Great Basin
September 27 - October 4, 2008
Greg Smith, guide, with 3 participants.
After meeting everyone at the hotel, we headed south into Elko to find the Northeastern Nevada Museum: a small, somewhat plain building whose appearance belied what we would find inside.
Displays ranged from local area artists, to large displays of wildlife from around the world. A fine Ansel Adams photography display was matched by an equally fine display of Will James’ western pencil drawings. Historical artifacts from the area and one of the largest western gun and rifle exhibits around were also featured.
We enjoyed this museum so much that we decided that the Western Folklife Museum was worth a visit. With a display featuring Buckaroos, we were educated as to where the original cowboys/vaqueros migrated from and what their ranch life was like. Numerous artifacts added to the interpretation before we headed back to the hotel to get ready for our meal at the The Nevada, a Basque restaurant.
Sunday, September 28, 2008 – Ruby Lakes National Wildlife Refuge
Our goal today was to cross the Ruby Mountains via Harrison Pass and get to this remote waterfowl refuge. As we arrived at the pass we realized our choice of days to visit were limited to Saturday and Sunday, as road construction closed the road during weekdays.
As we climbed we started to see more and more red, orange and yellow aspens clinging to the canyons in the higher elevations. Fall color season was with us as we crested the pass and headed down to the refuge.
Before we turned south to the refuge it was decided we wanted to see what life was like in one of these remote western communities. We headed north to Ruby Valley where the broad expanse of the area made it seem even more remote when we looked east. When we looked west, we were amazed to see broad slopes covered with aspens in a kaleidoscope of colors: an absolutely incredible display on to which we serendipitously stumbled .
We headed to the refuge where late season water was concentrated in channels with various species of waterfowl. Egrets and herons were common also as we saw four different species. A muskrat put in an appearance as did a very dark-coated coyote. Highlight of the refuge was a close-up view of a group of three Sandhill Cranes on one island.
We looped south and west through the Overland Pass as we headed back to Elko for the evening.
Monday, September 29, 2008 – Lamoille Canyon & Tuscarora
In a twenty minute drive from Elko you can find one of Nevada’s ten Scenic Byways. A drive up Lamoille Canyon is a drive up a glaciated valley with sheer cliffs bounded by aspen-cloaked canyons. Flowing creeks inhabited by beaver were found along the canyon bottom, while the cliffs showed dry waterfalls that probably come alive during the spring snow melt.
We birded our way up the canyon with our first stop being the picnic area at the entrance to the canyon. A Sharp-shinned Hawk glided across the canyon wall before alighting on a branch. Scope views were great before the bird flew off.
Stops up the canyon added new species and wonderful views. Yellows, oranges and reds adorned the aspens and willows. The blue sky pushed against the trees complementing their vivid colors on a clear Nevada day.
We parked at the trail head and hiked up the slope gaining 600 feet in elevation. Walking through groves of limber pines and Engelmann spruce we found Red-breasted Nuthatches foraging with Mountain Chickadees. The view down the glaciated valley was stunning with the shear walls dripping with canyons of aspens.
We spent the afternoon in the mining area around Tuscarora, a ghost town with inhabitants. Old wood structures were flanked by brick structures, but the point of interest was the graveyard. Headstones from mid 1800’s showed that life was tenuous in the early days of Nevada.
Tuesday, September 30, 2008 – Ely & Baker
We started our drive to Great Basin National Park by taking the road over Secret Pass. As we headed towards the pass we found a flock of 75 Sandhill Cranes feeding in a field right next to the road. Most birds were foraging, but there were a restless few that insisted on calling while jumping into the air. The early morning light only enhanced the experience.
On the other side of the pass the early morning light set the flanks of the Ruby Mountains afire as glowing aspens came alive. Two Ferruginous Hawks, a Golden Eagle and other raptors lined the road as we headed south. Road construction slowed our progress, but we made our stop at Cherry Creek and headed off to Ely for a late lunch.
The drive from Ely to Baker took us over more passes with colorful aspens. This route gave us excellent showings of why Nevada is the most mountainous state in the U.S. At the end of the day we pulled into the unique Silver Jack Hotel and Electrolux Café that would be our base for exploring Great Basin National Park during the next three days.
Wednesday, October 1, 2008 – Bristlecone Pines & Lehman Cave
We started our morning with large servings of breakfast at the Electrolux Café and then it was into the car and the drive up to the trail head at the base of Wheeler Peak.
Again aspens were lit up in the early morning light. Every turn on the twelve mile drive to 10,000 feet showed another yellow or orange grove. The trail head parking lot was alive with a yellow wash as small patches of green conifers poked through.
As soon as we left the parking lot on our way to the bristlecone grove we found ourselves hiking through a forest of conifers. Chickadees and nuthatches were foraging along the trail and then a Hairy Woodpecker put in an appearance.
The hike took us up an additional 600 feet as we walked along a glacial moraine. Twisted and contorted bristlecone pines greeted us at this grove. Living trees over 3,000 years old hugged the limestone hillside, while trees at shoulder height grew in their shadows: a natural history treat that had been around for thousands of years!
We headed back down the trail and then drove to have lunch before our 1:00 tour of Lehman caves. We arrived in time to find our group ready to enter the “Sue Brown-Morris” zone. Sue is a ranger at the park and was our guide as she took us through the stalactites (hanging “titely” from the ceiling), stalagmites, straws, fans and bacon.
Even though the cave was open for twenty-four hour visits during its original access, it is in remarkably good shape. Some artifacts had been removed by souvenir hunters, but there was so much to see it was not noticeable. An hour and a half later our tour was finished in the 50-degree cave and we emerged outside to 70-degree sun.
We finished the day with a hike on the Mountainside Nature trail and discussed the cave and its features that were underfoot.
Thursday, October 2, 2008 – Lexington Arch & Alpine Lake Loop
The drive to Lexington Arch is at the end of a 12-mile dirt road. The road passes through sagebrush and then drops into a draw with a stream. Even with water and lots of willows there was a dearth of birds, although we did see Green-tailed Towhee. This canyon as in most the Great Basin desert we have explored had a failed pinyon pine cone crop. Again there was no evidence of Pinyon Jays and the assumption is that it had to do with the lack of pine nuts.
At the end of the canyon we parked and headed up the 1.7 mile trail to the overlook at the arch. The trail had an 800 foot elevation gain as we headed up the trail and was formed by a series of switchbacks. A slow hike for a little over an hour brought to the viewing site at the top of a cliff opposite of this limestone arch.
Most arches in the southwest are comprised of sandstone, but as in the distinctive Snake Mountains, this arch was formed with limestone. It is thought that the arch was formerly a subterranean cave that had sections collapse and then became exposed. It was an outstanding view from the edge of the cliff, so we reluctantly rose and headed downhill.
After lunch we headed back up road to the base of Wheeler Peak to tackle the Alpine Lakes trail. A short 2.5 hike up to two alpine lakes that took us through more gleaming aspen groves. At the top of the hike we paused under one of the largest limber pines any of us had ever seen.
As we headed down the trail it sprinkled a little and then hailed a little. That was all it did until we closed the doors on our vehicle. At that point the wind suddenly picked up and latterly start to strip the leaves off of the aspens. Then it started to rain and the temperature dropped; it rained the whole way down until we were back in Baker.
Friday, October 3, 2008 – Ward Charcoal Ovens & N Nevada RR Museum
The day was supposed to dawn cloudy with rain, we got the clouds for the first hour, but they disappeared and we were heading to Ward with the sun at our back.
The six ovens were constructed by Italian masons in 1871 so that each could be filled with 32 cords of wood to make charcoal. A volcanic tuff was used as it was easier to cut and shape. It also withstood the heat much better than limestone which has a tendency to alter its chemical makeup when heated.
From the ovens we headed north to Ely where we took a couple of hours to wander around the Northern Nevada railroad Museum. Although there were no trains running until tomorrow, we had a great time walking through the engine house and having docents explain the different engines (coal powered, diesel, electric diesel). We also had a docent-led tour of the station and excellent explanations of the different responsibilities. A great stop with a lot of local history!
We finished the day with our drive back to Elko where Owen and Ruth generously bought all of us dinner. We discussed the trip with all the excellent hikes and stunning views and remarked that we were getting out of town just in the nick of time (the rain started just before we headed out to dinner). After the excellent meal and conversation we headed back to our rooms to get ready for our trips home!
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