September 7 - September 14
The Great Basin: Desert Oases to Montane Specialties
Would you like to learn more about our newest ecotour? Join us on February 10 for a free informational webinar!
The Great Basin Desert spans six states, including most of Nevada and half of Utah, at an elevation range of 4,200 feet to above 13,000 feet. It’s dry, hot summers lead into cold, snowy winters where every drop of water that falls never reaches an ocean, thus making it a “basin.”
Nevada alone has over 300 mountain ranges with pinyon-juniper woodlands that drop into valleys that are a part of the “Sagebrush Sea” with salty playas and alkaline lakes. This topography creates a variety of unique habitats that makes for interesting exploration and a Nevada state list at 491 bird species.
Our trip will start by exploring the largest saltwater lake in North America, the Great Salt Lake. Every fall, 2.5 to 5.5 million Eared Grebes can be found on the lake where they can literally appear to be everywhere you look at times. We will also be catching the downward trend of migrating Wilson’s Phalaropes. Over one-third of the global population uses the Great Salt Lake as staging ground to fatten up on brine flies before moving further south. Millions of shorebirds and waterfowl use the Great Salt Lake, and we may catch a Swainson’s Hawk before it migrates to South America or possibly a Burrowing Owl alongside the roads.
As we venture west into Nevada, a trip to the least visited of all the National Parks, Great Basin, will bring some of the darkest night skies in the United States. Venturing into the South Snake Mountains, we will take a hike to see the oldest trees in the world, Bristlecone Pines and a tour of Nevada’s longest cave system, Lehman Caves. Along the way, we may spot American Three-toed Woodpecker, Woodhouse’s Scrub-Jay, Red Crossbill, and Black Rosy-Finch.
As we explore mountain ranges of the Great Basin, three ungulates are possible: Pronghorn, Elk, and Bighorn Sheep. Birds we may come across include Prairie Falcon, Golden Eagle, Rock Wren, and Greater Sage-Grouse and Mustangs may roam some of the valleys. In the Ruby Mountains, we will explore the beautiful Lamoille Canyon, the “Yosemite of Nevada,” with an early morning hike to Island Lake to search for the introduced Himalayan Snowcock. Lamoille Canyon could also turn up Dusky Grouse, White-throated Swift, and Clark’s Nutcracker.
On our way back to Salt Lake City, we will stop at the 30,000-acre Bonneville Salt Flats. Many of the world land speed records were set on the flat, salty crust that can be anywhere from a few inches to five feet thick.
Travel with us to the breathtaking Great Basin!
The Great Basin Desert spans six states and is a part of the “Sagebrush Sea.” The Great Salt Lake hosts millions of Eared Grebes, as well as one-third of all Wilson’s Phalaropes. In Great Basin National Park, we will visit a grove of Bristlecone Pines, the oldest trees in the world, while searching for American Three-toed Woodpecker, Red Crossbill, and Black Rosy-Finch. Lamoille Canyon in the Ruby Mountains, the “Yosemite of Nevada,” will bring chances of Himalayan Snowcock (the only place to find this bird in the United States!) and Dusky Grouse.
Register!
Himalayan Snowcock, photo by Imran Shah
Eared Grebes, photo by Kirst King Jones/Audubon Photography Awards
Bristlecone Pine, by Laura Camp
Woodhouse's Scrub Jay, photo by Corey Raffel/Audubon Photography Awards
Black Rosy-finch, photo by Tara Lemezis
Lamoille Canyon, photo by Tom Hilton
Pronghorn, photo by Evan Barrientos
Dusky Grouse, photo by Justin Griggs
Red Crossbill, photo by John Welch/Audubon Photography Awards
Bonneville Salt Flats, photo by Tom Kelly
Accessibility
Distance: Most days will feature several hikes of up to 1-2 miles. There will be two longer hikes: Bristlecone Pine Grove in Great Basin National Park will be 3 miles roundtrip with 500 feet of elevation gain and Island Lake in the Ruby Mountains to see Himalayan Snowcock is 3.6 miles roundtrip with an elevation gain of 915 feet.
Elevation changes: Besides our two longer hikes, some hikes will have moderate elevation changes, but none of our hikes will be considered arduous. We will adjust walks to suit the weather and group.
Trail: Most of our trails will be wide and paved or small single-track trails with fine gravel covering them.
Pacing: Slow
Rest Stops: The leaders will try to provide rest stops, when possible, but not all trails will have suitable benches, etc.
Sun Exposure: Participants should expect several hours of full sun every day. While the leaders will try to break up and limit sun exposure, when possible, participants must come prepared with proper sun protection.
Amenities: Typically, leaders will try to provide formal bathroom stops every two hours.
Trip Details
- Trip Leaders: Kirk Hardie and Tara Lemezis
- Dates: September 7-14 2025
- Register for this trip before March 15 to receive $200 off on this brand-new ecotour!
Fee: $3,195 members/$3,795 non-members
Fee: $2,995 members/$3,395 non-members *this is the sale fee until March 15, 2025 - Single supplement: $700
- Deposit: $1400
- Group size: Limited to 12 participants
- Fee Includes: What is included: Ground transportation, 7-nights double-occupancy lodging, entrance fees for planned activities, breakfast, lunch, SOME dinners (at Great Basin NP), and the services of your leaders.
- Fee Does Not Include: Some dinners, alcoholic beverages and airfare.
