Great Basin National Park was our second stop on our trip.
The park is known for being home to the bristlecone pine tree - one of which is over 5,000 years old! Unfortunately, the trees can only be found above 10,000 ft of elevation and the only way to access them is to hike up. Due to a big snowstorm, the main road was closed and we weren't able to even get to the trailhead to hike up. So sad. We'll have to come back to see the bristlecone pines another day!
We did get to see one of the caves that are found in Great Basin - Lehman Cave. You have to take a guided tour to enter the cave which has suffered damage from people taking "souvenirs" years ago.
The cave was "discovered" in 1855 by a local rancher, but human remains inside show that the cave was known to and used by indigenous people long ago.
Caves usually freak me out, but this one was so gorgeous. It contains many geologic formations including stalactites, stalagmites, columns, draperies, flowstone, soda straws, and shields.
Even though we didn't get to do our hikes at Great Basin, the fall colors at our campsite made it a worthwhile stop on our trip!
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