From the Wasatch Mountains of Utah to the Sierra Nevada of California, the intermountain landscape plays a seemingly endless geologic rhythm of deep basins separated by parallel mountain ranges running north to south. Nowhere in this vast expanse of land is this magnificent theme played more brilliantly than in Great Basin National Park. At first glance, the landscape of Great Basin National Park mile after mile of sagebrush and pale green shrubs may strike you as monotonous.
Initial appearances are deceptive here.
Altitude determines scenery in Great Basin, and above the valleys, rising thousands of feet from the sagebrush sea, the mountain ranges form a sort of high-elevation archipelago, sky islands of cooler air and abundant water that harbor a rich variety of plants and animals. From desert basins to glaciers tenaciously clinging to the flanks of Wheeler Peak, Great Basin serves up a rich variety of backdrops for hikers, mountain bikers, anglers, and wildlife lovers. Not only is it possible, but five, count 'em, five species of trout swim in the park's creeks and lakes, including the native Bonneville cutthroat trout, a subspecies that evolved in complete isolation from other trout populations over the last 25,000 years. You can also fish for Lahontan cutthroat, rainbows, browns, and brookies in Johnson and Baker Lakes, as well as Lehman, Baker, Snake, Strawberry, Shingle, and Williams Creeks. The creeks are more accessible than the lakes, but the best fly fishing always occurs in solitude.