Great Basin National Park
National park · White Pine County ·
Ancient bristlecone pines, Lehman Caves, dark skies, remote
Ancient bristlecone pines, Lehman Caves, dark skies, remote
"I treasure the stargazing solitude of Great Basin National Park." - Eater
"A national park highlighted for its exceptional dark skies and inclusion in recommended night-programming lists, offering astronomy-focused events and opportunities to observe the Milky Way and other celestial sights." - Stephanie Vermillion Stephanie Vermillion Stephanie Vermillion is a travel journalist and photographer covering culture and adventure for Travel + Leisure Outside, and more. Travel + Leisure Editorial Guidelines
"I found that this park recorded 143,265 visits in 2023, has 2,028 Google reviews, an average rating of 4.7, and a final score of 77.38." - Evie Carrick Evie Carrick Evie Carrick is a writer and editor who’s lived in five countries and visited well over 50. She now splits her time between Colorado and Paris, ensuring she doesn't have to live without skiing or L'As du Fallafel. Travel + Leisure Editorial Guidelines
"I consider this park highly underrated: Great Basin National Park spans most of Nevada, much of Utah, and portions of California, Idaho, Oregon, Wyoming, and Baja California. Beyond its vast desert it contains a 13,000-foot peak, ancient pines, pitch-black stargazing skies, and mysterious subterranean passages, yet it drew just over 140,000 visitors in 2022 (for context, Great Smoky Mountains saw 12.9 million), which underscores how overlooked it is." - Evie Carrick Evie Carrick Evie Carrick is a writer and editor who’s lived in five countries and visited well over 50. She now splits her time between Colorado and Paris, ensuring she doesn't have to live without skiing or L'As du Fallafel. Travel + Leisure Editorial Guidelines
"An isolated eastern Nevada refuge along the rarely traveled U.S. Route 50, featuring extremes from alpine Wheeler Peak (13,065 ft) to the subterranean Lehman Caves and ancient bristlecone pines nearing 5,000 years old, making it an ideal park for solitude and social distancing across roughly 77,000 acres. The remote setting yields very light visitation and expansive views with diverse terrain." - Matt Kirouac