Wednesday, October 11, 2017 (Border Inn and RV Park, Baker, Nevada)

We were on our way shortly after 9:30 for our day at Great Basin National Park.

Fifteen minutes later we arrived at the Visitor Center in Baker, NV, on the edge of the park. We stopped there first to see about cave tour tickets for Lehman Caves but were told we'd have to drive up to the Lehman Caves Visitor Center to purchase tickets.

So we immediately headed up there...we'd come back and check out Great Basin Visitor Center later. Lehman Caves Visitor Center is six miles into the park...

Approaching the Visitors Center...

At Lehman Caves Visitors Center we immediately asked about tour tickets for today. They limit the tours to 20 people and the 1 pm one was already full but lucky for us, they had added an extra tour at 2:00. Perfect! We purchased tickets and now had almost 4 hours to kill before the tour.

We started by watching a 20 minute movie about the park...and then wandered around this small Visitor Center...
                       (Click on photos to enlarge)

The cartridge is wired to the left of the trigger guard...

View from the Visitor Center. That faint vertical white line in the distance is the road to our campground...

Then we went on a short .3-mile hike on the Mountain View Nature Trail, that left from the Center.
This is a leisurely walk in the pinyon-juniper forest. The trail guide (available for loan at the visitor center desk) describes the geology and ecology of the area...of course, we forgot to get the guide. The elevation here is 6825 feet with a gain on 80 feet on the trail.

We originally thought this was the entrance to the caves tour...turns out it is the exit...

This the original entrance to Lehman Caves...

When the new entrance to the cave was built, this natural opening was closed. With the restricted air flow and access for bats, their population declined. In 1997, this bat-compatible gate was installed.

Not sure what this structure is...

We ended our hike back at the Visitors Center and the Rhodes Cabin.
The cabin was built in the 1920s by Clarence and Bea Rhodes, who were Forest Service custodians of Lehman Caves at the time. It is one of several built to provide accommodations for visitors to Lehman Caves. Today it contains interpretive exhibits.

The cabin measures 19 feet long and 11 feet wide with a front door, a side door, and four windows. It has been moved from its original location, restored, and placed on a concrete foundation. The logs, originally chinked with mud and concrete, are now chinked with cement made to simulate mud. The original roof was plank and sod supported by log beams, and the original floor was dirt. 

The Rhodes Cabin was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975 because of its association with the early tourist industry at Lehman Caves.














After our hike, we decided to take a drive to check out the campgrounds. Unfortunately, our truck is too big to drive all of the way up to the end of Wheeler Peak Scenic Drive. Vehicles longer than 24' are restricted and we're 26'. It's too bad they don't have a shuttle service available. The campgrounds are as far as we can go and it's an 8% grade.

Lower Lehman Creek Campground...

This looks deceiving, as it's a small Class A...the campgrounds are not big rig friendly and this one is more rustic and could use some pruning.

Upper Lehman Creek Campground...

This campground is nicely paved but narrow...

Our truck alone could barely make it through some of the trees...

We turned around up here, it said trailers and 5th wheels not recommended any further...

We determined that we made the right choice to stay where we are as neither campground would work for us. Although some sites may work for rigs under 30', in our opinion access to anything larger would be limited with narrow windy roads and overhanging trees. There is another private campground across from the entrance to the park called Whispering Elms Motel and Campground but on RV Park Reviews there was a comment about manoeuvrability for larger rigs and the review for the Border Inn and RV Park was any size.

After we finished our tour of the campgrounds, we decided to drive back down to the Great Basin Visitor Center and check it out.

That's the tiny town of Baker at the end of the road and the Visitor Centrer is just to the left...

Not sure what this old rail car was being used for, maybe a residence?

Entrance to the Visitor Center...

After checking out the displays, we took a drive through Baker...not much here and since it is the end of the season, most places are closed...

Our plan had been to have a bite to eat in the cafe back up at Lehman Caves Visitor Center but when we got there, there was a note of apology that the cafe was closed today...sheesh! So we sat outside and waited for our tour to begin.

A little about the Lehman Caves...
Lehman Caves attracts tens of thousands of visitors to eastern Nevada yearly, a trend that began not long after their discovery in the late 1880s. For over 60 years, Lehman Caves National Monument protected these underground wonders, with their unique geology and ecology. And today, they remain protected as part of Great Basin National Park.

The human history of Lehman Caves is both interesting and insightful. The discovery of such a natural wonder only 130 years ago is thrilling, while the abuse the cave endured during its early years causes many people to cringe. Learning about the early years of Lehman Caves provides context for the cave today. History remains the great teacher.

Shortly before 2:00, we joined folks congregating in the area behind the Center for the tour. We had booked the "Grand Palace Tour"...Grand Palace Tours are approximately 90 minutes long. The Grand Palace Tour travels 0.6 miles, and children must be at least 5 years old to join the Grand Palace Tour (except on tours November through February). This tour visits the Gothic Palace, the Music Room, the Lodge Room, Inscription Room, and the Grand Palace sections of Lehman Caves, including a chance to view the famous "Parachute Shield" formation. Tour is limited to 20 visitors.

Then it was "tour time". We had a wonderful young lady leading the tour...I think her name was Becky. She was very knowledgeable and informative...and a great tour guide!
As you can imagine, Steve took A LOT of pictures...

Becky lit up the popcorn with her flashlight...

Looking up...

Becky lit up this thin bacon shaped structure...

This one is called the elephant ear...

Looking up...

Don't recall what she called these round ones...

That was a great 90 minute tour!

Almost home...

The Nevada, Utah border runs through the Border Inn RV Park property...

We really enjoyed our visit to the Great Basin National Park and area. Tomorrow we continue onto Torrey, Utah...and Capitol Reef National Park.