Lehman Caves (Great Basin National Park, Nevada)

This will be my second visit to the less traveled Great Basin National Park, which sits in Eastern Nevada along the Utah border. A strange park in that it does not have a single magnificent attraction to speak of, but boasts an amazing array of different ecosystems as one travels up the elevations of Wheeler Peak. We arrive and set up camp and then try to decide what to do first. Nick wants to go up and see the glacier and Bristlecone Pines. I agree, but as I have done this hike before and as the snow is still very prevalent as we reach the higher elevations, I stop near the top and allow Nick to continue on. The hike is refreshing and gives me just the incentive to make a campfire and enjoy a quiet restful evening under the stars in this remote place.

We rise early and break camp, and then head down to the Lehman Caves visitor center. We had previously purchased tickets for the most popular of the cave tours, which begins promptly at 9:00 AM.

As we enter the cave, the ranger tells stories of its discovery and early exploration. He shocks many visitors by shutting off his flashlight to simulate the conditions early spelunkers had to go through. Turning his the lights back on, we begin to see some of the amazing formations this cave has to offer. I comment about how dry it seems in contrast to many other caves I have visited. He agrees that his is one of the dryer caves known, but that hasn't stopped what little water there is from depositing minerals into all kinds of amazingly bazaar formations.

 

We visit several rooms within the caves, and each has its own story to share. One in particular that caught my attention though is filled with pools of shimmering water. Apparently this was a site to behold for early tourists and as such, the park service in an early era flooded some of the pools to make it more astonishing to visitors. The ranger assures us though that that water was drained in lieu of the now more conversationalist era of the park service, and that all the water now present is of natural origins - very cool.

The tour lasts about an hour and half and is well worth the money and time. This cave, like many others, holds many gems worth seeing.