57 lines
3.4 KiB
Markdown
57 lines
3.4 KiB
Markdown
# A Peaceful Glimpse Into The Great Basin
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This is the Great Basin, a land of contradictions: it's flat and rugged, hot and
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cold, forest, marsh, and desert. The valleys, mountains, natural lakes, playas,
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salt flats, volcanic activity, and more combine to form a place that, in my
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opinion, is indescribably beautiful and fun to explore. It's sparsely populated,
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with vast stretches of untrammeled wilderness. Seemingly in the middle of
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nowhere, one can find many unpaved roads and trails to explore, however you will
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not find very many developed hiking trails outside of the more popular areas. I
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have hiked on jeep roads my car wasn't hardy enough to traverse.
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A little background on what basin and range topography means goes a long way in
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understanding and appreciating the landscapes of Nevada and western Utah. [This
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very informative video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Owjt_WJKrBo) helps
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illustrate how these lands formed, I highly recommend watching it. [The
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Wikipedia page for The Great Basin](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Basin)
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is another great place to learn more. Finally, [this page at
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birdandhike.com](https://www.birdandhike.com/Areas/BasinRange_Area/_BasinRange_Area.htm)
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is honestly a better overview of this place than I can give. But, I did take
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some pictures too!
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Entering from the east along Mail Summit Road raises you from the valley into
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the pinyon/juniper forests of the Seaman mountain range. Following the road will
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bring you down into the vast Coal Valley, a dry, sagebrush-laden basin. The
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valleys in the monument are pristine, with little variations like hills or
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ridges between the mountain ranges. There are 3 such named ranges that make up
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the monument, the eastern Seaman range, the western Quinn Canyon range, and the
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central Golden Gate range, with Coal Valley to it's east and Garden Valley to
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the west. The Quinn Canyon range is the highest, and features snowy caps in my
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photos.
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Thanks to the [map provided by Bird &
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Hike](https://www.birdandhike.com/Hike/BasinRange/Camps-BR/_BR-Camps/_BR_camps.htm),
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I found some scenic campsites, and one that was not on this map. My favorite
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was the "GV Crags" site, with a cool rock outcropping and a trail that leads up
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to the Golden Gate range (however it doesn't go to any high peaks, but does go
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high enough to reach the forest)
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Drives through the valleys, along the bases of the mountain ranges, and nights
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under the stars here are great. It's very peaceful and I saw very very few other
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people here. There are a couple of small ranches within the monument's borders,
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but they do not intrude on the views or solitude. Of particular note would be
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[City by Michael Heizer](http://www.tripleaughtfoundation.org/), which is not
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available outside of a scheduled tour, but it is located here.
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Also present in the monument are petroglyphs, but ancient rock art kind of gives
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me the creeps when I look at it, so I did not explore those areas. The Bird &
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Hike website goes into details about those.
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This is an area that begs further exploration on my part and I will be returning
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when I have the time. I would like to do more hiking, and take more photos in
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the forests. My first visits, I did not stray terribly far from my campsites,
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and I will do more exploring on foot next time. Enjoy the photos! And don't
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forget to check out [the overview on Bird &
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Hike](https://www.birdandhike.com/Hike/BasinRange/_B-R_Over/_BasinRange_Over.htm)
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if you want to see and learn more.
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