page_title: Great Basin National Park
section_title: Lehman Caves
hierarchical_section_title: Great Basin National Park / Scenic features / Lehman Caves
context_page_description: Great Basin National Park is an American national park located in White Pine County in east-central Nevada, near the Utah border, established in 1986. The park is most commonly entered by way of Nevada State Route 488, which is connected to U.S. Routes 6 and 50 by Nevada State Route 487 via the small town of Baker, the closest settlement.
  The park derives its name from the Great Basin, the dry and mountainous region between the Sierra Nevada and the Wasatch Mountains. Topographically, this area is known as the Basin and Range Province. The park is located about 290 miles north of Las Vegas and protects 77,180 acres.
  The park is notable for its groves of ancient bristlecone pines, the oldest known nonclonal organisms, and for the Lehman Caves at the base of 13,063-foot Wheeler Peak, as well as Wheeler Peak Glacier.
  President Warren G. Harding created Lehman Caves National Monument by presidential proclamation on January 24, 1922. The monument and its surroundings was designated a national park on October 27, 1986. A number of developed campsites are within the park, as well as excellent backcountry camping opportunities.
context_section_description: The Lehman Caves were originally protected as a national monument in 1922, which was combined with the national park in 1986.
  According to the National Park Service, the caves were, most likely, discovered by Absalom Lehman in 1885.
  Several living creatures occupy the Lehman Caves. Bacteria are the most common. Crickets, spiders, pseudoscorpions, mites, and springtails may live their full lifecycles in the cave. They are dependent on organic material packed in by other animals or washed in from the surface.
  Other animals use the cave, but must leave to forage for food. These include chipmunks, mice, pack rats, and several species of bats. Only insectivorous bats occur in the Great Basin. At least 10 species of bats have been found in the vicinity of Great Basin National Park, including the Townsend's big-eared bat.
caption: Lexington Arch 38°50′39″N 114°12′30″W﻿ / ﻿38.84417°N 114.20833°W﻿ / 38.84417; -114.20833 is 13 miles from Utah State Route 21 and one of the largest limestone arches in the western United States.[17]
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