Backpack Trail Guide

Trails / Nevada / Great Basin

Baker Lake and Johnson Lake Loop

Great Basin National Park (near Baker)

Great Basin National Park, in eastern Nevada near the Utah line, is home to Wheeler Peak and Lehman Caves, and to a backpacking loop that links two alpine lakes. The National Park Service lists the Baker and Johnson Lakes Loop at 11.7 miles with about 3,280 feet of climbing, starting at 8,020 feet, and rates it strenuous.

The loop can be done in a long day, but the park says it can also be a trip of one to 14 days with a free backcountry permit.

The hike

The loop starts at the Baker Creek Trailhead at the end of Baker Creek Road, a gravel road off Highway 488 near the Lehman Caves Visitor Center. The NPS describes the climb as passing through pine, fir, and aspen forest. Stav is Lost calls the Baker Lake Trail “a well-maintained trail with ample switchbacks,” and Noah Lang counts three crossings of Baker Creek on the way up. Backpacking Routes puts Baker Lake about 5.5 miles from the trailhead.

Baker Lake sits in a glacial cirque with bristlecone pines nearby, according to the NPS, which adds that snow “often lingers throughout the year on this beautiful lake’s rocky banks.” Noah Lang describes the lake as about 3 acres and fed mainly by snowmelt, so its level drops through the summer.

From Baker Lake, the route leaves good trail. Stav is Lost describes a social trail running south along the base of the ridge, then a steep, rocky, sometimes unclear climb to the saddle between Johnson Peak and Baker Peak. American Southwest puts the high point at 11,294 feet and warns that the slopes are loose and often unstable. Backpacking Routes calls the navigation “pretty simple,” with cairns marking a faint trail, but notes loose shale on the descent. The Outbound asks hikers to follow the cairns across the tundra to avoid trampling fragile plants.

Johnson Lake lies on the far side. American Southwest says tungsten was mined in the hills above the lake until 1935, when an avalanche damaged many of the buildings and the mine closed. Cabins, the Johnson Mill, a cookhouse, and part of an aerial tramway remain. The NPS asks visitors not to enter or disturb them.

The return descends past the mining relics. Backpacking Routes describes the Johnson Lake Trail, then the Timber Creek Trail back toward the trailhead, and says the second day has more tiring climbs than expected. American Southwest gives 4.9 miles for the Timber Creek option from the trailhead.

The park is home to mule deer and mountain lions but no bears, according to Noah Lang. For a remote overnight just north of the park, see Mount Moriah via Hendrys Creek.

Tips

Camping

The NPS requires a free backcountry permit to camp on this loop. There are no designated sites. Park rules say to camp at least 100 feet from lakes, streams, and springs, and from archaeological sites such as old mines and cabins; to keep camps at least a quarter mile apart and as far from trails as possible; to use mineral soil and avoid the treeless alpine zone; and to stay no more than 14 days. Groups are limited to 12 people. Fires are prohibited above 10,000 feet, including at Baker and Johnson Lakes, so bring a stove. Bury waste 4 to 6 inches deep, at least 100 feet from water and trails, and pack out toilet paper.

Inside Intel: The Outbound’s route page recommends camping at Baker Lake for its quiet, secluded feel and morning views; the writer shared the lake with only one other party on a weekend. Backpacking Routes’ Maggie Slepian found good spots at both Baker and Johnson Lakes. Either way, pitch at least 100 feet back from the water, as the park requires.

Trail facts

The Lowdown

Supper in a glacial cirque at 10,000 feet:

No fires are allowed at Baker or Johnson Lake, so dinner on this loop comes off a stove. See which backpacking meals testers keep coming back to.

See what testers chose →

Where this comes from

This page draws on the sources below, along with other guides and trip reports. Links go to the original pages.

Before you go: This page is based on published trail guides, trip reports, and reviews, along with official park and agency information where we could find it. It’s meant to help backpackers discover new trails, not to replace current, official information. Conditions, closures, permits, campsites, and water sources change, and some details here may be out of date or wrong. Confirm everything with the managing agency and check current conditions before you head out, and don’t rely on this page alone for safety or navigation. Backcountry travel involves risk.