When we were staying in Hurricane, Utah, we realized that Great Basin National Park wasn’t really that far away. Matt was doing some research on things to do and he found the Alpine Lakes Trail within the national park. It very quickly became high on out list of things to do. It was a three hour drive, and well worth it, even to just do this one hike in the midst of the Nevadan desert.
Quick Info About the Alpine Lakes Trail in Great Basin National Park
Fee-Free National Park – First, and exciting, thing to know is that Great Basin National Park is a fee-free park! So, it was incredible to get to explore a park for free.
Trail Length – 2.7 mile loop, according to the NPS map, but we both clocked it at almost 3.5 miles on our Garmin watches, without losing the trail at all.
Trail Difficulty – This trail is rated as easy and I would agree with that designation. There’s only 450-ish feet of elevation change.
But Watch Out for Altitude – The trail starts at 10,000 feet. So, you’re already in the threshold of altitude sickness, and even if you don’t get altitude sickness, you will likely be winded more easily, need more water and may even tucker out more quickly than you normally would. Just be sure to bring plenty of water.
Afternoon Storms are Common in the Mountains Here – Storms roll in during the afternoon, so get an earlier start, check the weather, and/or look up at the sky. We had dark clouds roll in near the end of our hike, but we were lucky to get a sleety snow for half a mile instead of thunderstorms, which was a weirdly fun adventure element for us.
What to Expect Along the Trail – This is a very straightforward, well-blazed and easy trail to follow. There are intersections, but each one has a sign, so it’s nearly impossible to get lost. You will see mountain views all along the trail, along with two alpine lakes: Stella Lake and Teresa Lake.
Would I Let My Kids Do It? Absolutely! My kiddos did the whole hike at 3 and 5. I did have to carry Liam for about .2 miles, but other than that, they killed it! Nothing was overly strenuous for them, we just took plenty of little rests and gave them snacks and drinks as needed.
Don’t Forget the Junior Ranger Program! Great Basin National Park has a Junior Ranger Program and our kids always love getting their Junior Ranger Badges. It’s one of the best free activities for children in our country, in my humble opinion.
Our Experience Hiking the Alpine Lakes Trail in Great Basin National Park
The first thing we did before hiking was stop in at the Visitor Center, which is located just outside of the main park to pick up our typical national park souvenirs, get Junior Ranger books, use the restroom and check the weather. Then we made our way up the Wheeler Peak Scenic Drive to the Bristlecone Parking Area, which is the trailhead for the Alpine Lakes Trail. The trail starts to the right of the pit toilets and the small covered seating area in the parking lot.
The trail starts out with a slightly uphill walk, but it’s very gradual, as the whole trail only has a total elevation increase of about 450. We were there on Memorial Day and there was still some snow on the ground in patches, especially where there was a lot of tree coverage. The kids loved picking up pinecones and sticks to play with along the way, tossing some in the creek as we passed.
Then, the trees opened up to an alpine meadow and it reminded me of a small-scale Glacier National Park, just the shape and texture of the mountains rising up over the meadow. Aspens grew along the path after the first section of meadow before opening up to an even wider meadow. Here, we saw a couple of mule deer grazing, with Mount Wheeler in the background. It was such a picturesque scene.
From there, you’re just moments away from Mount Stella, which, is such a beautiful alpine lake. There’s a nice rocky beach area here, which was the perfect spot for the kids to play. They enjoyed stirring the water with sticks, touching the water, throwing rocks in, and just watching the ripples of the lake. It was a truly incredible spot. It would be the perfect spot for a picnic.
From here the trail is basically all downhill. Again, through the forest, the trail meanders before getting to a creek that you follow down to the edge of Teresa Lake. This lake doesn’t have the beachy area for kids who want to play, but it is a really special spot to sit and look at the beauty. To get the full scale of the lake with the mountain behind it, go to the farther end of the lake.
When we got to Lake Teresa, the weather started to turn for us. The wind picked up a bit, clouds rolled in and we started to get sleet and snow. It wasn’t anything dire, but we did want to hightail it back to the truck. This last section of the trail was back downhill, through the woods and back out to the parking area. While the trail wasn’t difficult, we did clock it at just under a mile longer than we were expecting. This trail was a 10/10 for me. It was long enough to feel good, had spectacular views and left enough time to do another hike if you wanted to. I highly recommend this trail if you’re in the area.
Gear I’d Recommend for the Alpine Lakes Trail
Things We Use for Safety – I have a Garmin InReach Mini 2 that helps me feel so safe and secure on more remote trails. Just know that you do have to pay for a subscription for this, but you can do it monthly. Even on something short, like this trail, I like to bring basic first aid kit items like bandaids – I think these cloth ones stay on the best, Neosporin, and alcohol wipes. I also like to keep some moleskin in my pack in case I get a blister.
My Latest Gear Obsession – My Garmin Instinct 3 watch. I’m not really a “techy” girl, but I am now obsessed with my Garmin watch. I love stats, I love tracking my health and activity and nothing beats this. This watch feels like it’s all about activity and adventure first, and smartwatch second, which is exactly what I needed and wanted. The battery life on this is up to 18 days and it tracks so much in real-time including weather, altitude and more. Plus, it’s built to be more tough.
Sun Care – I highly recommend being prepared for the sun. I have this sunhat from REI that I love, and Matt has this Columbia Sunhat that he also loves. They’re very similar, mine has the little girly band around it. Also, grab a sunscreen stick to throw into your pack so you can eaily reapply throughout the day without getting my hands sticky.
Footwear – Matt and I both love our Merrell hiking boots. In fact just this year, I found my all-time-favorite hiking boots – they’re still mids, they’re lightweight and waterproof. Regardless of which brand works best or fits your foot, though, we both recommend a boot with ankle support, I especially liked the mids on this hike because it kept a lot of the sand from the dunes out of my boots. These Merrell socks are perfect for my hiking adventures. I love that they’re slightly cushioned and are the perfect height for mid boots.
Daypack – I’m obsessed with my Osprey Daylite. It’s the perfect size to cram water and snacks for the hike. Plus, if I have a light layer, it fits in the pack as well.
What’s in My Pack? – Water is always the very first thing that goes into my daypack and I love using these Nalgene water bottles because the wide mouth on the bottle makes it really easy to clean. Some snacks that you can almost always find in my backpack are beef jerky tender bites, peanut butter & honey crackers, peanut m&ms, trail mix and dehydrated fruit strips.
Do You Want to Track Your National Park Adventures? – I actually authored this National Park Journal and I’m really proud of it! This is the perfect guided journal with fun facts and simple tips to help you make the most of your trip and, most importantly, curate your memories in each park! I’d be honored to be part of your national park adventures in this way!
Because of its remoteness, I do understand why Great Basin National Park isn’t quite as popular as other parks, near more populous areas, but I do have to say, based on the beauty and the stark contrast of tall, gorgeous tree-covered mountains butting up agains flat, dusty and dry desert, I’m surprised more people don’t go out of their way to see this park, even for a day. We left a few things unseen that we would like to see eventually, but, for now, we’re very happy with the fact that we got to explore the Alpine Lakes Trail at Great Basin National Park.
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