This Nevada Mountain Range Guards Some of the Oldest Living Things on Earth Under America’s Darkest Night Sky

Great Basin National Park

Great Basin might be Nevada’s least-visited national park, but it’s packing some serious surprises: the oldest trees on Earth, some of the darkest night skies in America, and limestone caves that go deep under the desert. Plus, you’ll probably have the place to yourself.

The World’s Oldest Trees Grow Near Wheeler Peak

A grove of bristlecone pines grows high up on Wheeler Peak, with some trees older than the Egyptian pyramids. These tough, twisted trees thrive in harsh conditions above 10,000 feet, where other plants can’t survive.

The park’s oldest tree has lived for more than 4,900 years, making it one of Earth’s oldest living things. These trees grow incredibly slowly, often taking 100 years to add just one inch to their trunk.

The wood of bristlecone pines is so hard that dead trees can stand for thousands of years without rotting. Their needles are just as hardy, staying on the branches for up to 40 years.

Nevada’s Last Remaining Glacier Sits Below Wheeler Peak

Wheeler Peak Glacier lies in a protected bowl at 11,500 feet, tucked under the peak’s north face. This small but important glacier formed during the Little Ice Age and remains Nevada’s only active glacier.

The ice mass spans about 2 acres, roughly the size of two football fields and is considered an alpine glacier, also sometimes referred to as a ‘mountain’, ‘niche’, or ‘cirque’ glacier.

The Cave Shields in Lehman Caves Are Rare Natural Wonders

Lehman Caves contains more than 500 shield formations, making it one of the best places to see these rare cave features. These unique formations look like two plates held apart by a thin crack, with beautiful decorations growing around their edges.

The cave stays at 50°F (10°C) all year, which helps preserve these delicate formations. Some of the shields have been growing for over 100,000 years.

The Night Sky Offers Some of America’s Best Stargazing

On clear nights without moonlight, you can see 6,000 stars from the park. This is remarkable compared to cities, where you might only spot 50 stars.

The park sits at 6,825 feet above sea level, far from city lights. The Milky Way appears so bright that it casts shadows, and you can see the Andromeda Galaxy with your bare eyes.

The Mountains Rise Like Islands from the Desert

The park’s mountains stick up from the Great Basin desert like islands in the sea. Some peaks rise 8,000 feet above the valleys, creating different environments at different heights.

These mountain ‘islands’ stand apart from each other, divided by wide sagebrush valleys. This isolation has led to unique species evolving here, like the Great Basin bristlecone pine butterfly.

Wheeler Peak Stands as Nevada’s Highest Mountain

Wheeler Peak reaches 13,063 feet, rising higher than any other mountain completely within Nevada. On clear days, you can see the peak from miles away.

As you climb the mountain, you pass through several different environments. Walking from bottom to top feels like traveling from Nevada’s desert to northern Canada’s forests.

The Caves Support Unique Animals Adapted to Darkness

Lehman Caves provides a home for six types of hibernating bats, including special colonies of Townsend’s big-eared bats. The caves also shelter a number of different kinds of small creatures that have adapted to life in darkness.

There are also species of tiny scorpion-like animals that live only in these caves. They thrive in the cave’s steady conditions, with 90% humidity and temperatures that never change from 50°F.

The Park’s Rock Glacier Shows How Climate Changes

The Teresa Rock Glacier has a length of 400 meters and is below Teresa Peak, making it one of the southernmost active rock glaciers in North America. This mass of rock and ice moves inches every year.

Scientists have found ice within the rock glacier that’s thousands of years old. By studying this ice, they learn about how the climate has changed over time.

The Land Holds Traces of Ancient Human Life

People first lived in this area 12,000 years ago, leaving behind arrowheads and pottery pieces. The park’s caves and rock walls display ancient art carved and painted by early inhabitants.

Researchers have found about 500 places where ancient peoples lived and worked. These sites show how the ancestors of today’s Western Shoshone people used the land.

The Lexington Arch Forms an Unusual Natural Bridge

The Lexington Arch spans about 60 feet and stands about 50 feet. Unlike most natural arches in the Southwest that form from sandstone, this one carved itself from limestone over centuries ago.

This limestone arch stands out as one of very few in the western United States. Its unusual size and type of rock make it special among natural arches.

Rare Plants and Animals Live Only in This Park

The park’s different environments support 800 types of plants, and 13 of these grow nowhere else on Earth. The Wheeler Peak primrose, for example, grows only on limestone rocks above 11,000 feet.

The isolated mountain ranges have allowed unique animals to evolve here. These include special types of mice and snails that live only in the park.

The Weather Changes Drastically from Bottom to Top

The temperature often differs by more than 40°F (22°C) between the valley floor and Wheeler Peak’s summit on the same day. While the valleys might reach 90°F (32°C) in summer, the peak can stay near freezing.

Winter brings even bigger differences. The valleys can drop to -20°F (-29°C), while the peaks get even colder at -40°F (-40°C).