Wheeler Peak Scenic Area

Wheeler Peak is the highest summit in Nevada’s Snake Range and the central feature of Great Basin National Park, rising to 13,063 feet above the high desert of eastern Nevada. The Wheeler Peak Scenic Drive climbs steeply from the valley floor to nearly 10,000 feet, opening into a world of bristlecone pines, glacial lakes, a rare rock glacier and alpine tundra far removed from the sagebrush basins below.

The peak itself is a challenging but rewarding hike from the end of the scenic drive, with trails passing glacial lakes, the famous bristlecone pine grove (where trees more than 5,000 years old cling to the rocky slopes), and the rock glacier — one of only a handful in the Great Basin. The combination of Nevada’s second-highest summit, the ancient trees, the glacial features and the great drive makes Wheeler Peak one of the most dramatic and rewarding high-mountain destinations in the American West. It is a treasured natural icon of Nevada and the Great Basin.

Wheeler Peak’s scenic area offers the spectacular Wheeler Peak Scenic Drive (closed by snow in winter and spring), day hiking to Alpine Lakes (Teresa and Stella), the ancient bristlecone pine grove, the rock glacier and the summit of Wheeler Peak itself — a strenuous but exhilarating high-altitude hike — along with camping at Wheeler Peak Campground, wildlife watching for pikas, marmots and raptors, and world-class stargazing under the park’s famously dark skies. Driving the scenic road, hiking the bristlecone grove and summit, and stargazing are the signature draws of one of Nevada’s most spectacular mountain experiences.

Mid-summer (July to mid-September) is the prime window, when the Wheeler Peak Scenic Drive is open, the summit is typically snow-free, the alpine lakes are accessible and the bristlecone groves are at their most magnificent in the summer light. Afternoon thunderstorms and lightning are common at altitude from July onward — start summit hikes early and be off the exposed ridges by early afternoon. The scenic drive closes when snow falls, typically by late October. Mid-summer for the high country, and any clear night for the stargazing, are the highlights — make cave-tour reservations for Lehman Caves below.

Wheeler Peak was named for surveyor George Montague Wheeler, who mapped the region in the 1870s, and the Snake Range was long traversed by explorers, miners and ranchers. The ancient bristlecone pines on Wheeler’s slopes include trees that were already old when the Egyptian pyramids were built; in 1964 one of the world’s oldest living trees, the ‘Prometheus’ bristlecone, was controversially cut on the peak. The area became part of Great Basin National Park in 1986. Wheeler Peak preserves this dramatic high-mountain landscape and its most ancient living things, a treasured icon of Nevada.

Wheeler Peak is a high point of the Snake Range, a fault-block mountain range uplifted by Basin and Range extension in which old metamorphic and igneous rocks were brought to the surface. The peak’s high elevation wrung enough moisture from storms to support Ice Age glaciers that carved the cirques above Alpine Lakes; a rock glacier — a slow-moving mass of ice-cemented debris — remains below the summit, one of only a few in the Great Basin. The fault-block uplift, the glacial sculpting and the rare rock glacier give Wheeler Peak its dramatic alpine topography.

The high country around Wheeler Peak is home to American pikas and yellow-bellied marmots in the talus, Clark’s nutcrackers and rosy-finches near the bristlecones, golden eagles soaring on thermals, and mule deer and mountain lions in the forests below. The ancient bristlecone pines — the oldest non-clonal living organisms on Earth — are themselves an extraordinary wildlife feature of the area. The high-alpine zone, with its pikas, marmots and ancient trees, is among the most remarkable wildlife and natural-history settings in the Great Basin.

Wheeler Peak’s scenic area spans from subalpine forest of limber and bristlecone pine to alpine tundra and rock above treeline — a compressed sweep of ecosystems sustained by the peak’s height, which wrings moisture from storms far above the surrounding desert. The bristlecone pines of the upper slopes are among the oldest living things on Earth, each tree a biological record of thousands of years of climate. Pikas — small mammals highly sensitive to warming — are present in the talus. Protecting the bristlecones, the pikas, the alpine tundra and the fragile soils sustains both the ecology and the wonder of Wheeler Peak.

Wheeler Peak holds a treasured place among the natural icons of Nevada — the dramatic 13,063-foot crown of Great Basin National Park, a peak above the high desert where the world’s most ancient living trees grow, glaciers once carved cirques and a rare rock glacier lingers. It embodies the astonishing variety hidden in this remote corner of eastern Nevada: from desert to 13,000-foot alpine in a single drive. Wheeler Peak is a cherished natural icon of Nevada, a summit of stunning beauty and rare natural history.

The Wheeler Peak Scenic Area is within Great Basin National Park in eastern Nevada, near the town of Baker, off U.S. Highway 50. The Wheeler Peak Scenic Drive begins near the Lehman Caves Visitor Center and climbs 12 miles to Wheeler Peak Campground at about 10,000 feet; the drive is typically open July through October. There is no entrance fee for the park (Lehman Caves tours are ticketed separately). Trailheads for Alpine Lakes, the bristlecone grove, the rock glacier and the summit are at or near the campground. Services are very limited; fuel and supplies in Baker or Ely. Check the National Park Service for road-opening dates, trail conditions and weather.

The National Park Service protects Wheeler Peak and Great Basin National Park. Visitors help by staying on trails to protect the fragile bristlecone pines (their shallow root systems are easily damaged — never step on exposed roots), not collecting any rock, plant or wood, respecting the fragile alpine soils and tundra, minimizing light pollution to protect the park’s dark skies, packing out all waste, and respecting all park rules. The ancient bristlecones, the pikas, the rock glacier and the alpine tundra are irreplaceable. Protecting them sustains both the ecology and the wonder of Wheeler Peak.

Wheeler Peak’s high elevation (13,063 feet) brings thin air, intense UV radiation, cold temperatures even in summer, and rapid, dangerous weather changes including frequent afternoon thunderstorms and lightning on the fully exposed summit ridge. Start the summit hike very early (by dawn), carry layers, rain gear and extra food and water, and turn back if weather threatens — do not be on the exposed upper ridge when storms build. Altitude sickness can affect visitors who have not acclimatized. The drive is winding and steep. Respect the altitude, the storms, the lightning risk and the need to start early.

Lehman Caves and the Great Basin National Park Visitor Center just below, the town of Baker at the park entrance, the historic town of Ely, U.S. 50 (‘the Loneliest Road in America’), and the vast basins and ranges of eastern Nevada surround the peak. Great Basin National Park and the Loneliest Road define the region. Wheeler Peak anchors the high-country experience of Great Basin National Park, a centerpiece of a Great Basin road trip, easily combined with Lehman Caves, Ely, the Loneliest Road and the stark desert basins of eastern Nevada.

Drive the Wheeler Peak Scenic Drive as early as possible, hike to the bristlecone grove (the world’s oldest living trees — do not step on roots), and push to the summit if conditions are clear (start by 6 a.m. and be off the ridge by noon to beat the afternoon storms). Carry layers, rain gear and plenty of water for the high elevation, and acclimatize at the campground before a big hike. Reserve Lehman Caves tours below, stay for the park’s legendary dark-sky stargazing, and fuel up in Baker or Ely before the drive in.