Lehman Caves
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Day 2 in Great Basin took us underground into Lehman Caves. It’s a beautiful cave system, full of stalactites, stalagmites, and rare formations like shields that you don’t see in many caves. But it isn’t pristine. Back in the 1880s, before it was protected, visitors burned their names into the ceiling with candles and even broke off stalactites to take home as souvenirs.
Lehman Caves Tour
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After the tour we walked a short trail by the Visitor Center, where a Western fence lizard was sunning itself on a rock.
Then we did the Osceola Ditch Trail. The ditch was built in 1889–1890 to carry water from Lehman Creek to the gold mining town of Osceola, about 18 miles away. The water was meant for hydraulic mining, where high-pressure jets were used to wash away soil and gravel in the hunt for gold. Walking a mile through the ditch, I thought about the sheer effort it took to cut through that rocky soil. We saw old boards scattered in places, the remnants of the flumes that once lined the channel. In the end, the project never paid off, but the bones of it are still here, a reminder of just how much work people poured into chasing a dream.
We swung by Grey Cliffs, tall bands of limestone rising above the trees, and then took a short stroll on the Baker Creek Trail looking for a nice spot to chill by the water. The creek was running but pretty small, so after poking around a bit we gave up the mission and headed back to camp.
Great Basin is one of the least visited national parks, probably because it is out in the middle of nowhere. But that is what makes it special. Caves, bristlecone trees, and high country trails without all the crowds.
Then we did the Osceola Ditch Trail. The ditch was built in 1889–1890 to carry water from Lehman Creek to the gold mining town of Osceola, about 18 miles away. The water was meant for hydraulic mining, where high-pressure jets were used to wash away soil and gravel in the hunt for gold. Walking a mile through the ditch, I thought about the sheer effort it took to cut through that rocky soil. We saw old boards scattered in places, the remnants of the flumes that once lined the channel. In the end, the project never paid off, but the bones of it are still here, a reminder of just how much work people poured into chasing a dream.
We swung by Grey Cliffs, tall bands of limestone rising above the trees, and then took a short stroll on the Baker Creek Trail looking for a nice spot to chill by the water. The creek was running but pretty small, so after poking around a bit we gave up the mission and headed back to camp.
Great Basin is one of the least visited national parks, probably because it is out in the middle of nowhere. But that is what makes it special. Caves, bristlecone trees, and high country trails without all the crowds.