Great Basin Attractions know no seasonal boundaries by Mark LaPointe, Outpost Staff In this package: Cloistered oasis is treasure Grab Highway 50 kit Park claims long history Visitors escape stress Baker guards gate An eye on the future   Great Basin National Park offers a large array of sites to see and things to do. In addition to relaxing, those so inclined can enjoy hiking, fishing, camping, wildlife viewing and, if you're brave enough to dip into one of the arctic lakes, swimming. Visitor Karin Winters found the camping to be one of the greatest benefits of the park. "I enjoyed the campsites. They are large and spread out -- again giving the feeling of solitude," she said. Two of the more popular features of Great Basin include tours of the Lehman Caves, which park officials say fill up pretty quickly and often require advanced ticket purchase, and the hike up Wheeler Peak (elevation 13,063 feet) to see the bristle cone pine trees and the glacial ice field. The bristle cone pine trees are an especially rewarding sight. These gnarled and twisted trees are said to be the oldest living things on the planet. With some of the trees aged at 4,900 years old and older, these trees leave most visitors awed, particularly when Ranger Dave, or others, point out that the Bristle cone pine trees are the oldest living things on the planet. Photo by Jim LaRue trees are older than the events in the Bible. Ranger-led hikes take place throughout the summer season and offer a chance for visitors to learn about the nature of these trees and the other aspects of the Wheeler Peak and its forest life. If you prefer, you can climb Mount Wheeler on your own, but the casual walk with a park ranger is definitely worth while. Although the cave and the bristle cone Pines are the top two features that Superintendent Becky Mills says draw people to the park, she points out that there is an aspect of the park that really wows its visitors. She says, "There is however something more all encompassing here, the grandeur of space and silence, the stars at night, the opportunities to be alone or alone together with your friends and family in a natural world." Likewise, Mills says, the park isn't just for summer visitors. Lehman Cave stays open year-round (except for Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day) as does camping in the lower campgrounds and hiking in the "front country." Mills also points out that, in winter "opportunities here are wonderful." You may, she says, wish to use snow shoes or Nordic skis to explore the higher elevations in winter or even enjoy the many opportunities for bird watching, photography, sketching and picnicking, not to mention nearby opportunities to fish and mountain bike. The park is about experiencing nature, but it's also about learning. One of the things that brought Winters all the way from Sacramento was an interest in trees. Mills echoes this sentiment. "There is uninterrupted cultural evolution here -- archeology in pictographs and petroglyphs, history in old mining cabins and ongoing ranching activity, and in the historic orchard that continues to bear fruit right outside the visitor center." She encourages visitors to enjoy the fall there as well. Autumn at Great Basin offers a rare opportunity in the dry state of Nevada to catch a glimpse of fall foliage. "In autumn," Mills says, "the colors are splendid -- gold, persimmon, burgundy, yellow, flaxen." Next   copyright 12/10/97 Nevada Outpost http://www.jour.unr.edu/outpost Nevada Outpost is produced by students at the Reynolds School of Journalism, University of Nevada, Reno Copyright 1999 Nevada Outpost http://www.jour.unr.edu/outpost  TOP