My Lewis and Clark Expedition

The Challenge. My friend Edith told me about their "Lewis and Clark expedition" and I knew I had to give it a try. The objective: head up Strawberry Creek in Great Basin National Park and see Lewis's Woodpeckers and Clark's Nutcrackers.

Background. From 1804 to 1806 Meriwether Lewis and William Clark were on the Corps of Discovery Expedition, traveling up the Missouri River, crossing the Rocky Mountains, and heading down the Columbia River to the Pacific Ocean and then returning. They had months of preparation, including learning more about natural sciences such as botany and ornithology. During the course of the expedition, they found hundreds of new species to science. Just two animal species were named for them: the Lewis's Woodpecker and Clark's Nutcracker. 

The Adventure. I started out sightseeing last night's flash floods along Highway 487. 

Then I turned off Highway 6 & 50 onto the Strawberry Creek road. Passing some campers, I drove along the road, which had a little water damage, but nothing too bad.

I paused at the park boundary to check out the signs.

Then I drove slowly, looking for birds. I didn't see as many as I expected, but I did see a chuckar and her babies.

At the trailhead I took the left trail for the Strawberry Sage loop so that I would be in the trees more. Almost immediately I was bombarded by the bubbling song of house wrens and even managed to spot a couple. They are adorable!

Continuing on, I kept looking and listening for birds.

A couple lazuli buntings caught my eye next. They are such pretty birds!

And then I got my first good view of a Clark's nutcracker. These loud members of the Corvid family are usually seen at higher elevations, so I was delighted to see a bunch of them.

I even saw a couple sitting still, preening. 

William Clark noticed this bird in Montana in August 1805. It was later given the name Clark's Nutcracker (Nucifraga columbiana). The bird is about robin-sized with a sharp bill, gray breast, and black and white wings. 

These raucous birds are experts at seed collecting and caching, feeding their youngs seeds cached from the previous year. They also eat insects. 

After the young have fledged (hatched and flown), Clark's nutcrackers form loose family groups, which probably explains why I was seeing a group of them flit about.

By now I was in the burned part of Strawberry Creek, where the wildfire occured ten years ago, in 2016. The drainage is making a good comeback.

It was here that I saw numerous Lewis's woodpeckers, generally a pretty rare bird, but they have been seen for many years now in the Strawberry Creek drainage. And, wow, they are magnificent! Meriwether Lewis saw this bird first in July 1805 in Montana, and it was identified in 1811.

At first glance they look like a dark woodpecker. But if you look closer, you can see hints of red.

And if one is so kind to turn around, you can see a reddish breast.

Some Lewis's woodpeckers aren't as reddish. But they still look a little different than other woodpeckers. They also move differently than other woodpeckers. Instead of pecking at trees to get insects under the bark, they'll glean insects on the bark or burned areas.

And they also take off from branches to catch insects mid-flight, like flycatchers. It's so fun to watch them! 

While I was watching, I saw one with something strange in its bill. It sort of looked like fish eggs, but this isn't the right season. So what is this? Edit: Probably raspberries!

Whatever it is, it was being delivered to chicks! I couldn't believe my luck to find a high hole in a tree with a little head poking out.

Then a parent swooped in to deliver a meal.

And flew off so quickly! The chick has its mouth closed--for a moment.

It soon started squawking again, "Feed me, feed me!"

While I was watching the birds, I run my Merlin app. And at one point, I was hearing both birds at the same time. I had to take a screenshot. 

Ready to take the Lewis and Clark Expedition challenge? I'm not sure how long both birds will be around Strawberry Creek, but right now they're pretty easy to find on the Strawberry Sage loop trail. And I'm sure this can be completed other places as well.

Although I was on the lookout for all birds, having a special target made this birding trip special and had me looking up history when I got home. If you have other fun challenges like this, let me know!

Here's more reading if you want to dig in:

https://montanakids.com/history_and_prehistory/lewis_and_clark/plants_animals.htm

https://www.nps.gov/lecl/basic-facts.htm

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lewis_and_Clark_Expedition

Great Basin National Park Bingo

 Do you think you know Great Basin National Park well? Here's a Bingo card to help you deepen your knowledge and maybe see the park a little differently. It's not easy, but a Bingo could be done in as little as a day.

Good luck!

Top 10 Things to Do in Baker, Nevada & Great Basin National Park - Late Spring/Summer/Early Fall

 Most people come to Baker and Great Basin National Park from late May to mid-October. That's when the roads are most open, the higher elevations accessible, and most of the public programs occur. Sometimes choosing what to do can be overwhelming. Not to worry, here are my tips, from living here for 25+ years.

1. Lehman Caves Sitting just behind the Lehman Caves Visitor Center at 6800 feet is Lehman Caves, the longest cave in the state of Nevada, at over 2 miles, and also one of the oldest tourist attractions, with tours usually held year-round. Note: A new cave lighting system is being installed so the cave is expected to be totally closed until late May 2026 and partially closed until the end of July 2026. Check the park website to find out when it reopens.

Gothic Palace, Lehman Caves. Photo by Peter Schenk.

Options: If you can't nab a cave reservation or one of the walk-up tours (people often line up for these before the visitor center opens at 8 am), there are other options. The Park has a simulated cave, called CaveSim, that lets you negotiate over 100 feet of cave passage. You'll crawl, slither, and climb your way through, and anything you touch beeps at you so that you know to be more careful. You're not playing the video game, you're in it!

Crystal Ball Cave is another great option, located about 45 minutes north of the park in Gandy, Utah. Protected on Bureau of Land Management (BLM) managed land, local site stewards offer tours Monday-Saturday through this cave, which is like going through a giant geode. It's filled with crystals, ancient bones, and beautiful formations. 

And if none of these work out, try out the Virtual Cave Tour of Lehman Caves, which gives you a totally different experience of seeing the cave, with lots of short additional videos to provide specialized info you wouldn't necessarily get on a tour.

2. Visitor Centers Great Basin National Park has two interesting visitor centers, generally open 8am to 4 pm in the summer months and more restricted hours during the shoulder seasons:

• Lehman Caves Visitor Center, up the hill at 6800 ft, has exhibits focused on Discover the Dark, including caves and night skies
• Great Basin Visitor Center in Baker at 5300 ft. focuses on the different habitats and wildlife found along the huge elevational gradient. There is over a 25 degree F temperature difference from the valley bottom to the top of Wheeler Peak!

Options: Baker, Nevada has a surprisng amount of art for such a small town. Take an Art walk to admire the various murals and other artistic offerings.

3. Wheeler Peak Scenic Drive  Ready to drive to 10,000 feet elevation? Weather permitting, the Wheeler Peak Scenic Drive allows you to ascend through multiple habitats as you rise from the sagebrush sea to the pinyon-juniper, then to mountain mahogany and mixed conifer to aspens and higher conifers. If you have the NPS App, you can click on self-guided tours and take the Auto Tour through different Great Basin Life Zones.

Options: If the Scenic Drive is closed or you want to look at something different, here are some other roads:

Baker Creek Road - look for marmots and drive slowly, as they aren't the brightest creatures around! But they are cute! And the custom-made marmot crossing signs are fun to see.

Strawberry Creek - check out how the watershed is doing after a 4,500 acre wildfire in 2016. At the end of the road is a lovely 1.5 mile loop trail up through a meadow and back through a burned area.

Snake Creek - located south of Baker, the road follows the creek closely. The Serviceberry Trail makes for a good hike, although will have snow on it probably until June. Trails at the end of the road lead up into the high country, and will be snow covered at higher elevations. The Spring Creek Rearing Station is outside the park and allows visitors. There's not much to see, but if you've never seen where trout are raised to stock streams and lakes, it's worth a short visit. 

Lexington Canyon -  the road towards Lexington Arch is currently in decent shape. It's gravel and dirt (like most roads around here) and if it's been dry for awhile, it will be dusty. On the way to the new trailhead area for the arch you pass some beautiful wildflowers and see another area recovering from a big wildfire, this one in 2013. The Arch is a nice spring/early summer hike. There's very little shade, so it can get hot when the temperatures rise. The trailhead has been washed out by post-fire floods, so you'll have to park when the road gets bad and hike from there. It adds about a mile each way.

4. Bristlecone Pines If you've never seen old bristlecone pines, old meaning more than 3,000 years old, this is your chance. Drive 12 miles up the Wheeler Peak Scenic Drive to the end of the road at the Bristlecone trailhead. Then plan for about an hour-long hike over a rocky trail at over 10,000 feet elevation to an amazing grove in the shadow of Wheeler Peak. Allow 30 minutes for the drive each way, plus 2-3 hours for the hike. You can hike beyond the grove to the rock glacier, add 0.5-2 hours depending on how far you go. Note that the parking area can fill from about 10 am to 3 pm, so consider earlier or later, when the light is better and parking more abundant.

Hike to Wheeler cirque bristlecone grove in Great Basin National Park

5. Hikes  Great Basin National Park is a hiker's paradise, with about 80 miles of trails. 

Also at the end of the Scenic Drive is the Alpine Lakes Loop. This is a charming two-hour hike that visits Teresa and Stella Lakes. Take your time and soak in the cooler temperatures. Watch out for afternoon thunderstorms, high winds, and elevation sickness. The reward is amazing views. You can combine this with the bristlecone pine hike for a lovely longer hike.

Stella Lake at sunrise

5a. Short trails (approx. 30 minutes to 1 hour):

• Mountain View Nature Trail behind Lehman Caves Visitor Center--through pinyon/juniper forest for 1/4 mile (check out the App for a self-guided tour) ;
• Sky Islands Forest Trail-Accessible trail at Bristlecone trailhead--through Engelmann spruce/limber pine forest for 1/4 mile, wheelchair accessible
• Strawberry Sagebrush Loop Trail: 1+ mile loop that lets you look at how the landscape is recovering after the 2016 Strawberry fire
• Start any of these other trails listed below and turn around when you want

5b. Medium trails (2-4 hours)

• South Fork Baker/Baker Lake loop: 3.5 mile loop, steep in places, but gorgeous, follows riparian areas
• Serviceberry Trail: 3+ mile loop along Snake Creek road with a variety of habitats
• Lexington Arch: 6+ mile round-trip hike to a huge natural bridge; dogs allowed (here's more about the canyon)
• Osceola Ditch Trail: 1.5 miles to Mill Creek, 4 miles to big washout in Strawberry Creek, where you'll probably want to turn around. trailhead, follows old water ditch and goes through 2016 burn
• Bristlecone/Alpine Loops trails mentioned above

5c. Long trails (>3 hours)

• South Fork Baker/Timber Creek loop: 5.5 miles but lots of elevation change, two beautiful meadows (A PERSONAL FAVORITE!)
• Dead Lake: a new trail from the end of the Snake Creek road heads to this often-overlooked lake, and you can make a loop trail of it
• Wheeler Peak summit: the trail is 4-miles one way, but gains 3,000 feet elevation. Many people underestimate the effort it will take. Plan on 3-4 hours to summit, some time at the top, and 2-3 hours to get back down. Take plenty of water and food and be prepared for big winds. Stay off if storms are looming. (Also, not good if there's lots of snow on it.

5d. Backpacking.

• Baker/Johnson loop: this is a classic. Start at the Baker Creek or Snake Creek trailheads. About 13 miles round trip with lots of elevation change. Camp at Baker or Johnson Lakes. No campfires above 10,000 feet.
• South Fork Baker/Timber Creek loop: This loop is only about 5.5 miles, but lots of elevation change. Good for beginning backpackers and families.
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6. Baker Archeological Site is located just northeast of Baker (look for the signs).  this is a short stop, but interesting to learn about how the Fremont people had a small village near Baker hundreds of years ago, with buildings aligned with the sun and stars. Use the booklet as you take the self-guided trail to learn more. Nice covered picnic area and pit toilet. Day use only. 

Options: Pictograph Caves sport numberous pictographs in the Grey Cliffs area. The best ones are seen along the road. Dust has made them a little harder to see, but look for some human forms as well as dots and lines. This area is undergoing improvements in 2026-27 and may have periodic closures.

7. Wildlife watching

• Yellow-bellied marmots. From May to about July, it's often possible to find yellow-bellied marmots along the Baker Creek road. You'll see the marmot crossing signs--these cute animals aren't the smartest, so slow down to keep them safe!

• Rocky mountain elk are seen most frequently in the Strawberry Creek drainage. They are much larger than deer.
• 
• Bird-watching is excellent along Strawberry Creek, where you can find lots of cavity nesters like mountain bluebirds, hairy woodpeckers, house wrens, and mountain chickadees. Baker Creek area has lots of riparian birds like warbling vireos, MacGillivray's warblers, yellow warblers, lazuli buntings, and more.
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• Fishing. With a state permit, fishing is allowed in the park. Native Bonneville cutthroat trout are in South Fork Baker, Snake, and Mill creeks as well as Baker and Johnson Lakes (catch-and-release recommended as the Park is trying to restore these populations). Brown, rainbow, and brook are in Baker and Lehman Creeks.

8. Dark Night Skies. Great Basin National Park has some of the darkest night skies, with major population centers distant. Times around the new moon allow for the best viewing of the Milky Way, which may look like a cloud to the unitiated. During full moons, check with the local general store for full moon hikes. The Park has evening and astronomy programs from late May to Sept/Oct, often Thursday through Sunday evenings at the astronomy amphitheater.

Milky Way from Mather Overlook

9. Sacramento Pass Recreational Area

• Camping, fishing, plus mountain biking and hiking on a seven-mile trail system. Only 15 minutes from Baker.
  

  

  Sac Pass fishing pond

10. Lodging and Food

There are a variety of Motels/hotels/AirBnBs in the area. They are already booking far ahead this summer. Find more at Where To Stay in Great Basin | Baker, Nevada — Discover Great Basin (greatbasinpark.com).

For Food, we have a variety of options:

• 487 Grill (Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays 4-8 pm)
•  Border Inn (24 hrs, grab and go; kitchen open 6 am to 10 pm?)
•  Bristlecone General Store (7am-7 pm, Grab and Go; Pizza night Wednesdays, 4-7 pm)
• Great Basin Cafe (next to Lehman Caves Visitor Center), 8 am- 4 pm, breakfasts, lunches, and ice cream
• Sandra's Mexican Food (across from gas station, variable hours)

Where to Eat and Drink In Great Basin — Discover Great Basin (greatbasinpark.com)

Bonus: But wait, there's more!

North Snake Range Hikes - The North Snake Range is a rugged wilderness filled with surprises. There's great hiking at Hendry's Creek and Smith Creek. Hampton Creek takes more effort, but you can find some garnets and an old mining area. Silver Creek is fun for mountain biking. The Table and Mt. Moriah top the range and are an all-day effort (or more) to visit and should be saved for later summer and autumn.

Crystal Peak is a cool volcanic mountain located about an hour from Baker. You can see it gleaming in the afternoon sunlight from Highway 6 and 50, and also from high points along the Scenic Drive.

Ibex/Tule Valley - Located 45 minutes east of Baker towards Delta, we like to go to Ibex and Tule Valley for rock climbing at Ibex Cliffs and bike riding on the dry playa. This is also a good place to camp.

Notch Peak  - Notch Peak is an obvious peak to the east, with the highest limestone cliff in North America. Base jumpers frequent it. I find hiking to the top plenty of excitement for me. Snow may be hanging out in shady spots into late May. Bristlecone pines are found to the north.

Cleve Creek - Found in Spring Valley, about 9 miles north of Highway 6 & 50, designated campground and beautiful area in the Schell Creek Range.

Pruess Lake - located south of Garrison, Utah, this is where we go to swim, kayak, paddleboard, fish, and sail (and ice skate in the winter). Lake levels drop throughout the summer, so early to mid summer is the best time for swimming.

Crystal Ball Cave - this BLM cave is managed by site stewards with cave tours. The cave is very cool, like going into a giant geode! Cave tours are Monday-Saturday, reservations required (this cave tour is amazing, recommended donation $12-$15/person). You might like to combine it with a trip to nearby Devils Gate Slot Canyon, a short but fun canyon. (I know I already mentioned Crystal Ball Cave, but I really love it!)

Ely, NV: 

• Nevada Northern Railway train rides, museum 
• White Pine Public Museum home of the Cave Bear
• Garnet Hill find your own garnets, amazing view of Ruth Mine
• Ward Mountain mountain biking, camping, disc golf
• Ely Renaissance Village step back in time to see cultural background of Ely; also visit the nearby Ely Art Bank
• White Pine Aquatic Center modern facility, lap swimming available all day and periodic open swim hours (and McGill Swimming Pool (Pond) is also a lot of fun)
• Ward Charcoal Ovens State Historic Park well-preserved charcoal ovens and nice trails, plus camping
• Cave Lake State Park fishing, boating, trails, camping with showers!
• Comins Lake fishing, boating

Delta, UT: 

• Topaz Relocation Site and Topaz Museum one of several internment camps during World War 2-the museum downtown has fantastic exhibits 
• Great Basin Museum taste of pioneer days and a cool rock and fossil exhibit
• Pahvant Butte hiking 
• Sunset Knoll finding gemstones 
• West Millard Swimming Pool with a high dive!
• Tabernacle Hill Lava Tubes easy access--please help keep clean

Milford, UT: 

• Frisco Ghost Town charcoal ovens, cemetery, and remains of one of the wildest mining towns in Utah
• Newhouse Ghost Town old building remains
• Rock Corral Recreation Site cool rocks, camping
• Swimming Pool we have visited swimming pools in all the nearby towns!

Those are just a few suggestions, click on the links to see additional information. If you'd like more, Read my book! It is full of natural and cultural history of the area, places to visit, and more.

Leave a comment--what things do you like to do when you're in Baker and Great Basin National Park?