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Dear Bob and Sue: A National Parks Podcast

#136: Great Basin National Park

Dear Bob and Sue: A National Parks Podcast

Matt and Karen Smith

Places & Travel, Nature, Personal Journals, Society & Culture, Science

51.2K Ratings

🗓️ 5 October 2023

⏱️ 54 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Great Basin National Park, located in eastern Nevada, is a stunning example of the diverse beauty of the American Southwest. In this episode, we talk about why you'll want to put a visit to this park in your wish bucket the next time you plan a trip to this part of the country. Home to the mesmerizing Lehman Caves, Great Basin NP is one of the best least-visited parks in the NPS system. The caves, one of the park's main attractions, are an intricate cavern system complete with stalactites, stalagmites, and unique shield formations that have been forming for over a half million years. In this episode's History Channel, Karen delves into the unique story of how Lehman Caves became a National Monument more than a hundred years ago, long before the area became a national park. We also describe the park that's above ground and its rich array of ecosystems and landscapes. From the Wheeler Peak Scenic Drive up to the Bristlecone pine forest and on to the only glacier in Nevada, we share some of our favorite things to do and see in the park. And we take you to the small town of Ely, Nevada, just outside the park, where you can step back in time and experience its history by visiting the East Ely Nevada Northern Railway living museum, in addition to some very unique beehive charcoal ovens that were once used as hideouts for stagecoach bandits. If stargazing is your thing, few parks are better than Great Basin for viewing a brilliant night sky. Recognized as a Dark Sky Park, the absence of light pollution allows for unparalleled views of the Milky Way, shooting stars, and distant galaxies, making this park one of the best places in the country to gaze at the heavens above. Here are a couple of links to items we mentioned in this episode: · Lehman Cave virtual tours · In Ely, Nevada - Nevada Northern Railway Co. museum and train ride info. The best way to support our podcast is to become a member of our Patreon account. Follow this link to check it out. And don’t forget to check out our new online merch store and www.dirtlander.com. Subscribe to The Dear Bob and Sue Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you like to listen, and if you’ve enjoyed our show, please leave us a review or rating on Apple Podcasts. Five-star ratings help other listeners find our show. Follow us on Instagram at @mattandkarensmith, on Twitter at @mattandkaren, on Facebook at dearbobands, or check out our blog at www.mattandkaren.com. To advertise on The Dear Bob and Sue Podcast, email us at [email protected]. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0

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0:54.3

Right, it's Highway 50, Loneliness Road in America. But I have to say, we took a different road

1:05.9

to Ely from, we were coming up from mammoth lakes in California and we thought that wasn't

1:11.2

the only road in America. Well, it couldn't get more lonely because there was nothing on it.

1:17.2

So I don't know what this whole Highway 50 Loneliness Road designation is because you can't get,

1:24.0

you know, less lonely than nothing.

1:34.4

This is the Dear Bob and Sue podcast, stories from our journey to all the U.S.

1:38.4

national parks and other public lands. I'm Matt Smith. And I'm Karen Smith, we're the authors of

1:43.7

the Dear Bob and Sue series of books. Today we're taking you to the great state of Nevada,

1:49.8

far away from the glitz and noise of Las Vegas to the solitude of the state's only national park,

1:56.5

Great Basin. This park has it all, unusual geology and history and fantastic hiking trails and scenery,

2:04.8

but without the crowds that you might encounter in other national parks. We'll talk about the

2:09.6

incredible diversity of Great Basin from its underground cave system to the top of Wheeler Peak

2:15.6

and share some of our favorite things to do. Plus we'll travel to Ely, Nevada,

2:20.5

a small historic town located close by where we like to stay when visiting the park

2:25.3

and talk about some unusual things to do and see in that area. All this plus a couple of

2:31.0

history channels thrown in for good measure. Stay tuned for all the fun.

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