Latest / Wildlands Podcast — National Parks, Public Lands & Survival / #003 - Great Basin, Part 3: Where to Stay | Campgrounds, Baker & Dark-Sky Lodging

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#003 - Great Basin, Part 3: Where to Stay | Campgrounds, Baker & Dark-Sky Lodging · Wildlands Podcast — National Parks, Public Lands & Survival

• 0:11
  Most national parks give you a choice that doesn't
• 0:14
  really feel like a choice. There's the grand
• 0:17
  historic lodge inside the gates. The one with
• 0:21
  the stone fireplace and the wraparound porch
• 0:23
  and a price tag to match. And then there's everything
• 0:27
  outside. Great Basin doesn't have that lodge.
• 0:32
  There is no hotel inside this park. No restaurant
• 0:37
  with a view of Wheeler Peak. No gift shop selling
• 0:41
  $400 nights. What you get instead is a handful
• 0:46
  of quiet campgrounds scattered up the mountain
• 0:48
  and along the creeks and one tiny town at the
• 0:53
  gate with a population you could just about fit
• 0:56
  in a single school bus. And I want to be straight
• 1:01
  with you from the start. That is not a downgrade.
• 1:05
  It's the whole point. Where you sleep at Great
• 1:09
  Basin isn't a logistics problem to solve on the
• 1:13
  way to the good part. It is the good part. Falling
• 1:17
  asleep at 10 ,000 feet under the darkest sky
• 1:20
  in the country is the experience. This is Wildlands.
• 1:28
  I'm Sean Spanauer. Know the land before you reach
• 1:33
  it. Part one was the history. Part two was the
• 1:38
  visit getting there, the cave, the trails, the
• 1:42
  night sky. Today, part three is the practical
• 1:46
  closeout. Where to actually lay your head. The
• 1:52
  campgrounds, the town of Baker, and your options
• 1:55
  when everything fills up. Let's start with camping,
• 2:01
  because for most people, that's the right answer
• 2:05
  here. Great Basin has five developed campgrounds.
• 2:10
  They're small, they're simple, and each one sits
• 2:14
  at a different elevation, which, in a park that's
• 2:18
  all about climbing through life zones, matters
• 2:21
  more than you'd think. Where you camp decides
• 2:24
  what your morning looks like. Whether you wake
• 2:27
  up in piñon and sage down low, or in spruce and
• 2:32
  thin cold air up near the summit. A couple of
• 2:36
  things true of all of them. These are real campgrounds,
• 2:40
  not resorts. You get a picnic table, a fire ring
• 2:44
  with a grill, a tent pad, and a vault toilet.
• 2:48
  That's it. Most have drinking water in season,
• 2:51
  but don't count on hookups, showers, or a camp
• 2:54
  store. and the fees are refreshingly old -fashioned.
• 2:58
  We're talking somewhere in the range of $12 to
• 3:02
  $20 a night, depending on the campground. The
• 3:08
  reservation picture is the one thing you have
• 3:11
  to get right. During the busy season, roughly
• 3:14
  Memorial Day through Labor Day, the main campgrounds
• 3:17
  take reservations through recreation .gov, and
• 3:21
  the booking window opens 30 days ahead. at 7
• 3:24
  a .m. Pacific. A couple of the campgrounds stay
• 3:28
  first come, first served. Outside the busy season,
• 3:33
  most of them switch over to first come. So the
• 3:37
  move is simple. If you're coming in summer and
• 3:40
  you want a guaranteed bed, get on recreation
• 3:44
  .gov the morning your date opens. If you're flexible
• 3:48
  or coming in the shoulder season, first come
• 3:52
  works. Just roll in early in the day, not at
• 3:56
  dinnertime. Now let me walk you up the mountain,
• 4:01
  campground by campground, low to high. Lowest
• 4:06
  down, closest to the entrance and the visitor
• 4:09
  center, are the two Lehman Creek campgrounds,
• 4:13
  Lower Lehman and Upper Lehman. Lower Lehman Creek
• 4:18
  is the one to know. because it is the only campground
• 4:22
  in the park open year -round. It sits around
• 4:25
  7 ,300 feet, tucked along the creek with actual
• 4:28
  shade and greenery, which, in this desert, feels
• 4:32
  like a small miracle. It's a short drive to the
• 4:35
  caves and the visitor center. It's got a few
• 4:38
  pull -through sites that work for RVs. And if
• 4:41
  you're visiting off -season, or you just want
• 4:43
  the most convenient base, this is it. A little
• 4:47
  higher, around 7 ,500 feet, is Upper Lehman Creek.
• 4:52
  Bigger, a little over 20 sites, a touch cooler,
• 4:56
  a touch more spacious, and still only about 10
• 4:59
  minutes from the cave. Upper Lehman is a great
• 5:03
  middle ground base camp. High enough to start
• 5:07
  your body adjusting to elevation before a summit
• 5:10
  attempt, low enough that you're not freezing
• 5:12
  at night, and central to everything. If I had
• 5:16
  to pick one all -purpose campground for a first
• 5:19
  visit, it'd be this one. Then there's Baker Creek,
• 5:23
  off on its own road. Gravel access, around the
• 5:28
  high 7 ,000s in elevation. A larger campground
• 5:32
  that runs first come, first served. This is the
• 5:36
  one for people who want a quieter, more rough
• 5:39
  -around -the -edges feel. and it's the natural
• 5:42
  launch point for the backcountry trails on that
• 5:44
  side of the park. Baker Lake. Johnson Lake. The
• 5:49
  upper sites have genuine views of the Wheeler
• 5:52
  Peak Range. Less polished, more solitude. There's
• 5:58
  also gray cliffs down near the limestone cliffs
• 6:00
  not far from the caves. It's the most primitive
• 6:04
  of the developed sites. Vault toilets, but no
• 6:08
  water, so you pack in what you need. and pack
• 6:11
  out your trash. The trade -off is exactly what
• 6:15
  this show is about. It's quiet, it's dark, and
• 6:19
  it's often got space when the others are full.
• 6:21
  Tent campers chasing the night sky tend to love
• 6:24
  it. It also has a few group sites if you're rolling
• 6:28
  in with a crowd. And then, at the very top, the
• 6:33
  crown jewel. Wheeler Peak Campground. It sits
• 6:39
  at nearly 10 ,000 feet, at the end of the scenic
• 6:42
  drive, right at the base of the mountain. The
• 6:47
  trailheads for the bristle cones, the glacier,
• 6:49
  the alpine lakes, and the summit are all right
• 6:53
  there. You can be walking among 5 ,000 -year
• 6:56
  -old trees within minutes of leaving your tent.
• 7:00
  The views are staggering. The nights are unforgettable.
• 7:05
  But I have to give you the honest warnings. because
• 7:08
  this campground demands respect. First, it's
• 7:13
  cold. Even in July, at that elevation, nights
• 7:18
  drop near or below freezing. If you camp up here,
• 7:22
  you need real cold -weather gear. A proper sleeping
• 7:25
  bag, layers, a warm hat. People come up in summer
• 7:29
  bags and have a miserable night. Second, the
• 7:33
  altitude. Sleeping at 10 ,000 feet hits some
• 7:37
  people hard the first night. Headache, restless
• 7:40
  sleep, shortness of breath. That's normal, and
• 7:45
  it's actually part of acclimatizing if you're
• 7:47
  headed for the summit. But, no, it's coming.
• 7:51
  Third, the season is short and the weather has
• 7:55
  the final say. The road up is closed by snow
• 7:58
  much of the year, and the campground can close
• 8:01
  on short notice. even in early fall when a storm
• 8:05
  comes through. Always check before you count
• 8:08
  on it. And fourth, that 24 -foot vehicle limit
• 8:13
  from last episode applies. No big rigs up the
• 8:17
  scenic drive. If you're in something large, the
• 8:21
  high campground is not for you. Beyond the developed
• 8:25
  campgrounds, there are a couple of quieter options
• 8:28
  worth knowing. Out along Snake Creek Road, on
• 8:32
  the south side of the park, there are primitive
• 8:35
  tent sites. No fee, first come, genuinely off
• 8:39
  the beaten path. A spot that, in the words of
• 8:43
  the rangers, is very rarely full. And, for the
• 8:48
  truly self -sufficient, Great Basin allows backcountry
• 8:52
  camping. Over most of the park, a permit is free
• 8:56
  and voluntary, though always recommended, so
• 8:58
  somebody knows where you are. with a few specific
• 9:01
  areas where registration is required. If you
• 9:05
  want to disappear into the snake range for a
• 9:08
  night or two, talk to a ranger at the visitor
• 9:10
  center and do it right. All right. Say camping
• 9:17
  isn't your thing, or you want a real bed and
• 9:19
  a hot shower after a day on the mountain. That
• 9:23
  means the town of Baker. Baker is the gateway
• 9:28
  town. just a few miles from the entrance. And
• 9:31
  it is small. Last count, the population was somewhere
• 9:35
  around two dozen people. But for a town that
• 9:39
  size, it punches above its weight because it
• 9:42
  exists to serve the park. The best known spot
• 9:47
  is the Stargazer Inn. A small, cozy, locally
• 9:51
  owned inn with simple, clean rooms right by the
• 9:55
  park. It's got... an attached general store,
• 9:58
  and a little restaurant, and the name tells you
• 10:01
  exactly who comes here. People chasing that dark
• 10:04
  sky. It's the kind of place where the paperwork
• 10:08
  might be waiting for you in the room, and the
• 10:11
  owner actually wants to help you plan your day.
• 10:14
  For a lot of visitors, that's the move. There
• 10:18
  are a few other beds in and around Baker. The
• 10:21
  Whispering Elms. which mixes motel rooms with
• 10:25
  RV and tent spots and has a bar to unwind in,
• 10:28
  plus a scattering of Airbnbs and small rentals.
• 10:33
  And a bit farther out across the Utah line and
• 10:36
  back, down a stretch of dirt road, is Hidden
• 10:39
  Canyon Retreat, a secluded lodge -style place
• 10:43
  set in its own canyon. They deliberately kill
• 10:47
  the outdoor lights at night, so you keep that
• 10:49
  dark sky. which tells you they get what people
• 10:52
  come here for. One honest planning note on Baker.
• 10:57
  There are very few rooms in this town, and they
• 11:00
  get snapped up fast, especially around a new
• 11:03
  moon in peak season when the astronomers descend.
• 11:07
  If you want to bed in Baker, book it well ahead.
• 11:11
  Weeks, not days. This is not a place where you'll
• 11:16
  find a last -minute vacancy by driving around.
• 11:21
  And if Baker is full, which happens, your fallback
• 11:25
  is Ely, about an hour back north and west. Ely
• 11:30
  is a real town with real options. A handful of
• 11:34
  motels, a couple of historic casino hotels, the
• 11:37
  usual chains. Nothing fancy, but plenty of beds
• 11:41
  and plenty of fuel and food. The trade -off is
• 11:45
  obvious. You're adding two hours of driving to
• 11:49
  every park day. round trip. For a cave tour and
• 11:53
  a quick look, that's survivable. For an early
• 11:56
  morning summit start, it's brutal. If the mountain
• 12:00
  is your goal, do whatever it takes to sleep closer
• 12:03
  than Ely. So how do you actually choose? Let
• 12:09
  me make it simple. If you're here for the summit
• 12:13
  or the high trails, sleep high, Wheeler Peak
• 12:17
  Campground or Upper Lehman. so your body's already
• 12:20
  adjusting and your steps from the trailhead at
• 12:23
  first light. If you're here mainly for the cave
• 12:27
  and the night sky and you want it easy, Lower
• 12:31
  Lehman or a room at the Stargazer in Baker puts
• 12:35
  you minutes from the visitor center with a warm
• 12:37
  bed to come back to. If you want solitude above
• 12:41
  all, Baker Creek, Gray Cliffs, or the Snake Creek
• 12:46
  primitive sites. We'll give you a quiet corner
• 12:49
  of the park mostly to yourself. And if you're
• 12:54
  coming in winter, your choice is made for you.
• 12:57
  Lower Lehman or a room in town because everything
• 13:00
  up high is closed under snow. Whatever you pick,
• 13:05
  here's the clothes I'll leave you with. The thing
• 13:08
  that makes lodging at Great Basin different is
• 13:13
  that there's no buffer between you and the place.
• 13:18
  No grand lobby, no resort, no distraction. You
• 13:22
  sleep on the mountain, or right at its foot,
• 13:26
  in the same dark sky and thin cold air and ancient
• 13:30
  silence that make this park what it is, are still
• 13:35
  there at two in the morning when you step out
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  of your tent. That's not roughing it. That's
• 13:41
  the reward. So that closes out our Great Basin
• 13:46
  trilogy. The history that made it, the visit
• 13:50
  that prepares you, and now the where to stay
• 13:53
  that puts you in the middle of it. Next episode,
• 13:57
  we shift gears into a field skills survival episode,
• 14:01
  and it's the one this whole series has been pointing
• 14:04
  at. Altitude. Because Wheeler Peak tops out over
• 14:09
  13 ,000 feet, and the thin air up there is the
• 14:13
  single thing most likely to turn a great day
• 14:15
  into a dangerous one. We'll get into what altitude
• 14:19
  actually does to your body, how to recognize
• 14:22
  the early warning signs, and how to climb high
• 14:25
  and come home safe. If Wheeler Peak is on your
• 14:29
  list, do not skip it. And everything for this
• 14:34
  trilogy, Campground Links, the Baker Lodging
• 14:37
  List, current road and weather status, is collected
• 14:41
  for you at wildlandsnews .com. I'm Sean Spanauer.
• 14:50
  This has been Wildlands. Know the land before
• 14:56
  you reach it. I'll see you on the next one.