A Surprising Sky Island

Yesterday, after several hundred miles of sagebrush, my wanderings took me close to Great Basin National Park in eastern Nevada. Having never been here, and having several hours of spare time, I decided to take a look. This is the view I saw upon entering the park. Here I'm at about 6500 feet elevation, looking at Wheeler Peak, another 6500 feet up. Let's go see what's up there...




Well, the top pic doesn't show it, but I saw several bands of gold up in the mountains from below. Sure enough, the aspen were peaking! Just a few miles away from endless sagebrush, Great Basin NP is an island in the sky, sheltering forests of pine, fir, spruce, and aspen. During the ice age, 15 thousand years ago, the area's climate was colder and wetter, and these trees lived on the valley floors. But as the weather warmed and dried after the ice age ended, the trees...and a lot of other plants and animals...were forced to retreat up into the surrounding mountains. Today they remain there, isolated from similar mountain habitats by miles of sagebrush flats. For naturalists, these sky islands are especially fascinating because they harbor many endemic species. Golden aspen don't fit into that category, but they sure are beautiful!



There are quite a few red aspen in the park. Yesterday, it was just fabulous; crisp, clear air, cruisin' with the top down, breathtaking beauty. Great Basin is a gem! About 80 thousand people visit this park annually, compared with 4 to 8 million at the famous parks such as Yosemite, Yellowstone, and Great Smoky. And you know what? It's just as beautiful here as anywhere! I'll be back soon to engage in further exploration.





Up close, a photo of the aspen looks like something Van Gogh...or maybe Jackson Pollock...would paint. Great Basin is fabulous!! Joe Bob says check it out. Check out the following post for more surprises!