Great Basin Visitor Center — Attraction in Nevada

My wife DRAGGED our family out here for Father's Day, 2016. I did not want to go. My two boys did not want to go. I wanted air-conditioned comfort. My boys wanted to play their video games! What did this place have for us? Caves. Rocks. Desert. Who cares???

Please, allow me to tell you how this came to be one of my most MEMORABLE and FAVORITE family vacations... I am still in awe. This happened three years ago, as of this writing and I have still not completely processed it. I will tell you, it was not the crescendo of some highly anticipated thrill, danger, or "by-the-seat-of-your-pants" ride that you needed to be buckled into. It was not a single, intensely bonding moment for my family, but rather a series of small, consistent experiences of interest, wonder and amazement. This National Park holds a myriad of small, "secret" wonders; the kind we've become accustomed to passing by, without care, in our busy lives.

I will love my wife forever for what she did that year. It was a labor of love to research all the places and activities, let alone haul her ungrateful husband and children out there, grumbling and complaining. One of my favorite "secret" wonders in this basin is in this Visitor's Center and why I left my review here. It's a cut away of an ancient tree, the rings of its trunk exposed, marking significant points in our history of humanity. This tree hit me hard, emotionally, leaving me with a continuing sense awe, wonder and gratitude. I've uploaded a couple photos of it and its placard.

If you're thinking of visiting here.... or are being dragged here against your will.... Stop. Make the decision to visit this National Park. Take a couple days, if you can, spend the night. For a day or two, put yourself and your family at the forefront of the experiences available in this basin. Open your mind, show your loved ones how, experience a history and a land you have been a part of, but...

If you're planning a visit to Lehman Cave in Great Basin National Park, it's important to note that the visitor center may be hit or miss in terms of staff enthusiasm. While the park itself is absolutely stunning, we found that some of the staff at the visitor center seemed less than passionate about their work and the park's beautiful gardens. When we asked for advice, they provided us with a map and website address in a passive manner. While it's possible that they were having a bad day, we believe that national parks deserve employees who are excited about their job and passionate about the work they do. Fortunately, the excellent cell coverage and internet access allowed us to experience the park to the fullest despite the lackluster visitor...

Had a good time camping and viewing the area around Great Basin National Park - but I was not happy that the only way to book a tour at Lehman caves is through Reservations.gov. In my experience most places leave some spaces (either camp grounds or tours spots) open so that people who wander in can still have a good experience. Especially when considering that many elderly are not going to sign up for an account and get their tickets over an online service and the fact that there isn't great internet service for miles around that area. This isn't hard - just leave around 20% of your tour spots available to people who come to the park without reservations. We ended up with 3 unhappy kiddos - not a good first impression of our National...