Great Basin is the least visited national park in the United States. This is of no surprise to anyone who has visited, being located in seemingly the middle of nowhere in northern Nevada, far from any of the few big cities within the state. It being a place where I was trying to seek peace and serenity in nature, and the lack of crowds was a major plus for me. In fact, I only really encountered two hikers on my hike up to the centerpiece of the park- Wheeler Peak. Since the only road up was closed due to encroaching winter conditions, I had to take the three-mile trail up from the lower campground and another mile-and-a-half walk up to Stella Lake which was situated near the top of the peak.
This was not a problem as I was itching to go on a real hike, this being the first opportunity on my trip across the United States to do so. The weather was absolutely perfect, being cool and dry enough to help quell the copious amounts of sweat I inevitably perspire on long walks uphill at this high altitude.
You think “Nevada” and images of a flat, arid desert with the flashy lights of Vegas off into the distance come to mind. Great Basin’s landscape couldn’t be further from that (for the most part.) This mountainous park, while perhaps getting less precipitation than the pacific northwest, was snow-covered and contained some beautiful streams meandering down along the trail I took. Did I also mention there were lakes? While I didn’t see many animals on the day I was there, I did get to see an amazing assortment of plant life. Most impressive of which were the groves of ancient bristle cone trees.
