Awe-inspiring holidays to Nevada's Desert National Parks!
See the real Wild West with a trip to Nevada’s Desert National Parks!
America is known worldwide for its wild open spaces and vast National Parks, and none are more stunning than in one of its most extreme environments on earth, Nevada. A state known for its arid desert landscapes, it also hosts two of the most spectacular National Parks in the US, as well as 24 state parks and the cleanest lake in North America, Lake Tahoe!
Death Valley National Park
Its name might seem a little scary, but with proper hydration, a good pair of boots, and without hiking in the middle of summer, you’ll love a trip to the hottest, driest, lowest desert park in the US. Death Valley consists of 3.4 million acres of incredible wildland, ranging from arid swathes of valley full of cacti to mountain peaks covered in snow - yes, in Nevada!
This beautiful park is home to the lowest point in the Northern Hemisphere at Badwater Basin, and its tallest peak is Telescope Peak, which sits at 11,048 feet. This park gives you an amazing range of things to see and do and is only a 2-hour drive from nearby Las Vegas!
- Play a round of golf in Furnace Creek golf course, a course with the lowest elevation in the world. That’s something to write home about!
- Take a 4-wheel drive buggy out to Racetrack Playa, a vast rocky area, but be sure to take a spare wheel!
- Take a hike up one of Death Valley’s many mountain ranges, including Owlshed Mountains, Black Mountains, Saline Range and Last Chance Range. Keep an eye out for the hardiest sheep around, the Bighorns, who call this difficult terrain their home.
Great Basin National Park
Great Basin is a remote hidden gem in Eastern Nevada. It’s accessed via Highway 50, also known as the loneliest road in America. It might be a trek to get there, but this awe-inspiring National Park is arguably one of the most picturesque in the world and is worth the trip!
This enormous National Park is home to fantastic mountain ranges, waterfalls, lakes, majestic animals, and unique creatures. This park really does look like something out of a movie! Visit the beautiful lakes, including Stella Lake and Teresa Lake, on the Alpine Lake hiking trail, as you follow creeks and waterfalls through the mountainous areas, with picnic stops and photographic moments at every turn!
- Visit Lehman Caves, only half a mile inside the park boundary, for a natural attraction which has enticed visitors since the 1800s. With over 300 shield formations, many species of bat and insect, and thousands of stalagmites and stalactites within the most complicated cave systems in Nevada, a guided tour of these incredible caves is a must.
- Take a walk amongst the longest living trees on Earth, the Bristlecone pines. These incredible pines grow very slowly in the barren environment, creating dense wood that survives this harsh environment with beautiful bristly branches reaching out into the desert skies. There are three Bristlecone pine groves within the park that you can visit to hike among these enduring giants: Wheeler Peak Grove, Mount Washington Grove, and Eagle Peak Grove.
- The best time of year to visit Great Basin National Park is in the Autumn, where the aspen trees turn a magnificent mixture of copper and gold, and the weather is cool enough for enjoyable mountain hikes.
The best places to look up at the stars
National Parks in the US are often designated International Dark Sky Parks as they have little to no light pollution. Certainly, Great Basin National Park is such a great spot to view the Milky Way from the Northern Hemisphere that it holds a National Astronomy Festival every September. If you’re a budding astronomer or Astro photographer, these are some of the best spots in America to view the stars above.
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