Consisting of 77,000 acres in Nevada, Great Basin National Park is located about 290 miles north of Las Vegas and unfortunately sees less than 100,000 visitors annually.
One of the best known features of the park, its limestone caverns, was also the reason for its initial federal protection when the Lehman Caves National Monument was created in 1922. They are named after the individual who is thought to have discovered the caves in 1885, Absalom Lehman.
Despite its desert climate, hundreds of species of flora and fauna are present within the park boundaries including jackrabbits, ground squirrels, mountain lions, bobcats and mule-deer. Some of this diverse collection is due to the varied elevation seen within the park ranging almost 8,000 feet from the valley floor to Wheeler Peak, the highest point within the park.
At the 10,000-foot elevation point grows one of the park's three groves of tenacious bristlecone pines-Pinus longaeva, or "long-lived pines." These gnarled and twisted survivors are the world's oldest living tree species. With their gray, wind-sculpted trunks, bristlecones may appear dead, but they cling to life, almost oblivious to the passage of time. The trees adjust to changes in moisture, and the dense, resinous wood prevents rot. Many of these venerable trees are more than 4,000 years old. At the snowy summit of Wheeler Peak, the solitude and isolation of Great Basin National Park are at their most pronounced. On a clear day, the view can extend for up to 140 miles in any direction, the most allowed by the earth's curvature.
Due to its remote location, it has proven to be one of the best areas for night time sky viewing. This is because very little man-made light is created in the region making it one of the darkest spots at night in the national park system.
The Geocache Notification Form has been submitted to The Glacial Drumlin Trail office in Lake Mills, of
the Wisconsin DNR. Geocaches placed on Wisconsin Department of Natural Resource managed lands require permission by means of a notification form. Please print out a paper copy of the notification form, fill in all required information, then submit it to the land manager. The DNR Notification form and land manager information can be obtained at: http://www.wi-geocaching.com/hiding