Great Basin News

The mouth of Model Cave slopes downward into the fractured limestone face of Nevada's second tallest mountain range.To get inside, Gretchen Baker and Ben Roberts must slither headfirst through an angled chute that forces their left shoulders down into powdery dust. Their coveralls scrape across the rock as their headlamps light the way into the blackness.It's the first day of fall at Great Basin National Park, and the changing aspens have painted the flanks of Wheeler Peak with veins of yellow and orange and red.

The discovery of new cave species at Great Basin National Park could provide opponents of the Southern Nevada Water Authority's plans to pump billions of gallons of water a year from the Snake Valley aquifer with one more argument against a project already painted by its critics as a threat to rural residents, native plants and air quality in Nevada and Utah. The authority is seeking state permission to pump as much as 16 billion gallons of water a year from the vast and sparsely populated watershed on the Nevada-Utah border.

Great Basin National Park will host an evening of stargazing on June 27, starting at 8 p.m., at the Visitor Center.

When Nevada and stars are mentioned in the same sentence, Las Vegas automatically comes to mind. Not this time. These stars will take center stage in Nevada, on June 27, 2009, not in Las Vegas, but about 286 miles away. Here you will find some of the darkest skies left in the United States, where the Milky Way is visible to the naked eye.

    Joining in with Grand Canyon and Bryce Canyon, Great Basin National Park is hosting a night sky program of its own. This star party is scheduled for June 27 at 8 p.m. so be sure to arrive at Great Basin and Lehman Caves visitor center early. The National Parks Conservation Associated is sponsoring this program and they will also be providing telescopes and tour guides.

Nothing screams summer fun like a national park, but who wants to visit Yellowstone again? Located just outside of Baker, Nevada is Great Basin National Park. Just like some of the other parks we've featured recently, the park is somewhat out of the way. The National Park Service even warns in bold to plan ahead due to limited services! That must be why fewer than 100,000 people visited last year. Flying into Salt Lake City or Las Vegas will still put you about 275 miles away from the park, so aim your rental car towards Highway 488 and you'll find it.