Today we got to explore Great Basin National Park near Baker, NV. One of the least visited places in the National Park system, it is rumored to be an under appreciated gem. It didn’t disappoint.

We spent the morning exploring the visitor centers and a few exhibits before heading up to the Wheeler Campground parking area to start a hike that would take us about 6 miles through Bristlecone pine trees, a glacier, and alpine lakes. There were some concerns about the hike since it was going to start around 9500’ and others in the family don’t always do well with altitude.

But we took it easy and enjoyed a beautiful day, we had a blast.

We completed the loop in reverse to get the hardest part done first. we were rewarded with learning about Bristlecone Pines. They were super impressive: one we looked at is over 3,000 years old. They are incredibly tough and even after they die, the wood can take another thousand years to degrade.

While the girls explored an interpretive trail about the trees, I made a beeline for the glacier, and found not one, but two. One was a rock glacier and the other a more traditional ice glacier. I’d try to explain the difference, but I’d likely get it wrong.

Finally we got to explore a pair of alpine lakes which were awesome. The first was the ideal bright blue while the other was murkier. But they still looked impressive against the mountainous backdrop

As we headed back to the car, we were graced by the presence of these little babies. We watched the mule deer for a few minutes before wrapping up the hike.

The girls napped while k drove down and back to Ely. We showered and ate at the same Mexican restaurant as last night. And then we took a ride out into the middle of nowhere to check out the fabled dark skies of this part of the state, and they were quite impressive.

It was a great day, and we are wiped out. Tomorrow we head home, but in the meantime, please check out the video below of our hike.