Great Basin tips?

No precisely there but maybe Great Basin adjacent? Bristlecone pines on White Mtn. Unique as they are thousands of years old and grow in a spectacular high alpine setting.

www.bishopvisitor.com/activities/bristlecone-forest/


ETA: ah, wrong side of the state....
home.nps.gov/grba/planyourvisit/directions.htm

I'm recalling my favorite trip in Nevada: driving Hwy 50, across state. It's (was?) the "Loneliest Road in America" and I loved it!

I had the sense of being one of the first people to cross just after the Ice Age, fully expecting to come across prehistoric beasts foraging! The views in any direction were devoid of any indication that there were any other humans on this planet. Sunny weather but distant virga and even snow falling on distant peaks of the basin and range topography. It was beautiful.

Here are some Google terms to search;

Nevada Hwy 50 map ( a page of hits with highlights of the road)

Nevada Ruby Mountains (a surprising high-mountain range worth knowing about)

Sunset magazine suggests a three-day trip with points of interest:

Timelapse ( a curious video of the drive shown in nine minutes! Spoiler: it looks like it isn't so lonely anymore)

Nevada Bristlecone Pines (A first place to look as you enter Nevada from the east)

Be advised: it's 300+ miles and maybe only one or two gas stations. It's worth the drive.

Do not know if the trail has reopened but the Lexington Arch was pretty cool.

The access road and trailhead were closed after a wildfire a few years ago, preventing soil disturbance until recovery.

I'm headed to Nevada in July! GBNP is nice - went into Lehman Caves which is pretty. Eureka & Austin are towns on U.S. 50, Ely not far from GBNP, then Fallon on the west side - to Carson City, finally on to Lake Tahoe!

Exactly. US 50 glommed the title for publicity, but 6 has always been lonelier. On 50, there is reliable gas in Ely and Fallon as noted, and I'm pretty sure the stations in Austin and Eureka pump 24/7, though I won't swear to it. There is official camping at GBNP, Bob Scott, and Hickison Petroglyphs (worth stopping to take a look at), but there is also legal unofficial camping atop pretty much each pass as you cross the ranges. Carry your own water. Or if you need a shower, the KOA in Ely actually has decent tent sites. The RV parks in Fallon are gawdawful for tenters; go on to the Sierra.

In GBNP: I will second the recommendation of car-camping and hiking. We finally climbed Wheeler Peak last summer, and it was good. From the same TH or nearby there is also a loop through the bristlecones. The caves are also good, with 60 and 90 minute tours. There are "low" and high campgrounds; the lowest is just below 8000' and the highest at the TH to the bristlecones and Wheeler Peak, something like 10,000'+.

Here's a possible approach: blow in mid-day and nab a site at one of the 3 lower campgrounds, and an afternoon cave tour (I think you may be able to reserve by phone? Look into it--depending on day of the week etc. they aren't always available at the last minute). It will be hot out, so that will be a nice place for the afternoon. Second day, move camp up to the high campground (you'll be in a position to get a site before they fill, something we've never managed). Hike the bristlecone forest in the late afternoon, or even the a.m. if you are fast enough getting up there (or aren't into photography and don't care if the light is good). It's high enough the heat will be okay, and you can spend the day doing a little acclimatizing. Next morning, hit the peak trail early, so you beat the crowds and can enjoy the good light. Assuming you start early and are reasonably brisk, you'll be back down by mid-day (it's an 8 or 9 mile RT but a substantial climb). Pick up an ice-cream cookie sandwich at the Visitor's Center as a reward and continue west.

Reading these "updated" tips on Hwy 50 makes me think I really hit it right to drive it 15+ years ago! That drive is one of my favorite mental videos because it was so lonely that day! I had been in Tucson for their Mariachi event. It was 100°, I was loving it. I decided to drive home by heading up into Utah for a visit to Bryce, but as I went farher north, the weather was changing, and when I got to Wheeler Peak the snow was changing my plan!

Driving off across Nevada was my option, and it was a wonderful experience. Beautiful wild landscape with clear air and unspoiled views of the rolling basin and range topography, with distant snowy Sierra ahead as my goal. A wonderful day.

I notice that @aliasgrace79 has not returned even once to see if she has any replies! I hope she does eventually find the help. And whatever road she chooses, I hope her cross-country drive is as memorable.