Great Basin National Park
| Great Basin National Park | |
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IUCN category III (natural monument or feature)
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Bristlecone pine and Wheeler Peak
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| Location | White Pine County, Nevada, USA |
| Nearest city | Ely, Baker, Border |
| Coordinates | 39°00′21″N 114°13′11″W / 39.00581°N 114.21969°WCoordinates: 39°00′21″N 114°13′11″W / 39.00581°N 114.21969°W |
| Area | 77,180 acres (312.3 km2) |
| Established | October 27, 1986 |
| Visitors | 116,123 (in 2015) |
| Governing body | National Park Service |
| Website | Great Basin National Park |
 NPS.gov photos
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Johnson Lake Mine
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Great Basin National Park is a United States National Park located in White Pine County in east-central Nevada, near the Utah border. The park was established in 1986. It is most commonly accessed by way of Nevada State Route 488, which is connected to U.S. Routes 6 and 50 by Nevada State Route 487 via the small town of Baker, the closest settlement to the park.
The park derives its name from the Great Basin, the dry and mountainous region between the Sierra Nevada and the Wasatch Mountains. Topographically, this area is known as the Basin and Range Province. The park is located approximately 290 miles (470 km) north of Las Vegas and protects 77,180 acres (31,230 ha).
The park is notable for its groves of ancient bristlecone pines, the oldest known non-clonal organisms; and for the Lehman Caves at the base of 13,063-foot (3,982 m) Wheeler Peak. The peak is also home to Wheeler Peak Glacier, which despite claims is much further north than Mount Everest and the Himalaya glaciers, so is not the southernmost glacier in the northern hemisphere.
President Warren G. Harding created Lehman Caves National Monument by presidential proclamation on January 24, 1922. It was designated a national park on October 27, 1986. There are a number of developed campsites within the park, as well as excellent back country camping opportunities. Adjacent to Great Basin National Park lies the Highland Ridge Wilderness. These two protected areas provide contiguous wildlife habitat and protection to 227.8 square miles (590.0 km2) of eastern Nevada's basin lands.
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Wikipedia