Great Basin National Park

Great Basin is a national park in Nevada. It was founded in 1986 on an area of 312 ^km2. The park gave its name to the Great Basin, one of the driest areas of North America. Most precipitation occurs in winter and summer thunderstorms.

The park is famous for the Prometheus tree, the oldest tree on the planet, which grew near the forest border with Wheeler Peak Mountain. In 1964, a young graduate student found this tree and was able to cut it down in order to find out the age of the tree in scientific interests. Scientists have found out that the tree is more than 5,000 years old. One of the authors of scientific papers on Great Basin then remarked: "The oldest living being was killed in the name of science." Due to the public outcry that was raised at that time, the location of the ancient pines is kept secret.

There are 11 varieties of coniferous trees and about 800 plants, 61 representatives of mammals, 18 reptiles, and 238 species of birds growing in Great Basin. Aspens, white firs, wormwood, and quinoa predominate among the plants in the national park. The national park has an abundance of animals such as deer, ermines, rabbits, ground squirrels, chipmunks, coyotes, foxes, badgers, and mice live among the sagebrush. Mountain lions, lynxes, mountain squirrels and sheep can be found on the mountain slopes. A large number of trout are found in mountain rivers. Of the birds in the Great Basin, there are many hawks, tits, eagles, magpies, sparrows.

For travelers, there are 12 trails in the park, ranging in length from 0.5 to 21 km. Some trails are very difficult for inexperienced travelers, as they will have to climb the highlands. But most of the routes are not atk heavy and usually end in a tent camp. Approximately 90,000 tourists visit the park every year.