Wheeler from Mather Overlook

After spending the day hiking at the Great Basin National Park, I stopped by the visitors center. The ranger told me that the scenic drive up to Wheeler was open all the way to the Mather Overlook, which is above 9000 feet. The last time I was there, the road was closed at 7500 feet because of snow. It was late in the evening, but I had to check it out. When I came around the corner of the mountain near the overlook, I almost stopped my car in the middle of the road to jump out and look at the peak. It was breathtaking. As an aside, stopping in the middle of the road would usually be bad. In this case, I spent the whole day at the park and did not see a single soul besides the ranger at the visitors center.

The overlook has a great view out over the Snake Valley and the Nevada/Utah state line.

The overlook is roughly halfway up the mountain. The valley floor is in the 5000' range and Wheeler is over 13,000'. If I get the chance, I cannot wait to take the trail to the top.



Having fun playing with photostitch. My car thermometer said that it was 36 degrees at 5:00 pm. The sun was shining and there was no wind; it felt wonderful out. I was very tempted to stay and watch the sunset behind the mountains.