There are roads aplenty in Great Basin, but if you want to soak in the best views in the park and see what a difference elevation can make, steer your SUV onto Wheeler Peak Scenic Drive, which takes you to the campground perched high on the 13,063-foot mountain. From its beginnings near the park entrance, the drive winds up the shoulder of the mountain, ending near the edge of the tree line. The road climbs 3,400 feet in 12 miles, passing from pinyon juniper woodlands up to subalpine forest of limber pine, spruce, and aspen at the Wheeler Peak campground. There are several places to pull over and gape at the view, but watch for deer around the sharp turns. More on biking in Great Basin National Park Trek to a Sky Island Opportunities for hiking abound throughout Great Basin.
Trails range from easy rambles and moderate hikes to strenuous slogs.
If you want to take it easy, take the Mountain View Nature Trail. Lehman Creek Trail offers a moderate hike with plenty of diversity. But if you really want to push yourself and get away from the crowds, tackle the Johnson Lake Trail. More on hiking in Great Basin National Park Explore Below Ground Back in 1885, rancher Absalom Lehman stumbled across the astonishingly beautiful cavern that now bears his name. Besides familiar underworld formations like stalactites, stalagmites, columns, draperies, and flowstone, Lehman is also home to rarities like the mysterious shields pairs of circular stone halves that look like flattened clamshells.