Great Basin, Nevada & Cedar Breaks, Utah

From Idaho, we headed south to see Great Basin National Park in Nevada, Cedar Breaks National Monument in Utah, then Las Vegas.

Great Basin National Park

The drive to Great Basin was peaceful, scenic, and remote. We crossed multiple small mountain ranges that had 15 miles of valley between each one.

There were not many people in the area other than a few cattle ranches. It’s hard to imagine living in an area without neighbors for over 20 miles on either side. We had grown accustomed to 20 feet on either side at RV parks. The night skies were uncluttered by lights.

The park is about 77,180 acres in size. Mount Wheeler is 13,000 feet high.

The aspen were in peak fall foliage and lined a hiking trail that we took to over 11,000 feet. We hardly noticed how short of breath we were while hiking because the aspen with Mt. Wheeler and the blue skies in the background were so stunning.

Cedar Breaks National Monument

Cedar Breaks was made a National Monument in 1933. We attempted to visit here last spring, but the road was still closed from snow. The rim of the amphitheater is at 10,000 feet elevation. There was a hiking trail along part of the rim.

Similar to Bryce Canyon, the eroded hoodoos have brilliant colors of reds, oranges, and yellows.

Aspen were in peak fall color.

A hawk with yellow aspen in the background. Nearby was the Brian Head ski resort. Unfortunately, it was between seasons, so no restaurants were open. There were sheep grazing the hillsides, giving Jake a chance to watch them up close.

Las Vegas

We stayed at the Las Vegas RV Resort. It’s a very nice property with 5 pools and hot tubs. Overall, we enjoyed our stay, but it was a bit pricey. The best part was internet fast enough to surf Netflix every night.

My sister Terri is an amazing artist. We love all of the pieces she has done and were fortunate to had some hang in our house. She incorporates organic materials like flowers, leaves and pomegranates into her paintings.