Road Trip to Great Basin National Park from Southern Utah
Great Basin National Park is one of the least-visited national parks, but that makes it an amazing hidden gem. Great Basin is home to some of the oldest trees on earth, incredible limestone caves, and the second highest peak in Nevada.
Many people don’t realize that Great Basin National Park is just 3 hours from southern Utah, but it offers an entirely different landscape to explore.
Why Take a Road Trip to Great Basin National Park
Taking a road trip from southern Utah to Great Basin National Park is so much fun! Along the way, you can discover mining history, swim in a warm spring, wander through clay spires, tour a beautiful cave, go on some great hikes, and so much more.
Best Time to Visit Great Basin National Park
Great Basin National Park weather provides a great escape from the heat of southern Utah in the summer since it sits at higher elevation and is typically much cooler than Zion National Park and the surrounding areas. We did our road trip in July, so while it was very warm at Cathedral Gorge (even at 9am), the temps at Great Basin were in the 70s and lovely.
I think a road trip in the spring or fall might be a little better for Cathedral Gorge, but you should be prepared that Great Basin will be quite cold during that time. The best time to visit Great Basin National Park and Cathedral Gorge would probably be early summer, like June, to avoid extreme weather in either park.
Southern Utah to Great Basin Road Trip Itinerary
This was the itinerary my kiddos and I took for our road trip from southern Utah to Great Basin National Park. It has a variety of adventures with a little something for everyone!
Driving to Great Basin National Park from Southern Utah
Great Basin is about 3-4 hours north of Zion National Park just across the state border in Nevada.
-If you are staying in St George or Hurricane the drive is 3 hours
-If you are staying in Cedar City the drive is only 2hr 21 minutes
NOTE: Utah is on Mountain Time, while Nevada is in the Pacific Time Zone, so the time in Great Basin is an hour behind the time in Zion.
While it’s slightly faster to drive from Springdale to Great Basin along UT-21, I prefer taking UT-56 and NV-319 to US-93 for a more interesting road trip. Here are the stops we made along the way:
Road Trip Stop: Cathedral Gorge State Park (Nevada)
The first stop on our road trip to Great Basin was Cathedral Gorge State Park in Nevada. It’s just around 1.5 - 2 hours to Cathedral Gorge, depending on exactly where you’re coming from in southern Utah.
My kiddos and I absolutely love Cathedral Gorge! Cathedral Gorge is full of soft bentonite clay spires which were formed over a million years ago from a volcanic eruption. This surreal landscape of canvas-colored mud spires continues to erode and change shape every time it rains. It is such a cool spot to explore, and the kids love to run around here and exploring the unique clay formations.
FAVORITE THINGS IN THE PARK
-Moon Caves
This is the first stop inside the park. Park here and explore to your hearts content.
-Civillian Conservation Corps Water Tower
Has some cool history and in a fun photo op.
-Miller Point
If you don't want to hike to Miller Point from the main section then make sure to make a stop on the way out of town. We love this lookout point with incredible views of the park and a beatiful wooden structure with benches and shade.
Check out my full guide to Cathedral Gorge on the blog here!
Road Trip Stop: Panaca Warm Springs
Just 10 minutes from Cathedral Gorge was our next road trip stop, Panaca Warm Springs.
This was an interesting little place to visit, but don’t expect hot springs here! The springs are lukewarm (around 85 degrees), and the water felt quite nice on a hot summer day. On a cooler day, I’m sure it would feel a bit warmer.
The water of Panaca Warm Springs is crystal clear, so you can see some pretty fish swimming around, although it was a little mossy, which my kids weren’t big fans of, haha. The springs are not super deep…about waist deep for me, and it seems like the water levels might vary during different times of the year.
I think this would also be a great place to have a little car picnic during your road trip. There is some shade here, but no picnic tables.
Road Trip Stop: Pioche, NV
Instead of a picnic, we chose to go to the old mining town of Pioche for lunch at the Historic Silver Cafe. Pioche is known as “Nevada’s liveliest ghost town,” and we found it super interesting (though perhaps a little creepy) walking the rundown main street.
Pioche was founded as a silver mining town in 1868, the same year Nevada became a state, and it soon became the largest mining town in southeastern Nevada. As you stroll through the town’s historic sites, including an opera house, a theater, a hotel & saloon, and the Million Dollar Courthouse (now a museum), it’s fun to envision what life was like here when the town was booming.
Things to Do in Great Basin National Park
From Pioche, it was just under two hours to our road trip destination of Great Basin. I wish we had more time to check out all the things to do in Great Basin National Park, but here is what we were able to fit in during our short visit.
Check Out the Visitor Center
Great Basin National Park has a couple of visitor centers. There is one just outside the park entrance, but we went to the one inside the park at the end of the main entrance road. This visitor center is small but has several fun interactive exhibits that the kiddos enjoyed.
You check in for your cave tour here, so we did that then went next door to the little cafe and gift shop to grab a snack and do a little shopping while we waited for our tour.
Take a Tour of Lehman Caves
Exploring Lehman Caves is at the top of the list of things to do in Great Basin National Park, but the only way to get into the caves is on a ranger-guided tour. The tours are very popular, and tickets often sell out so you need to plan ahead. Lehman Cave tour tickets become available 30 days in advance on recreation.gov, and that’s when we purchased ours.
Lehman Caves are an absolute must-see for a reason. The limestone caves are full of stalactites, stalagmites, and other formations, including more than 300 shields which are rare in other caves. Our guide was great, and the tour was fascinating. We really enjoyed our time in this beautiful cave.
Wheeler Peak Scenic Drive
To fully appreciate the landscape and get a fantastic perspective of Great Basin National Park, I highly recommend Wheeler Peak Scenic Drive. We drove the road to Wheeler Peak, and it was an absolutely gorgeous drive along a mountain road in the South Snake Range.
Wheeler Peak Scenic Drive is 12 miles one way and gains over 4,000 feet of elevation as you end up above 10,000 feet. Along the way, you’ll see the flora change from sagebrush and pinyon pine to mountain mahogany, conifers, and aspens. There are many pull-outs along the way, including Mather Overlook, which features incredible views of Wheeler Peak.
Hiking Great Basin National Park
Sadly, we didn’t have time to do any hiking during our visit, and I really regret that! If you’re interested in hiking, Great Basin National Park has some amazing trails. Here are a few I’d like to check out next time I visit Great Basin:
BRISTLECONE & GLACIER TRAIL
If you only do one hike in Great Basin, this is the perfect trail to see some of the coolest attractions in the park. First you’ll hike to a grove of ancient bristlecone pine trees, which are some of the oldest trees on the planet. You can turn around here or continue on the base of the only active glacier in Nevada.
ALPINE LAKES LOOP
The Alpine Lakes Loop is an easy trail which passes both Teresa and Stella Lakes and offers breathtaking views of Wheeler Peak rising above. This is a popular trail, and you can combine it with the Bristlecone and Glacier Trail since they start from the same trailhead and partially overlap.
BAKER CREEK LOOP
This beautiful loop takes you along a creek through forests and open meadows with mountain views in the distance. If you hike Baker Creek Loop in spring and early summer, you’ll be treated to abundant wildflowers blooming in the meadows.
WHEELER PEAK
If you’re in great shape and seeking a summit, the strenuous hike up Wheeler Peak will take you to the top of the second highest mountain in Nevada at 13,065 feet. This is a very steep and exposed trail with 3,100 feet of elevation gain, but if you’re an experienced hiker ready for the challenge, the summit views are stunning.
Camping in Great Basin National Park
There are several campgrounds in Great Basin National Park, and we camped at Upper Lehman campground. It is such a beautiful campground, and I wish I would have booked two nights so we could enjoy it longer (and that would have given us time to hike, too). We booked our site about a month in advance through recreation.gov.
NOTE: In 2024, there are several infrastructure projects going on in Great Basin, so sites at Upper Lehman Campground, Lower Lehman Campground, and Wheeler Peak Campground are only available on a first-come/first-serve basis all year instead of being reservable in advance like they typically are during peak season in the park.
A road trip from southern Utah to Great Basin National Park is such a great way to see so many interesting places, and I hope this post helps you hit the road to check it out yourself!
Happy Adventuring,
Arika
