Wheeler Peak Campground
Great Basin National Park
A stay at the Wheeler Peak Campground is a genuinely memorable experience. Shadowed beneath the hulking cliffs of Wheeler Peak and Doso Doyabi, a pair of Nevada’s true alpine monarchs, the views and campsites hover among the clouds. At nearly 10,000 feet in elevation your neighbors are Engelman spruce, mule deer and green meadows; your common distractions tumbling brooks and shimmering aspen leaves. A mile and a half up the trail will place you in the midst of the Wheeler Peak Bristlecone Grove, among trees so ancient that some have absorbed the fanciful hues of over a million sunsets. Take elevation and weather into account before you set out on your hike. Neither towing nor towed vehicles exceeding 24 feet in length are accommodated along the Wheeler Peak Scenic Drive or at Wheeler Peak Campground.
Wheeler Peak Campground offers paved parking spurs, picnic tables, campfire rings and grills along with vault toilets. While towed vehivles are allowed, niether the towed nor towing vehicle may be over 24-feet in length.
Notifications and Alerts
Need to Know
Neither vehicles over 24-feet in length nor towed units over 24-feet in length are permitted at the Wheeler Peak Campground or beyond Upper Lehman Campground on the Wheeler Peak Scenic Drive. If towing, both units need to fit within the described driveway length for the considered campsite.
There is no potable water available at Lower Lehman Campground. Please do not wash dished in creeks or streams.
The sites of Wheeler Peak Campground are available for reservation from late June through Labor Day weekend.
This is an unstaffed campground. Bring your confirmation paperwork with you or be sure to have your confirmation uploaded onto your cell phone before you arrive (since many cellular providers will not work out here). You may need to verify your reservation. Confirmation paper should be clipped to the post provided at your campsite.
Generators may only be used between the hours of 8am and 8pm. Quiet hours are between the hours of 8pm and 8am.
Pets must be secured in a vehicle or on a leash of no more than six feet at all times. They must be attended at all times. Pets are not allowed on any trails, or the backcountry, within Great Basin National Park. They may be walked on paved surfaces or any roads legally drivable by vehicle. Please clean up after your pets.
Advanced reservations may be made as early as, but not prior to, 30 days from your desired stay.
Refunds will not be provided within 24-hours of the first day of the reservation. Refunds will not be provided due to weather.
Natural Features
Views of some of Nevada’s most picturesque mountains are abundant and never more than a few steps away from your campsite, if that. Bolstered by permanent snow and icefields of the Wheeler Peak cirque the spring serenading you just to the south has cascaded through ancient quartzite which makes up the towering cathedrals above. Stretched out among alpine meadows ringed within a dense forest of Engleman spruce, the Wheeler Peak Campground provides shade at nearly every site while a quick stroll will often reveal mule deer, turkey, or in the autumn weeks the lively orange and gold of shimmering aspen.
Nearby Attractions
Don't forget, Great Basin National Park was forshadowed when Lehman Caves was annointed a National Monument in 1922. The cave and its underground wonders are just thirty minutes away behind the Lehman Caves Visitor Center. Access is by tour only so be sure to book a reservation before you arrive, or stop by the visitor center to check on remaining availability.
Recreation
The drive alone is worth the price of admission, as they say, even though there is no entrance fee at this National Park. The 12-mile Wheeler Peak Scenic Drive sweeps you over half a vertical mile to the Wheeler Peak Campground, just beneath what may be the most picturesque mountain in Nevada. Take in the view at Mather Overlook along the way. You can’t miss it.
While the Wheeler Peak Campground is the most distant campground from the surreal Lehman Caves (a 30-minute drive down the mountain) it more than makes up for it in hiking opportunities. Two of the park’s most sought-after hikes, the Bristlecone Trail and Alpine Lakes Loop Trail, begin just outside of the campground entrance. The fully accessible .4 mile-long Sky Isalnd Nature Trail also presents a peaceful alternative. Beyond walking, the soundscapes and view-surfing are perfect for lounging, reading or catching up on some sleep after a long drive. Oh, and the caves are just 30 minutes away. If you prefer some less-traveled roads, consider a drive down the Snake Creek (no rvs or trailers) or Baker Creek Roads for such hiking destinations as Baker Lake or Johnson Lake. From the end of these maintained dirt roads, all trails lead to solitude.
But be back at your campsite before sunset if you want to enjoy the dusk light show as the sun ignites the towering stone walls of Doso Doyabi, merging slowly into a sky so black that the stars pop in ways you may never have imagined possible.
Be sure to make reservations before you arrive, for both the campground and the caves.
Contact Information
Phone Number
For campground inquiries, please call: 775 234-7331
Rental Options
Learn more about gear rental options for your trip
Driving Directions
From the east or west: From U.S. Highway 6 & 50, turn south on Nevada State Highway 487 and travel 5 miles to Baker, NV. In Baker turn west on Highway 488 and travel 5 miles to the park. From the south (Utah): Travel north on Utah State Highway 21 through Milford, UT and Garrison, UT, which will become Nevada State Highway 487 as you cross the border. Turn west on Highway 488 in Baker and travel 5 miles to the park. From the south (Nevada): Travel north on U.S. Highway 93 (Great Basin Highway). At the junction of U.S. Highway 6 & 50 drive east to Nevada State Highway 487 and turn south. Travel 5 miles to Baker, NV. In Baker turn west on Highway 488 and travel 5 miles to the park.
Available Campsites
- Site 8, Loop Wheeler Peak, Type Standard Nonelectric
- Site 19, Loop Wheeler Peak, Type Standard Nonelectric
- Site 3, Loop Wheeler Peak, Type Standard Nonelectric
- Site 32, Loop Wheeler Peak, Type Standard Nonelectric
- Site 34, Loop Wheeler Peak, Type Standard Nonelectric
- Site 29, Loop Wheeler Peak, Type Standard Nonelectric
- Site 11, Loop Wheeler Peak, Type Standard Nonelectric
- Site 31, Loop Wheeler Peak, Type Standard Nonelectric
- Site 17, Loop Wheeler Peak, Type Standard Nonelectric
- Site 15, Loop Wheeler Peak, Type Standard Nonelectric
- Site 35, Loop Wheeler Peak, Type Standard Nonelectric
- Site 4, Loop Wheeler Peak, Type Standard Nonelectric
- Site 14, Loop Wheeler Peak, Type Standard Nonelectric
- Site 9, Loop Wheeler Peak, Type Standard Nonelectric
- Site 2, Loop Wheeler Peak, Type Standard Nonelectric
- Site 33, Loop Wheeler Peak, Type Standard Nonelectric
- Site 36, Loop Wheeler Peak, Type Standard Nonelectric
- Site 7, Loop Wheeler Peak, Type Standard Nonelectric
- Site 26, Loop Wheeler Peak, Type Standard Nonelectric
- Site 6, Loop Wheeler Peak, Type Standard Nonelectric
- Site 13, Loop Wheeler Peak, Type Standard Nonelectric
- Site 37, Loop Wheeler Peak, Type Standard Nonelectric
- Site 18, Loop Wheeler Peak, Type Standard Nonelectric
- Site 5, Loop Wheeler Peak, Type Standard Nonelectric
- Site 25, Loop Wheeler Peak, Type Standard Nonelectric
- Site 27, Loop Wheeler Peak, Type Standard Nonelectric
- Site 23, Loop Wheeler Peak, Type Standard Nonelectric
- Site 20, Loop Wheeler Peak, Type Standard Nonelectric
- Site 24, Loop Wheeler Peak, Type Standard Nonelectric
- Site 28, Loop Wheeler Peak, Type Standard Nonelectric
- Site 22, Loop Wheeler Peak, Type Standard Nonelectric
- Site 10, Loop Wheeler Peak, Type Standard Nonelectric
- Site 30, Loop Wheeler Peak, Type Standard Nonelectric
- Site 12, Loop Wheeler Peak, Type Standard Nonelectric
- Site 16, Loop Wheeler Peak, Type Standard Nonelectric
- Site 21, Loop Wheeler Peak, Type Standard Nonelectric
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