Whether you live in Las Vegas or you are using Las Vegas as the launch pad for your trip (great idea!), there is a load of destinations within a four hour driving radius to have a wonderful two or three day excursion. As a duo of 9-5ers, we have made the most of our weekends and explored a lot of different places within driving distance. I am excited to share a few of my favorites, like St. George, Utah. 

Curious about more weekend road trip ideas? Check out the Rose Family picks for a good weekend trip to:
Joshua Tree, California
Death Valley, California
St. George, Utah

Great Basin National Park

This guide is a little different from the others, because I highly recommend backpacking and camping in the backcountry here. This park requires a drive down one of the least traveled roads in the continental United States. It is a drive you want to make sure you’re equipped with lots of caffeine, I’ll just say that. Perhaps a good audio book or a well-curated music playlist too.

Where to hike and camp

There are so many excellent areas to explore during the park, but I am going to recommend a hike up to Baker Lake, where you can camp overnight under a recognized dark sky, then head back to the car the next day or extend your stay.

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Baker Lake Trail
10.4 miles round trip (5.2 up on day one)
Elevation gain: 2,670 feet (all in the trip to the lake)
(Alltrails: https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/nevada/baker-lake-trail)

The trail follows closely with a nice stream and ends at Baker Lake — making this a great place to backpack if you have a good water filter. In a lot of camping spots around Las Vegas, filtering water is not always an option. Carrying your water is quite heavy.

Our current backpacking gear:

Hyperlite Southwest lightweight backpacking pack
Tarptent
Mountain Gear sleeping bags
Sea-to-Summit sleeping bag liners
Sea-to-Summit inflatable pillows
Therm-a-rest Neoair XLite sleeping bad
JetBoil and Fuel
Dehydrated dinner and breakfast (oatmeal+dried fruit)
Larabars
Picky Bars (Laird Foods)
Sea-to-Summit Spork
Hyperlite Food re-heating pack
Sawyer Water Filter
CNOC collapsible water bottles
Patagonia/Marmot Puffies
GoPro Camera
Black Diamond Head Lamp
Leki Trekking Poles
Altra Trail Running Shoes
Damn Tough Socks
REI folding camp chairs
ENO Hammock

HikingNational ParkNevadaWeekend Trip
By Hikes, Travel3 Comments on Check out Great Basin National Park!