. Between the sights in the cave and the commentary, it kept their attention quite well. The history given on the tour was interesting and easy to follow– for all age groups!
I highly recommend doing the tour and booking it well in advance. I waited until the last minute and initially the tickets were sold out. However, I stalked the website hoping for more slots to become available or someone to cancel, and sure enough, four tickets became available! We got really lucky! It was a highlight of the trip and really can’t be missed if you make the trek all the way to the Great Basin. The link for reservations can be found here.
After the tour we hiked above ground around the cave area. Between this and the tour, it pretty much ate up the afternoon and concluded our day in the park.
We then headed to Ely, NV to check into our hotel and to grab dinner. Note, it is a one-hour drive from Great Basin National Park to Ely. It was an easy and relatively flat drive. We stayed at Hotel Nevada and Gambling Hall, established in 1929.
Ely is an old mining town and was interesting to see, but it was sleepy in my opinion. I’m sure I missed something, but it seemed quieter than we expected. There was a cool train, which I believe they offer train rides, but we didn’t check that out. (maybe that’s what I missed!)
I’m still glad we had this experience, but in hindsight I would have preferred to stay in Baker, NV, a town closer to the entrance of the park. All of the motels in Baker were sold out at the time of booking.
Book way in advance if you want to stay in Baker!
Day 2 Osceola Ditch Trail & Strawberry Creek:
The next day we wanted to hike and explore Wheeler Peak, but we arrived too late, and there was no parking. We arrived at 9:30am.
This is again another reason to stay closer to the park. And also, don’t underestimate the park being available even for an uncrowded park. Parking for popular spots can still fill up. There was ongoing construction at the top of the mountain, which limited parking, so we had to select another trail to explore. If you want to see Wheeler Peak, I’d make it a priority and get there much earlier!
We pulled over at one of the first few pull offs on the way down the mountain and decided to hike the Osceola Ditch Trail. This trail is 5 miles and goes all the way down the mountain. However, we only did an out and back hike which covered a portion of it.
We saw spectacular views of the Basin and a creek on this hike. This trail was kid friendly, with some rock scrambling in one section, but no steep drop-offs (for the most part). We hiked to a creek and that was our turn around point. I’m sure there is much more water in that “creek” in different parts of the year. Perhaps it’s a river in other seasons.
Overall, it was a good backup option to Wheeler Peak that is just down the road. It was a nice trail for the kids to burn off energy early in the day.
After the Osceola Ditch hike, we went back to the Lehman Caves Visitor Center for a picnic lunch. I grabbed a few items from their café to pair with cooler items we brought. They had a pretty good menu, so know that you could just get lunch there! We found nearby picnic tables accessible by car from the Visitor Center and ate lunch there.
After lunch we decided not to attempt Wheeler Peak again, which was probably my one big regret on the trip, but we tried another hike in Strawberry Creek.
Strawberry Creek was great though, and it was in the direction to head back to Ely and out of the park, so that part was advantageous.
From the main road, the trailhead was a 4–5-mile drive on a gravel road. The gravel road was suitable to drive on in any type of car, but it was long and again, remote.
We only passed 1 other car the entire time and there was no one at the parking lot when we got to the trailhead. It was as if we had the whole National Park to ourselves. Bliss.
Once on the Strawberry Creek Trail, we did another out and back hike, which was beautiful in its topography and desolation. I kept looking around expecting to see other people, but we were all alone. No need to worry about my kids being loud or obnoxious here. I’m sure there was an animal somewhere, but it was really remote. Just us and nature. A feeling you want to have in your toolbox for another day.
This is actually a perk of Great Basin National Park, in that it is uncrowded and you don’t have to police your kids in every moment. They can just enjoy being outside. We concluded our hike and then headed back to Ely.
It didn’t really feel like we had much to show for our full day in the park, since we didn’t do Wheeler Peak, but between Osceola Ditch and Strawberry Creek the day flew by! Despite not making it to Wheeler Peak, this also concluded our time in Great Basin National Park.
We debated stopping at the Ward Charcoal Ovens on the way back in Ely, but we went to find dinner instead. That might be the second regret of the trip. However, I’ll chalk up the decision of not to “do all the things” to having two hungry and tired kids in the car!
Day 3 Cathedral Gorge State Park:
The next morning, we drove back to the Las Vegas area and stopped at Cathedral Gorge State Park on the way. (see my full post on that here). It wasn’t quite half-way back, but it was a good stop-off to break up the drive. The park had some amazing views, interesting rock formations, and slot canyons to explore.
Initially we stopped at the Miller Point parking area. We looked at the view there but then drove down the main entrance.
There is an entrance fee of $5 for NV residents and $10 for non-NV residents. It’s at a self-pay kiosk. There are picnic tables and bathrooms at a couple of the stops in the park. A map of the park can be found here.
We hiked around a bit and took in the sights. We explored the highlighted section on the map. It was limited as we didn’t have much time, but after about an hour exploring, we felt that we got our fill. We got back in the car and headed home.
Though limited, I’m really glad we added Cathedral Gorge to our trip. It was really a hidden gem just off the side of the road. It was definitely worth the stop! I recommend! I have more details included under my NV State Parks post as well.
Do’s and Don’ts in Great Basin National Park with kids
1. Lehman Caves are a must.
2. I’d stay in Baker instead of Ely so the drive in and out of the park is more convenient and you can better maximize your time in the park.
3. With a shorter drive by staying in Baker, I’d get to Wheeler Peak early to secure parking and explore hiking trails there. I felt that it was a missed opportunity to not see the Bristlecone Pines (some of the oldest in the world), the Alpine Lakes on the Wheeler Peak Trail. So do be sure to not miss it!
4. Also, with a shorter drive, I’d take advantage of the stargazing programs or go stargazing on your own.
5. DO be sure you get the Junior Ranger book if you have kids! Even if your kids are behaving horribly after the long drive (like mine were), don’t skip it!
6. I definitely recommend Cathedral Gorge as a stop-off to or from the Great Basin if you’re coming from the Vegas direction.
Overall, it was a great trip visiting Great Basin National Park, boosted by pairing it with a stop off at Cathedral Gorge. Despite a few missed opportunities, the beauty and quiet of the park were more than enough to fill our cup. My boys still talk about the caves a year later. I hope that by sharing our experience–and what we’d do differently–you can take my lessons learned and plan the best and most memorable trip for you or your family!
Looking to explore a different National Park close to Las Vegas? Check out my Death Valley or Joshua Tree page for more ideas and travel tips.
Or looking to discover other road trip ideas with kids from Las Vegas? See the best destinations within a couple of hours to several hours from Las Vegas on my Road Trip page.
Happy Trails!