Great Basin National Park

Great Basin is one of the least visited parks in the country simply because it is a long way from anywhere, and that is much of its appeal. Wheeler Peak rises to nearly four thousand metres out of the sagebrush, carrying the only glacier in Nevada in a cirque below the summit, and on the slopes below grow bristlecone pines, the oldest non-clonal living things on earth, twisted and half-dead and some of them older than the pyramids. Lehman Caves beneath the mountain are dense with formations including rare shields. A scenic drive climbs to nearly three thousand metres, and the darkness overhead is so complete that the park is certified for it and runs astronomy programmes all summer.

What you actually see

• The bristlecone pines - thousands of years old, reached on a trail from the high car park.
• Lehman Caves - dense formations including rare shield discs, by guided tour.
• Wheeler Peak - the summit trail and the small glacier in its cirque.
• The night sky - among the darkest in the country, with summer astronomy programmes.

When to go

June to October, once the scenic drive is clear of snow; the high road usually closes from November into May, which shuts off the bristlecones and the peak. Cave tours are limited and should be booked ahead. Nights at altitude are cold even in July.

Honest expectations

It is genuinely remote, five hours from the nearest large airport, with a single small gateway village at Baker and very limited food and fuel. The high road is snowbound for half the year. Cave tours sell out. Altitude affects people quickly on the peak trail. Almost nobody comes, which is the point.

Nearby

Baker is the gateway village; Ely is an hour west and the Utah desert lies east.