Great Basin's campgrounds close one by one from November 5, and Lower Lehman Creek is the only one open all winter

If you are heading to Great Basin National Park this winter, plan on one campground: Lower Lehman Creek. The park says it is the only campground open year-round. The rest close over the next five weeks, and none of them has water. Checked October 28, 2026.

What closed, and what closes next

On October 27 the park posted that Wheeler Peak Scenic Drive is closed to vehicles at the Wheeler Peak Summit Trailhead for winter. Wheeler Peak Campground, near the top of that road, has been closed since September 30.

The park’s own campground data lists the rest of the schedule:

• Dump station: closed October 18 to May 28, 2027.
• Snake Creek primitive sites (free): closed November 5 to May 1.
• Grey Cliffs: closed November 6 to May 15.
• Baker Creek: closed November 10 to May 21.
• Upper Lehman Creek: closed December 3 to April 9.
• Lower Lehman Creek: open all year.

Treat those dates as plans, not promises. The conditions page says Wheeler Peak, Baker Creek, Upper Lehman Creek and Grey Cliffs can close for winter weather “potentially as early as September,” and if that happens, reservations are canceled and refunded. Baker Creek Road, Strawberry Creek Road and Snake Creek Road are all described as closed in winter. All three were listed open on October 27.

Lower Lehman Creek, plainly

It is reservation-only, like every developed campground in the park. The fee is $20 a night on Recreation.gov. The park lists six pull-through sites and a 40-foot limit for RVs and trailers. Toilets are vault toilets, open year-round. The listing says the campground is unstaffed, so have your confirmation saved on your phone before you arrive, because “many cellular providers will not work out here.” Generators run 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. only.

There is no drinking water. The park says water is unavailable in all campgrounds and available year-round at the Lehman Caves Visitor Center. The park says the dump station supplies water in summer and fall, and its campground data lists the dump station closed from October 18. That leaves the visitor center as the one fill point we can confirm for winter.

The catch

Some Recreation.gov text is out of date. The Grey Cliffs listing still says water is available at Baker Creek Campground. Baker Creek’s own listing and the park’s conditions page both say there is no potable water. Go by the conditions page, which was updated October 27.

There is no entrance fee at Great Basin, per the park’s fees page, so the $20 site fee is the whole cost of a night. We did not verify any dump station outside the park, so don’t count on one in Baker.

What to do

Fill your fresh tank and empty your gray and black before you get to Baker. The park does not say whether the visitor center tap can fill an RV tank, so carry containers if you plan to top up there. Book Lower Lehman Creek on Recreation.gov, and if you already hold a reservation at one of the other campgrounds for November, check the forecast and have a backup ready, because the park cancels when weather closes a campground. Check the conditions page before you drive: road status changes with each storm.

For camping outside the park, start with our Nevada free camping page and Nevada rest area rules. Whatever a website says, including this one, the posted sign and the park’s current guidance are the rule where you park. For how other campgrounds handle fall water shutoffs, see campground water shutoff dates.