Great Basin National Park · Nevada

Lehman Creek Trail

3.2 mi of trail, end to end · Hike the Lehman Creek Trail: 6.4 mi round trip in the Service's write-up · 2,000 ft of descent · 7,799 ft–9,829 ft · native surface · trail class Developed · hiking, horse

9,829 ft 7,799 ft · 3.1 mi high 9,829 ft

Hike the Lehman Creek Trail 6.4 mi round trip · the Park Service's write-up

3-6 Hours · no dogs

Start Lehman Creek Trailhead

Tall white aspen trees with bare branches frame snowy mountain peaks in the near distance.
Lehman Creek Trail is the best way to reach high elevation in winter Photo: B. Mills

Trail Overview

Total Distance: 6.4 miles / 10.3 kilometers

Starting elevation: 7,750 feet / 2,362 meters

Elevation Gain: 2,040 feet / 622 meters

Difficulty: Moderate/Strenuous

Time: 3 hours - 6 hours

Begin at : Lehman Creek Trailhead in Upper Lehman Creek Campground

The Lehman Creek Trail takes visitors on a deceptively steep trip up from the Upper Lehman Creek Campground to the Wheeler Peak Campground and Bristlecone Trailhead. Following the creek, passing by meadows, and through dense aspen forest, this trail wows any who travel it year round with fall colors, wildflower blooms, and the babbling of Lehman Creek.

Reaching an elevation of just under 10,000 feet, this trail provide both a respite from the summer heat of the Snake Valley, but also added dangers in the form of altitude sickness and afternoon thunderstorms. Be prepared with plenty of water and salty snacks, or to return to your vehicle if you become symptomatic of altitude sickness or see thunderclouds rolling in. During winter, this is the best route to snowshoe or crosscountry ski to reach the upper trails when the Scenic Drive is closed.

This hike starts at the Lehman Creek Trailhead in the Upper Lehman Creek Campground, three miles up the Wheeler Peak Scenic Drive. Park at the trailhead in summer or at the pullout across from the campground in winter. Parking outside of designated spaces or along the road is prohibited.

No pets permitted on park trails. Trained service animals allowed. Learn more about service animal regulations at this link.

Water

Potable water is not available along the Wheeler Peak Scenic Drive. Pack sufficient water with you, about one gallon per person per day. Water is available year-round at the nearby Lehman Caves Visitor Center or seasonally at the dump station.

Restrooms

The nearest restrooms are pit toilets with no running water in the Upper Lehman Creek Campground

Accessibility This trail is not accessible.

This hike on nps.gov

On the parks map

All 35 trails in Great Basin National ParkFind a trailOn the parks mapPark on nps.gov

About this trail's facts

The lines are the National Park Service's public trails layer, the trailheads and the waterfalls, views, peaks and historic places along them the Service's public points of interest, read 2026-10-16 and simplified for the map; the length is the line's, end to end. The write-ups are the Service's own "things to do" text, unedited. Heights come from USGS 3DEP through Terrain Tiles on AWS (Mapzen/Tilezen), read along each line and rounded; a short trail on steep ground can be off by a few tens of feet. Closures change: check the park's own site before you go.