Wheeler Peak Great Basin National Park, Nevada

Wheeler Peak – Great Basin National Park, Nevada

The Trek Details

The Trek in a snapshot

Location

Great Basin National Park, Nevada

Managing Agency

Great Basin National Park

Pets

Not allowed

Fees

No entrances fees for the entire Great Basin National Park

Restrooms

None on trail

Camping

Only allowed in campground areas and by reservations

Trail Condition

Good dirt trail until you pass the timberline then you will be hiking on dirt and bigger rocks. Steep in parts towards the top.

Sights

Wheeler Peak, Great Basin National Park, beautiful scenery

Water Info

Bring 2-3 liters of water

Best Season

Late spring, summer, early fall. The road is closed from winter to early spring.

Distance

8 miles roundtrip

Time Required

6-8 hours roundtrip

Parking Elevation

10,185 ft

Summit Elevation

13,065 ft

Elevation Difference

2,880 ft

Trek Planner Maps

Trail Map

GPS Coordinates

Trailhead: 39.017153°,-114.303322°
Wheeler Peak: 38.985640°, -114.313726°

Experience. Discover. Explore.

The Trail

Follow along on our adventure then go out on your own!

Be a responsible explorer

Note: keep in mind that the road to the Summit Trailhead is seasonal from about early spring to late fall.

In late October we took a quick trip down to Great Basin National Park to explore around the area.  The last time I visited here was more than 20 years ago and my memories of this place were quickly fading – so I wanted to come back and check it out again.

To start I want to emphasize that it is possible that you could get high altitude sickness – the trailhead begins at about 10,185 feet! Our fellow Trek Planner member Hawkeye-TP relayed a story about how he got high altitude sickness here at Wheeler Peak so it is important to drink lots of water, take it slow, take many breaks and make sure you take deep and full breathes often to compensate for the lower oxygen levels as you gain altitude.  With that said, let the fun begin!

The trailhead begins at a small parking lot which is big enough for about a dozen vehicles.  There is a registration kiosk here and I recommend you fill it out before and after your adventure.

Parking lot
Parking lot
Information kiosk
Information kiosk
The trailhead
The trailhead

Wheeler Peak

The first part of the trail winds around through lots of pines and aspen trees.  We found a few bristlecone trees along the way too.

This part was pretty easy and even though most of the aspens had already lost their leaves, we were grateful to have incredible views of Wheeler Peak through this section.

Wheeler Peak

Wheeler Peak

Wheeler Peak

Bristlecone Tree

For about 2 miles, you will gradually gain elevation.  I quite enjoyed this part of the hike because it felt very casual and there weren’t any switchbacks at this point.  Another cool thing about this hike is that Wheeler Peak is almost always in sight for the entire duration.  We all took plenty of pictures of all the different angles and views of the mountains and valley below.

Wheeler Peak

We crossed paths with many aspen trees
We crossed paths with many aspen trees

Wheeler Peak

At about a mile into the hike you will come to a sign which points you to Stella Lake and Wheeler Peak.  Take this route which continues up the trail.

Wheeler Peak

Wheeler Peak

After a little ways you will come to another sign – to Stella Lake or to Wheeler Peak.  We took the right trail up to Wheeler Peak.  If you have time then I suggest you check out Stella Lake.  We visited the lake on the way down and it was worth the extra tenth of a mile there.

Wheeler Peak

Wheeler Peak

We didn’t see snow on the trail until about the 2 mile marker.  Obviously, you can see the summit of Wheeler and you could clearly see all the snow so we came prepared with wind breakers, sweater, down jackets, crampons, hats, sunglasses, wind proof pants, good sturdy shoes and even trekking poles – and you should do the same as well!

Wheeler Peak

Wheeler Peak Wheeler Peak

At this point in the hike we were all hot!  We were surprised by how warm it still was considering it was late October.  This is a good lesson to always dress in layers when you are exerting energy outside.

Wheeler Peak

Wheeler Peak

Looking down towards Stella Lake
Looking down towards Stella Lake

We just about reached the 2 mile marker and we saw the first snow on the trail.  It wasn’t too bad until we hiked passed the timberline.  Every time another hiker would pass us coming down we would ask them about the weather conditions going up.  We were told it was very windy and cold and it was VERY windy at some points!

Wheeler Peak

Just passed the 2 mile point you will hike above the timberline and be at the mercy of the wind and snow. The trail was still visible thanks to previous hikers’ footprints in the snow.

From here on out the trail is steep and narrow.  Just remember to take your time and remember to breathe!

Wheeler Peak

Wheeler Peak

Wheeler Peak

You can see all the windmills in the valley to the west
You can see all the windmills in the valley to the west

Wheeler Peak

Wheeler Peak

Pausing for a picture
Pausing for a picture

Wheeler Peak

Because the wind can be extremely strong up here, these rock shelters were built so you can find a temporary refuge.  While the wind was very strong, it probably didn’t reach more than 20 MPH.  If you find that the wind is extremely strong, turn back and hike another day.  It is not worth the risk.

Wheeler Peak

From these rock shelters, you still have more than a mile of hiking left.  From now on out there are steep switchbacks and one very dangerous and exposed area where if you slip you could tumble down several hundred feet so be careful!

Wheeler Peak

Wheeler Peak

Wheeler Peak

Wheeler Peak Wheeler Peak

Wheeler Peak

Wheeler Peak

Here is the very exposed area near the top
Here is the very exposed area near the top
Wheeler Peak summit
Wheeler Peak summit

The summit has several larger rock shelters but surprisingly it wasn’t too windy this time.

The views are absolutely incredible.  It felt like you could see the other side of Nevada from on top.

Wheeler Peak

Wheeler Peak

Looking down in the adjacent valley and mountains
Looking down in the adjacent valley and mountains

Wheeler Peak

Signing the guest log that was inside the "mail box:"
Signing the guest log that was inside the “mail box:”

After eating some more snacks we came back down and were glad to finally be on dirt again instead of snow.

Wheeler Peak

Wheeler Peak

Wheeler Peak

Personal Thoughts

Personal Thoughts

Wheeler Peak was a great hike all around. I really enjoyed hiking up to 13,000+ feet and seeing the surrounding areas. It would have been really neat to see all of the aspens before the leaves fell but we still had a blast. It was really peaceful in Great Basin National Park and I hope to visit again soon.

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Jman

Such a great hike! That was a perfect day for it.

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