| Great Basin, Nevada |
 Trail Name:Alpine Lakes-Glacier Summary: |
| Highly Recommended One Day Hike |
| Trail Description |
| Cross the footbridge and, after a short distance, take the right-hand fork to follow the Alpine Lakes loop trail anti-clockwise. Cross over the creek and climb through open forest dappled in sunlight, enjoying the smell of limber pine. The trail continues on through alpine meadows fringed with aspen, with excellent views of the mountains beyond.
Keep left at the junction with the Summit Trail. A little further on, ignore the Wheeler Peak junction on the right. You will shortly reach beautiful Stella Lake, surrounded by forest and mountain peaks, about 1 mile from the trailhead and a climb of around 600 ft. The trail passes the lake to the left, and becomes more uneven as it descends to Teresa Lake, another beautiful spot. A little further on, the trail forks once more. The left fork continues the Alpine Lakes loop back to the trailhead, but first take the right fork, a 1.6-mile spur to see bristlecone pine and the Wheeler Peak glacier. This trail follows a ridge and climbs a slope onto the moraine left by the retreating glacier. It is rocky and there may still be snow on the trail in June, making footing more difficult in places. In a little under 1 mile, you reach the bristlecone pine – a short loop trail gives you close-up views of these ancient specimens, one of which has been dated back to 1230 BC. Continue the climb up the moraine. Beyond a signed viewpoint of the rock glacier, the rocky trail descends slightly then levels, and continues through ankle-deep snow (in June) to a magnificent close-up vista of Wheeler Peak, the glacier, and surrounding mountains. You can climb a further 200 ft or so to get closer to the glacier, but we chose to just sit and enjoy the solitude and spectacle. When you are ready to leave, retrace the 1.6 miles to re-join the loop trail and continue on back to the trailhead. We hiked this trail in early June. The access road was open and it was perfect hiking weather – sunny, blue skies, but not too hot due to the elevation. The snow on the mountains and on the ground in places certainly added to the beauty of the scenery. It was also noticeably tranquil, and we saw only a handful of other hikers. A trail this good would surely be much busier in other National Parks, and no doubt reflects the fact that Great Basin is a pretty long way from anywhere. |
| FACT FILE |
| Location: Great Basin National Park, eastern Nevada. Near the Utah border, 70 miles east of Ely and 286 miles north of Las Vegas.
Directions: From Ely – US 50 east for 56 miles, south on route 487 for 5 miles to Baker, then Route 488 west into the Park. From Las Vegas – I-15 north for 21 miles, then 234 miles north on US 93 to join US 50, 30 miles west of the 487. Trailhead: From the Park entrance, follow the Wheeler Peak Scenic Drive for 12 miles to the Bristlecone parking area, where the trailhead is clearly signed. Length: 6 miles / 9.6 km Trail Type: Loop Elevation Change: 1,050 ft / 320 m Duration: 4 hours Trail Condition: Well defined, rocky in places. Snow remains on parts of the trail into June. Features: Apline meadows and lakes, mountain and glacier views. Climate: Warm temperatures and thunderstorms in summer. Deep snow in winter and spring (late October to May), when road access to the trail is closed. Accommodation: Camping in the National Park. Limited lodging 5 miles east of the Park entrance in Baker and on Route 50 at the Utah border. Plenty of motels in Ely. Trail Notes: High altitude trail – 10,000-11,000 ft. Access road to the trailhead is closed by snow in winter, usually from early November, and may not reopen until June. |
Popularity: 9% [?]
