Nevada

With absolutely no expectations of Nevada it turned out to be a real treat! We stayed in Baker, right outside of Great Basin National Park at Whispering Elms. As soon as we parked the camper we drove to the Visitor Center at Lehman Cave and talked to rangers about hiking and cave tours. We grabbed some maps and ended up at the bar attached to the RV Park and met the managers and employees of the motel/Park. They were really friendly and pretty entertaining.

The following day we ventured into Great Basin and hiked up to Johnson Lake and looped it with the newly completed Dead Lake Trail – recommended by the ranger. This almost 8 mile loop wanders through the bristlecone pine forest with a steep climb past old mine structures to an alpine lake. The views through out the hike give you a sense of the basin and range landscape that embodies the park. Established in 1986, Great Basin is one of the least visited National Parks. After the hike we cleaned up at the campground and were invited to go to the Halloween celebration that Whispering Elm was hosting that evening. In a town with a population of only 70, I was more than curious about this Halloween event. We talked to so many locals and found that the community of Baker loves to party!

The next day we toured Lehman Cave. We had to make advanced reservations to explore this limestone cavern. The tour included about 20 people and it was the only tour for the day. In the summer there are several tour times to choose from, but they had just rotated to just one a day. The ranger led tour took about an hour and we were able to wander into several “rooms” in the cave. Before the National Park Service protected the cave it was privately owned – the original explorer told patrons that “if you can break it, you can take it”. Leaving the cave with broken pieces throughout. The formations of stalagmites and stalactites were still incredible. There is even a room where early explorers would mark the walls and ceilings by holding their candles close to the stone inscribing their names and dates. Limestone caves are truly a treasure! Go see one that is close to you. We then drove the scenic drive up to the Wheeler Peak trail head that features a campground and a forest of bristlecone pines that are thought to be over 5000 years old. The glacier on Wheeler Peak is the only one is Nevada sitting at over 13,000 feet.

That night we went to Kerouac’s — a restaurant attached to the Stargazer Inn. We met one of the owners at the Halloween party and she was surprised to see us when we walked in. Kate and her husband bought the Inn just last year and renovated the entire thing and opened it early 2017. We enjoyed delicious craft cocktails and creative wood fired pizza which was such a surprise for this tiny gem of a town. Baker, Nevada that gives you a feeling of community and is filled with friendly faces that want to tell you a story.

We left Baker and headed to Panaca to camp at Cathedral Gorge State Park. This park gave us an opportunity to hike with weenies since they had been cooped up in the camper while we galavanted around Great Basin. We wandered the 4 miles the park had to offer through Hoodoos and a dry wash. The Park was unmanned and everything was self pay stations; which we had not encountered before. Built in the 1930s the park had some old structures including a water tower that you could explore. We left the next day and found a Capriotti’s outside Las Vegas, making Brennan a very happy hiker!

This was the first time I had visited this state and it really surprised me!

Johnson Lake Trail