Page 511 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - USA

NE V AD A  509

stands at the center of Great
Basin National Park. Below the
peak lies the park’s centerpiece,
the Lehman Caves, discovered
when homesteader Absalom
Lehman stumbled upon their
small entrance in 1885. Their
fantastic limestone formations,
including thousands of
stalactites and shields, can be
seen on various guided tours
that take place at intervals all
through the day.
Tours start from the park
visitor center, which offers
Archway over Virginia Street in downtown Reno hiking and camping details,
along with exhibits on Great
in the 1930s as a center for by summer resorts and winter Basin’s wildlife. The well-
quick divorces. Although ski areas, this is one of the most maintained Wheeler Peak
smaller than Las Vegas, Reno popular destinations in the Scenic Drive starts near the
has a similar array of 24-hour- western US. visitor center and passes
a-day casino-fueled fun. It also through all the major Great
offers a huge variety of winter 5 Great Basin Basin climate zones while
and outdoor activities, including climbing from 6,500 ft
18 alpine ski resorts within one National Park (1,982 m) to over 10,000 ft
hour of Tahoe, dogsled tours, n 100 Great Basin Hwy, Baker, (775) (3,048 m) in 12 steep miles
sleigh rides, sledding, 234-7331. Open 8am–4:30pm daily. (19 km). Great Basin National
snowshoeing, and cross- Closed Jan 1, Thanksgiving, Dec 25. Park’s remote location has
country skiing. The Truckee & 7 limited. ∑ nps.gov/grba made it one of the least-visited
River Whitewater Park in national parks in the country,
downtown Reno is one of the Travelers driving along the so hikers and campers can find
premier white-water parks in “Loneliest Road in America” immense solitude among the
the country, with 11 pools over are beckoned by the towering limestone caves, alpine forests,
a half-mile course. Kayaking, silhouette of the 13,063-ft ancient bristlecone pines, and
tubing, and rafting can be (3,982-m) Wheeler Peak which glacial lakes.
enjoyed by novice and
experienced enthusiasts. All
equipment is available for hire
at the park.
The National Automobile
Museum, on the south bank of
the Truckee River, has one of the
country’s most extensive car
collections. From early classics
to 1960s hot rods, the museum
– styled like a late-1940s
Chrysler – showcases the cars in
stage-set “streets” that provide Picturesque Wheeler Peak at Great Basin National Park
evocative period backgrounds.
The Loneliest Road in America
} Truckee River Whitewater Park
Wingfield (off W 1st St). One of the country’s most compelling drives, the Nevada portion
Tel (775) 334-2270. of transcontinental US 50, stretching between Lake Tahoe in the
west and Great Basin National Park on the Utah
E National Automobile Museum
10 S Lake St. Tel (775) 333-9300. border, traverses over 400 miles (644 km) of
Open 9:30am–5:30pm Mon–Sat, corrugated country. Early explorers mapped this
10am–4pm Sun. Closed Thanksgiving, region, Pony Express riders raced across it, and
Dec 25. & 7 ∑ automuseum.org the long-distance Lincoln Highway finally tamed
it. But US 50 has long played second fiddle to
busy I-80, the more popular route across the
Environs state. The Nevada Commission on Tourism now
West of Reno, the startling sponsors a tongue-in-cheek promotion where
beauty of Lake Tahoe (see p706) Sign on US 50 travelers on US 50 can get a certificate saying
greets visitors at the Nevada/ highway “I Survived the Loneliest Road in America.”
California border. Surrounded

508-509_EW_USA.indd 509 11/2/16 2:47 PM