Great Basin Visitor Center - Desert Shrub (Stop 1)

The Great Basin Visitor Center serves as the first point of contact for many visitors to Great Basin

NPS Photo

Quick Facts

Amenities

13 listed

Accessible Rooms, Automated Entrance, Benches/Seating, Gifts/Souvenirs/Books, Historical/Interpretive Information/Exhibits, Information - Ranger/Staff Member Present, Information Kiosk/Bulletin Board, Parking - Auto, Parking - Boat Trailer, Parking - Bus/RV, Restroom - Accessible, Theater/Auditorium, Wheelchair Accessible

The first stop on the drive up to Wheeler Peak is the Great Basin Visitor Center, which sits within the Desert Shrub life zone.

Down here in Snake Valley it is hot, dry, and salty. This makes for a tough life for plants. The only things that can make it down here are hardy shrubs like shadscale, saltbush, and rabbitbrush. Specialized animals can thrive in this environment, including kangaroo rats and pronghorn antelope.

Take a walk through the desert landscape that surrounds the visitor center to truly appreciate this harsh environment. Then, go inside the Great Basin Visitor Center and enjoy all the displays which will prepare you for the sights you’ll see as you journey up the Wheeler Peak Scenic Drive.