As a young boy, I saw the 1959 movie, Journey to the Center of the Earth.  Pardon the pun, but it made a deep impression on me. There were fantastic scenes of caves and caverns, of shadows, weird rock formations, spooky corners and tight spaces.

Later, as an adult, I was able to visit a place like that.  I wouldn’t say it was deep in the Earth. It wasn’t a mine or anything like that.  But it reminded me a lot of the movie. It was in the Nevada desert, just across the border from Utah.  It was: Lehman Caves.

Lehman Caves Visitor Center
Photo – FAMartin (Jan 2015)

I didn’t find out about Lehman Caves until I had children of my own. We looked for a field trip, a diversion for the kids that wouldn’t take too long. In fact, if it could be done in one day, then so much the better. Lehman Caves are in the the foothills of Mt. Wheeler, a mountain over 13,000 feet in Nevada’s Great Basin National Park.

Near the Entrance to Lehman Caves
Photo – Wikimedia Commons

It takes about three and a half hours to drive from Salt Lake City to the caves. Even closer from the Provo area. The drive down the I-15 corridor has its own beautiful views. The Wasatch Mountains (Mt. Nebo) border on the left (East).

SLC to Lehman Caves via Nephi
Source: Google Maps

There are backroads down to Lehman Caves (i.e. through Eureka’s old tintic mining district, past the Little Sahara sand dunes, beyond the town of Lynndyl, then Delta, on to Baker, and finally the Lehman Caves Visitor Center). The route through Nephi is probably the best. (It’s less two-way traffic than the “back way.”) Farms give way to ranches. Ranches give way to open wilderness.

Out here there are deer, prairie dogs (protected under the Endangered Species Act), coyotes, pheasant, sage grouse, hawks, eagles, and so much more. It’s not Old West Utah out here, but it is old Utah. For example, when passing through Leamington (between Nephi and Lynndyl) there are remnants of a gas station on the south side of the highway. The old gas pumps and storefront look like something from…the 1940’s-60’s.

Leamington – On the Way to Lehman Caves
Photo – Calvin Jones (Dec 2013)

Continuing west out of Delta you pass by another historic area. This one, too, deserves an article of its own: Topaz Relocation Center. There’s a new museum that shares the history of the “Topaz Mountain Internment Camp.” That or an online search will reward your curiosity. (Start your search here.) The history is both tragic and instructive.

The Topaz Relocation Center Museum in Delta
Photo – FRLambrechtsen (2018)

Personally, I find the next part of the trip, a long stretch through some desert and rugged mountains, to be peaceful and beautiful. Between Delta and the Confusion Mountains near the border with Nevada sits a prehistoric water basin: Sevier Lake. During periods of drought, the lake is mostly dry. After heavy winter snows and spring storms, I’ve seen Sevier Lake with the water level up near Highway 6. Soon you’re through the Confusion Range and heading nearly due west down into Nevada’s Great Basin.

Sevier Lake, Utah – Between Delta and Lehman Caves
Photo – Ken Lund (May 2012)

At the Utah/Nevada border there’s a gas station. The last time I went to Lehman Caves, the gas station also had a motel with it. Looking around you might ask, “Why?” We need to remember that Great Basin National Park, especially Wheeler Peak, has been designated an International Dark Sky Park. The calm desert air, high mountains, and little or no light pollution make for amazing star gazing. Out here the disk of stars we know as the Milky Way is bright and dense in the night sky. For those not wanting to stay in the campgrounds on Mt. Wheeler above Lehman Caves, the motel (and other lodging in nearby Baker) is a welcome alternative.

Highway 6 at the Utah/Nevada Border
Photo – FRLambrechtsen

Dark Sky Poster – Great Basin National Park
Image – NPS.gov

The Night Sky above Lehman Caves
Photo – darksky.org

I’ve said a lot about the journey out to Lehman Caves. That’s okay. The journey out is a big part of the memory-making on a field trip like this. Because a picture is really worth a thousand words, I’ll wind down with some shots of the caves.

Park Service Entrance to Lehman Caves
Photo – FAMartin (Jan 2015)

Inside Lehman Caves
Photo – FAMartin – (Jan 2015)

Inside Lehman Caves
Photo – FAMartin – (Jan 2015)

Inside Lehman Caves
Photo – FAMartin – (Jan 2015)

Salt Lake City isn’t the only starting point to get out to Lehman Caves. The distances are probably a little longer, but you could come down from Wendover, Nevada, or up from Las Vegas. Regardless, for a great fun weekend or even a quick one-day trip, consider exploring – under Earth and Heavan – at Lehman Caves.

Note: Park rangers take guided tours down into the caves. The tours can fill up quickly, to avoid any hassles, look into making reservations here.