Great Basin National Park, NV

The weather played a major role at Great Basin National Park. Snow and ice closed the road to access the scenic drive and the primary hike I had wanted to do. The wind contributed to colder temperatures than my recent time in Utah.

Great Basin National Park

Clouds rolled through so sometimes the mountains were clear and other times completely shrouded. Due to all of these factors, I had to cancel all but one planned activity.

South Fork Baker Creek and Timber Creek

I was able to complete this 5.5-mile loop hike that included a steady climb in elevation along the South Fork of Baker Creek and a return descent along Timber Creek. When I started the hike, the temperature was in the mid-30s, and it warmed only about 10 degrees by the time I finished just under 4 hours later.

Baker Creek had plenty of water and ran parallel to the trail. The sound of it gurgling and falling accompanied me for most of the ascent. Timber Creek was a mere trickle.

Baker Creek Near the Trailhead

Snow on the Banks of Baker Creek

Fall is obviously a time for leaves to change colors. Unfortunately, most of the aspen trees had already lost their leaves. However, a few clusters close to the trailhead did bless me with their bright color amid the surrounding evergreen trees.

Golden Aspens

Aspens Stand Out

Aspens Prepared for Winter

I was still in the early stages of the hike when I came across white precipitation covering some of the plants and fallen logs and small areas of the ground. At first, I thought it was morning frost.

Logs with a White Coating

White Encroaches on the Trail

But as I gained elevation, I soon realized that it was snow. Most of it had likely fallen overnight as I did not see any boot prints. At its deepest, there was probably two inches on the ground.

Hiking through the Snow

The Wind Blew the Snow from the Trees

The only animals I saw and heard were small birds flitting from branch to branch and tweeting their particular song. I did however see quite a few tracks in the snow of what I believe were marmot, deer, bobcat, and mountain lion.

Tracks in the Snow
(likely those of a small wildcat)

The majority of the hike was among trees of pine, aspen, and a few other varieties. So, I appreciated the open scenery of the three meadows as I came to them. The first two were fairly small and consisted of desert grass and plants surrounded by trees.

First Meadow of Yellow and Brown Grass

Second Meadow of Desert Brush, Plants, and Grass

The third meadow was huge and provided a variety of views. First to catch my eye were the mountains rising high in a couple of directions.

The Odd Couple

Mountain Dusted with Snow

As I was made my way through the meadow and over the final rise before beginning my descent towards the trailhead, I was met by interesting cloud action just over the horizon.

An Explosion or Eruption?

Where Did All of these Clouds Come From?