Great Basin National Park

Overview

Whether you prefer the rich smell of summer mahogany riding air currents blended with the vanilla of ponderosa pine, or the sound of a clear mountain stream babbling beneath a symphony of swaying white fir, you won't regret your stay at Upper Lehman Creek Campground. At 7500 feet in elevation and three miles up the Wheeler Peak Scenic Drive a stay at Upper Lehman puts you within a ten-minute drive of Lehman Caves and just a brief cruise from high alpine trails that will take you into the heart of the Snake Range. A stroll across the grounds may present you with mule deer or turkey, while a step out onto the viewing platform over Lehman Creek could offer a glimpse of cutthroat trout moving gracefully through a liquid stage.

Recreation

For guests at Upper Lehman Creek Campground a number of recreational options present themselves.  

The jaw-dropping Wheeler Peak Scenic Drive runs right past the campground entrance, offering 12 miles of spectacular mountain and valley views while transporting you to near tree line at about 10,000 feet in elevation. From there a roundtrip trail walk of just under three miles will leave you with memories of iconic bristlecone pines, trees which can endure for over 4000 years, and stand for thousands after that. 

Another short stroll from the end of the Scenic Drive highlights Stella and Theresa Lakes, both fish free because they freeze solid during the winter months, but begging for a sunset photograph with colossal Wheeler Peak looming in the background.  

If a challenge is beckoning, you'll find ample beyond the Summit Trailhead. Beginning at mile 11 of the Scenic Drive the Summit Trail will launch you on an eight-mile, day-long endeavor to the top of Wheeler Peak, monarch of the Snake Range, where you may ponder the desperate lives of bristlecones, limber pines and Engelman Spruce gracing the rocky moraine below the summit.  

Renowned Lehman Caves is just a 10-minute drive from your campsite (You'll want to make a tour reservation before you arrive) along with the remote solitude of the less-travelled trails of the Baker Creek. The Snake Creek and Strawberry Creek Roads are a bit more distant, but worth the drive. 

Fishing in the park is legal with a Nevada state fishing license, but access is challenging in the small brushy park streams so consider a day-long excursion to Baker Lake. The experience includes a twelve-mile roundtrip hike to over 10,000 ft, but a more majestic venue could barely be imagined. Stop by one of the park visitor centers for regulations, and please treat the delicate alpine environment of Baker Lake with respect.

During the summer months beneath the uniquely black night skies of Great Basin National Park astronomy programs with park rangers draw large crowds to the Lehman Caves Visitor Center, just four downhill driving miles away. Bring a chair and dress warm as even summer temperatures can drop dramatically in the Snake Range.

Facilities

Upper Lehman Creek Campground offers paved parking spurs, picnic tables, and campfire rings with grills along with vault toilets. In addition to almost instant access to the breathtaking Wheeler Peak Scenic Drive the natural amenities of shade and soundscape are in ample supply.

Natural Features

Resting at the base of a limestone ridge anchoring 12,771 foot Doso Doyabi to the floor of Snake Valley, the sites of Upper Lehman Creek Campground are scattered amidst a diverse forest of pinyon and ponderosa pine along with juniper, white fir, aspen and fragrant mountain mahogany. Lehman Creek with its resident trout (It's a small dynamic stream, difficult to fish.) tumbles among the sites blending with the voices of pine needles, turkey, and the crackle of campfire to create a classic soundscape, perfect for the camping experience. Shade is easy to come by during the summer months followed by the gilded quivering of aspen leaves in the fall.

Nearby Attractions

Don't forget, Great Basin National Park was forshadowed when Lehman Caves was annointed a National Monument in 1922. The cave and its underground wonders are just a few miles away behind the Lehman Caves Visitor Center. Access is by tour only so be sure to book a reservation before you arrive, or stop by the visitor center to check on remaining availability.

Contact Info

Charges & Cancellations

• No-Shows: A no-show visitor is one who does not arrive at a campground and does not cancel the reservation by check-out time on the day after the scheduled arrival date. The remainder of the reservation will be canceled and refunded, less the first night's rate and a $20 service fee.

• Refunds will not be provided within 24 hours of the first day of the reservation. Refunds will not be provided due to weather.

Overview

A stay at the Wheeler Peak Campground is a genuinely memorable experience. Shadowed beneath the hulking cliffs of Wheeler Peak and Doso Doyabi, a pair of Nevada’s true alpine monarchs, the views and campsites hover among the clouds. At nearly 10,000 feet in elevation your neighbors are Engelman spruce, mule deer and green meadows; your common distractions tumbling brooks and shimmering aspen leaves. A mile and a half up the trail will place you in the midst of the Wheeler Peak Bristlecone Grove, among trees so ancient that some have absorbed the fanciful hues of over a million sunsets. Take elevation and weather into account before you set out on your hike. Neither towing nor towed vehicles exceeding 24 feet in length are accommodated along the Wheeler Peak Scenic Drive or at Wheeler Peak Campground.

Fall campers should be aware that Wheeler Peak Campground may close at any time due to snow; in this case, all reservations will be canceled and refunded. Pay attention to weather forecasts and be prepared to change your lodging plans.

Recreation

The drive alone is worth the price of admission, as they say, even though there is no entrance fee at this National Park. The 12-mile Wheeler Peak Scenic Drive sweeps you over half a vertical mile to the Wheeler Peak Campground, just beneath what may be the most picturesque mountain in Nevada. Take in the view at Mather Overlook along the way. You can’t miss it. 

While the Wheeler Peak Campground is the most distant campground from the surreal Lehman Caves (a 30-minute drive down the mountain) it more than makes up for it in hiking opportunities. Two of the park’s most sought-after hikes, the Bristlecone Trail and Alpine Lakes Loop Trail, begin just outside of the campground entrance. The fully accessible .4 mile-long Sky Isalnd Nature Trail also presents a peaceful alternative. Beyond walking, the soundscapes and view-surfing are perfect for lounging, reading or catching up on some sleep after a long drive. Oh, and the caves are just 30 minutes away. If you prefer some less-traveled roads, consider a drive down the Snake Creek (no rvs or trailers) or Baker Creek Roads for such hiking destinations as Baker Lake or Johnson Lake. From the end of these maintained dirt roads, all trails lead to solitude.  

But be back at your campsite before sunset if you want to enjoy the dusk light show as the sun ignites the towering stone walls of Doso Doyabi, merging slowly into a sky so black that the stars pop in ways you may never have imagined possible. 

Be sure to make reservations before you arrive, for both the campground and the caves.

Facilities

Wheeler Peak Campground offers paved parking spurs, picnic tables, campfire rings and grills along with vault toilets. While towed vehicles are allowed, neither the towed nor towing vehicle may be over 24 feet in length.

Natural Features

Views of some of Nevada’s most picturesque mountains are abundant and never more than a few steps away from your campsite, if that. Bolstered by permanent snow and icefields of the Wheeler Peak cirque the spring serenading you just to the south has cascaded through ancient quartzite which makes up the towering cathedrals above. Stretched out among alpine meadows ringed within a dense forest of Engleman spruce, the Wheeler Peak Campground provides shade at nearly every site while a quick stroll will often reveal mule deer, turkey, or in the autumn weeks the lively orange and gold of shimmering aspen.

Nearby Attractions

Don't forget, Great Basin National Park was forshadowed when Lehman Caves was annointed a National Monument in 1922. The cave and its underground wonders are just thirty minutes away behind the Lehman Caves Visitor Center. Access is by tour only so be sure to book a reservation before you arrive, or stop by the visitor center to check on remaining availability.

Charges & Cancellations

• No-Shows: A no-show visitor is one who does not arrive at a campground and does not cancel the reservation by check-out time on the day after the scheduled arrival date. The remainder of the reservation will be canceled and refunded, less the first night's rate and a $20 service fee.

• Refunds will not be provided within 24 hours of the first day of the reservation. Refunds will not be provided due to weather.