Great Basin National Park

Great Basin National Park is just over 60 miles from Ely, NV. It would be less than 40 miles as the crow flies, but you have to cross Connors Pass (7729') and Sacramento Pass (7154'). Here is a picture of Carlos and I birding near the Gray Cliffs.


There was a threat of snow all day, but that didn't dampen our enthusiasm to explore. The rock face in this photo had a several entrances to a cave. The cave itself was closed, but we weren't too tempted anyway when we found fresh mountain lion scat and tracks leading into the cave. It really started to snow on our way back to the car.

After the cave tour, the snow had abated, and we headed up the Wheeler Peak Scenic Drive. It was closed after the Upper Lehman Creek Campground. Both of the campgrounds were empty and were a good place to stroll around looking for birds. The snow was pretty deep in places, well over a foot.





The view out over the Snake Valley was great, with the clouds making shadows on the desert. The mountains in the distance are in Utah.

Towards the evening, another snow storm started to make its way over Wheeler Peak (13,063') and very quickly moved on down the slope. Wheeler Peak is in the center of the photo. It is the highest peak in Nevada, and the second highest point. (The highest point is on the Nevada line with California, and is just the side of a mountain, not a peak.)

The mountains as we make our way back down to Baker and the Snake Valley.