Camping near Baker, Nevada offers access to Great Basin National Park where elevations range from 6,200 feet to over 13,000 feet at Wheeler Peak. Campsites throughout the area vary significantly in terrain and amenities based on their elevation. Several campgrounds remain open year-round while higher elevation sites typically close from October through April due to snow accumulation.
What to do
Stargazing opportunities: Great Basin National Park is designated as an International Dark Sky Park. Upper Lehman Creek Campground provides exceptional night sky viewing with minimal light pollution. "We saw more stars than I've ever seen before. Lehman campground was pretty primitive and nothing special but was beautiful at night," notes one visitor to Lower Lehman Campground.
Cave exploration: The Lehman Caves tour requires advance reservations, especially during busy periods. "Lehman caves were amazing. Make sure you make reservations early and purchase your tickets for the tour of the caves before you get there. Several people that just showed up were not able to get tickets to go inside," reports a camper at Whispering Elms Motel, Campground, & RV Park.
Hiking options: Trails at higher elevations often have snow into late spring. One visitor to Grey Cliffs Campground observed, "The trails at the top of that drive are spectacular. The campground is not spectacular. They pretty well spaced, but there's no undergrowth, so privacy isn't that great. This is a great National Park that often gets forgotten."
What campers like
Creekside sites: Many campers prefer spots along Lehman Creek for the ambient sounds. "The site for the tent was right by the creek. It was quiet even though the spots weren't that far apart, and you feel like you're alone in a national park campsite," explains a visitor to Lower Lehman Campground.
Solitude and space: Less crowded conditions compared to other national parks. "Great Basin is a park you really want to go to in order to actually go to. Situated in the middle of Nevada, it features a sky island environment, rising from high desert scrub, to Aspen forests, and to above timberline scree," reports a camper at Lower Lehman Campground.
Free camping options: Sacramento Pass offers no-cost camping close to the park. "For this to be a free campground, it's really nice! Each site is an established site, with a covered picnic table & firepit. Each site is spaced out also. There's 2 bathrooms & a dumpster. Right above great basin national park," states a visitor to Sacramento Pass BLM Campground.
What you should know
Limited services: Baker has minimal facilities for supplies. "Very convenient for visiting Great Basin NP. Only option that had full hookups and allowed reservations (essential as we had our dog with us and wanted to be able to run AC, no dogs allowed on most of the trials in the NP). Nearest convenience store and gas station was 15 minutes away (Border Inn)," notes a camper at Whispering Elms Motel, Campground, & RV Park.
Weather considerations: Temperature variations can be extreme between day and night. "The weather was in the high 90s so we were so glad we had full hook-ups. We did not use the bathrooms so I have no comments about them," reports a Whispering Elms visitor.
Reservation strategies: Most campgrounds inside the park operate on first-come, first-served basis. "We had wanted to camp near to Great Basin National Park, but decided against trying for something in the part, as we did not want to boondock for that many days. The TINY town of Baker has two small RV parks, and Whispering Elms was our choice," explains one camper.
Tips for camping with families
Playground access: Some RV parks offer family-friendly amenities. "This place is great it has a pool, playground, so many family activities, a big grass area for the tent campers which is super cool, cabins available, propane refill station, amazing staff nice parking areas," explains a visitor to Ely KOA, located about 70 miles from Baker.
Dog-friendly areas: Limited pet access on park trails requires planning. "We also used this KOA as our midway point to dump and refill our water between campsites without water. The surprises for us: no pool (not that we wanted one), adorable neighbor goats, and two dog parks areas (one with grass). Our dog loved the dirt dog park," reports an Ely KOA camper.
Tent camping surfaces: Consider ground conditions when setting up tents. "The campsite was beautiful with lots of trees and snow covered mountain views. We had one next to the creek. Sites had enough spacing between them for privacy," notes a Lower Lehman Campground visitor.
Tips from RVers
RV site conditions: Many RV sites near Baker have basic dirt or gravel surfaces. "We are full-timers in a 36 ft Class A with a Cherokee Trailhawk tow. We stayed in site 11 for 5 days in early June, waiting for a package to be delivered to the Baker Post Office. The CG has 50A service with FHUs, sites are pretty level and most have a medium tree and picnic table," reports a visitor to Border Inn Casino & RV Park.
Connectivity considerations: Cell service varies significantly by location. "AT&T coverage was good, with 2 bars of 5G and speeds up to 7 MB/s. We had access all 3 western DISH satellites and Starlink had speeds up to 12 MB/s," notes a Border Inn Casino & RV Park camper.
Leveling challenges: Be prepared for uneven sites at certain campgrounds. "One issue to note is that most of parking pads are not very level (to help with snow melt) in the upper campground, so it made it quite challenging to level our little camper -- probably the most challenging over the past 6.5 years!" advises a visitor to Upper Lehman Creek Campground.
