Enter the Lehman Caves, and you’ll step into a dazzling and seemingly endless array of stalactites, stalagmites, and helictites reaching down from above and up from below. In total, the cave’s delicate ecosystem is home to over 300 rare rock and shield formations, as well as a number of small bugs and animals, including multiple species of bat, as well as spiders, pseudoscorpions, and pack rats.
When you look from the outside at the mountains of Great Basin National Park, you might never guess that miles of cavernous chambers rest within. Once you enter the cave system, which involves rappelling down through a small tunnel, you’ll find yourself in a dark, damp, and sterile space, with the weight of an entire mountain looming above.
The Lehman Caves became a National Monument in 1922, and were integrated into the National Park system in 1986. The caves were discovered in the late 1880s, and there is evidence that they were once used as a burial site for Indian tribes. In the following decades, the natural wonder suffered from many instances of careless human exposure. You can still see graffiti tarnishing some of the cave walls in the aptly named Inscription Room. Some of the signatures are written in charcoal, while others are burned into the stone itself.
One of Lehman’s most eye-catching features is the Parachute, an enormous shield in the “Grand Palace” that hangs about 20 feet off the ground. Shields are formations that grow out of cracks in the wall that flow with calcium carbonate-infused water, creating a clam-like shape.
The caves can only be accessed through guided tours led by park rangers, which are offered year-round except for major holidays, and allow you to explore the interior of spaces such as the Gothic Palace and Music Room. For a full overview of the geological site, check out Lehman Caves...Its Human History: From the Beginning through 1965, published by the National Park Service.
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