Great hanging stalactites, towering stalagmites, shield-like formations, columns, soda straws made of calcium, mineralized curtains, mysterious pools - all of it underground - will be available to more visitors than usual this weekend at Great Basin National Park.
The park is adding tours of Lehman Caves, through Monday, said Superintendent Al Hendricks. The park is located just over the Nevada border on U.S. 6-50, west of Delta.To accommodate the rush of holiday visitors, tours are scheduled every half hour from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. PDT, he said. "Despite tours being offered at maximum frequency and capacity, tours typically sell out early each day of the holiday weekend."
Other facilities open at the national park, which is the country's newest, include the visitor center, 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Lehman Caves Gifts and Cafe, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.; and the Wheeler Peak Scenic Drive, which is always open.
"At the present time all campgrounds within the park are open except for the Wheel Peak Campground, which is situated 12 miles from the visitor center at almost 10,000 feet elevation," Hendricks said.