Hike Wheeler Peak and Bald Mountain Great Basin National Park, NV

Sep 12, 2023 — Great Basin National Park sprawls across 77,000 acres in eastern Nevada, blending high desert expanse with ancient bristlecone pine forests. Wheeler Peak is the cloud-poking colossus at the highest point of the park, and while this park's remoteness does preclude higher visitation, the combination of incredible views and a well-maintained trail leading to the summit means this is still a popular hike. If not for Boundary Peak on the opposite side of the state this would be Nevada's high "point", but since Boundary Peak doesn't make the 300-foot prominence rule, Wheeler Peak is technically the highest "peak". It's nice that the road begins so high up that the hike to the peak is relatively short, and the views toward Wheeler Peak's eroded, pinnacle-filled north slopes along the scenic drive excite me every time. A few years ago I pieced together a lengthy traverse of the central/southern Snake Range, and today was supposed to be a traverse of the northern peaks, but poor weather stopped us at only two we intended to summit.

Matt and I both forgot various things from the car multiple times before we finally set out from the Wheeler Peak Trail, initially a mostly flat hike with views through the aspens toward the Wheeler Peak cirque. The trail bypasses Stella Lake, but I recommend taking the short side-trip to enjoy the relaxing little alpine lake. The majority of this hike follows the Wheeler Peak Trail, but we deviated to reach Bald Mountain on our ascent. This minor summit to the north of Wheeler Peak is among Nevada's coveted 11,000-foot peaks, but doesn't have a trail leading to it. After leaving the trail, a progressively steepening slog up a grassy slope brought us to the peak's south ridge, where a mixture of tundra and rocky terrain continued to the summit. We enjoyed the views toward the various peaks of the Great Basin Desert and Range, especially Mount Moriah's bulk to the north.

We headed south to rejoin the Wheeler Peak Trail, rocky terrain bordering on Class 2 and a short section of forest breaking up the otherwise easy tundra hike. The trail's grade became more significant as it began working up Wheeler Peak's northern slope and above tree line. Toward the base of the ascent the talus was small and the trail tame, but the talus grew in size. The trail builders for this one hopefully received a medal because the talus has been rendered a non-issue and we were able to preserve nearly our normal hiking pace. It was nice to not have to boulder-hop for a change and just get to enjoy looking down thousands of feet to the desert floor below. Clouds rolled in, and then thunder, but we pressed on. Normally I would have turned back, but there's something about passing other people on the trail during a thunderstorm that makes a dumb decision feel safer. A wall of mist hit the summit ridge, a really cool phenomenon, but of course this meant we wouldn't be seeing much at the summit of Wheeler Peak. We finished the last few hundred feet of the steep trail and rushed back down as the thunder intensified. I supplemented below with photos from my first time up here in August, 2015 when there was more favorable weather. On our way back we took the Wheeler Peak Trail the whole way to the car.