Great Basin National Park in One Day

Start your visit with the 90-minute tour of the fascinating limestone caverns of Lehman Caves, the park's most famous attraction (advance reservations heavily encouraged, as tours often fill up months in advance). If you have time before or after the tour, hike the short and family-friendly Mountain View Nature Trail, near the Lehman Caves Visitor Center, to get your first taste of the area's pinyon-juniper forests. Stop for lunch at the Lehman Caves Cafe (open April through October) or at least plan on a homemade cookie—or have a picnic near the visitor center.

In the afternoon, take a leisurely drive up Wheeler Peak Drive, with fabulous views of Wheeler Peak, the park's tallest mountain (and the second highest in Nevada) at just over 13,000 feet. You can stop about halfway along your drive to hike the short Osceola Ditch Trail, a remnant of the park's gold-mining days, or, alternatively, just enjoy the views from the two overlooks. If you're feeling energetic, when you reach the top of the winding road hike into the strange beauty of a bristlecone pine grove on the Bristlecone Pine Trail.