Stella Lake Great Basin National Park

Stella Lake – Great Basin National Park

The Trek Details

The Trek in a snapshot

Location

Great Basin National Park, Nevada

Managing Agency

Great Basin National Park

Pets

Not allowed

Fees

None

Restrooms

None

Camping

Not allowed

Trail Condition

Trail is maintained

Sights

Stella Lake, Wheeler Peak, Great Basin National Park

Water Info

Bring a liter of water

Best Season

Spring, summer, fall

Distance

2.5 miles roundtrip

Time Required

1.5 hour

Parking Elevation

10,191 ft

Summit Elevation

10,414 ft

Elevation Difference

223 ft

Trek Planner Maps

Trail Map

GPS Coordinates

Parking Lot: 39.01718, -114.30336
Stella Lake: 39.00609, -114.31874

Experience. Discover. Explore.

The Trail

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

Be a responsible explorer

On a recent trip to Great Basin National Park and on our way back from hiking Wheeler Peak we made a quick detour to Stella Lake.  Since it only added about .10 mile to our existing hike we figured it would be a worthwhile stop.  I however, will give you the directions on how to get here from the Summit Trailhead parking lot area.

If you hike Stella Lake from the parking lot, the trail doesn’t gain too much in elevation and it provides for incredible views of Wheeler Peak and also the valley you are hiking in.

Parking lot
Parking lot

From the parking lot the trail cuts south and west through large aspen groves.  This would be an excellent hike for the fall season with all the leaves changing!

Wheeler Peak

Keep following the trail until you come to a sign that points you to Stella Lake and Wheeler Peak.

Wheeler Peak

Keep hiking for another .1 mile until you come to another fork in the trail where you will see the sign in the picture below.

Take the left fork for .1 miles until you come to Stella Lake.

Wheeler Peak

The trail from here to Stella Lake is easy.

IMG_8496

After the .1 miles you will come upon Stella Lake.  The lake is really cool since you can still see Wheeler Peak above.

Stella Lake

There is a trail that connects to a few other lakes.  We didn’t have the time and energy (after hiking to the top of Wheeler Peak) to continue on but we thought Stella Lake was a great way to finish off our grueling hike to the summit.  This would also be a fun quick hike if you wanted to get close to Wheeler Peak but don’t want to hike to the top.

Stella Lake

Stella Lake

Stella Lake, just like many other parts of Great Basin National Park, is a very peaceful place – we didn’t find any other hikers on this trail and if you come in late fall, you may just have the same luck!Stella Lake

Stella Lake

Personal Thoughts

Personal Thoughts

Stella Lake is a nice quick detour where you can still see a lot. I would like to come back to the national park so I can do the lake trail.

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