GREAT BASIN NATIONAL PARK
This is a remote, but very spectacular national park in Nevada on the Utah border. It features desert of course, but also high peaks, 5 distinct climate zones all easily visible from the park roads and trails, a really good cave, and bristlecone pines.
The great basin is comprised of most of Nevada and parts of Utah, Idaho, Oregon and California. What defines it is that within it, the rivers never leave. They just eventually die out. In the Great Basin, particularly in Nevada are a series of mostly north-south mountain ranges that reach up to 13,000 feet, well above the desert floor. These are ecologically the same as islands in an ocean, totally unconnected from each other. The plants that can live in the mountains cannot live in the desert below. For me, the most remarkable plant is the bristlecone pine. The next post will go into more detail about them.
Most all of us have been to Las Vegas. Look at the shots blow. Does this look like the Nevada that you know? Really surprising scenery, all due to elevation.
Along the park road.
Lehman Cave. I am not really a cave person, but this one was really quite good. very colorful.
One of the more rare formations that it is known for.
High peaks, meadows and snow. In June. In Nevada.
The light color trees are aspens just leafing out at this elevation. Higher up they were still in winter mode.
This is from 10,000′ in the bristlecone pine forest looking to the high peaks not far away. Still a fair amount of snow to be found at my elevation.
A close up of the rugged peaks. In the cirque off to the right is the only glacier between the Rockies and the Sierras.
Well, it would not be a Dan travel post without a dead tree would it? Nice one I thought.