Baker, Nevada
Cascade Canyon — Wheeler Peak
Nevada's alpine secret: a glacier-carved cirque under Wheeler Peak.
- Difficulty
- Moderate
- Length
- 3.7 mi
- Elevation Gain
- 1,200 ft
- Duration
- 2–4
- Best Season
- Jul–Oct
- Permit
- Not required
- Dogs
- Allowed
- Features
- Glacier cirque, Bristlecone pines
About the trail
Most people driving through eastern Nevada never look up from the highway, which is how Great Basin National Park stayed a secret. Cascade Canyon climbs from the Wheeler Creek campgrounds into a hanging glacier cirque beneath Wheeler Peak (13,063 ft), the second-highest summit in the state. The trail passes ancient bristlecone pines, a grove of 3,000-year-old specimens, and meadows that erupt with wildflowers in July.
Trailhead map & directions
Trailhead: 38.9833, -114.3167Get directions →
Turn-by-turn route
- Park at the Wheeler Camp campground on the Great Basin Highway.
- Follow the Wheeler Peak Trail up through sage and pine.
- Pass the Bristlecone Grove side trail on the left.
- Climb into the glacier cirque below Wheeler Peak's north face.
- Turn back at the moraine or continue toward the summit. Total: 3.7 miles.
Parking
Wheeler Camp campground lot — free, high elevation (9,000 ft), and rarely full even in summer.
Tips from the trail
- You are above 9,000 feet — altitude sickness is common for lowlanders.
- Afternoon lightning is routine; start early.
- The bristlecone grove is protected — stay on boardwalks.
- Snow closes the canyon into July.