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Great Basin National Park Lehman Caves Tours
Lehman Caves is a beautiful marble cave ornately decorated with stalactites, stalagmites, helictites, flowstone, popcorn, and over 300 rare shield formations.
Lehman Caves may only be entered with a guided tour. Cave tours are offered daily, year round, except for Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, and New Year's Day. Park rangers lead all tours, explaining the history, ecology, and geology of the caves.
Cave tours are 60 or 90 minutes long. The 60 minute tour travels 0.4 miles, and is ideal for families with young children.
The 90 minute tour, which is 0.54 miles in length, views three additional rooms and includes the Grand Palace, home of the famous Parachute Shield. Children must be at least 5 years old to accompany the 90 minute cave tour.
Cave tours are limited to 20 persons and often sell out in the summer.
Tickets are required for cave tours, and may be purchased two ways:
In person at the Lehman Caves Visitor Center on arrival.
In advance (strongly recommended) by phone at (775) 234-7331 x 242, between the hours of 9:00am to 4:00pm Pacific Time, Monday through Friday.
If you get a voicemail box, please leave a message and we will call you back as soon as possible.
Visitors may purchase tickets in person or by phone up to 30 days in advance. Tickets cannot be purchased by phone on the the day of the tour - they may be purchased in person only. All tickets must be paid for at the time of purchase. Major credit cards are accepted for phone orders. All advance sales are final, so please plan carefully.
Advance tickets must be picked up at the Lehman Caves Visitor Center at least 15 minutes prior to tour time, at which time unclaimed tickets will go on sale to walk-in customers. Golden Age/Golden Access cards must be presented to be eligible for a discount. Unclaimed tickets will not be refunded.
Because cave tour fees are not entrance fees, they are not covered by America the Beautiful annual passes. Golden Age and Golden Access cardholders are entitled to a discount. Please note that discounts are for the cardholder only, and will not cover additional family members.
The elevation at the cave entrance is 6,825ft (2080m). The temperature in the cave is a constant 50 F (10 C) year round so a light jacket is recommended. Please wear shoes with good traction as trails may be wet and slippery. Children under 16 must be accompanied by an adult.
The only items visitors may bring in the cave with them is a (hand-held) camera, jacket and flashlight. All other items, including purses, backpacks, strollers, tripods, camera bags, food, water, tobacco, gum, and pets are not allowed.
Handheld cameras are allowed on regular cave tours. The guide may dictate when and where photographs are allowed.
For amateurs and professionals interested in cave photo oppportunities, an After Hours Cave Photography tour can be arranged. Advance reservations and a special use permit, with associated fees, is required.
To arrange tours for school groups, please contact the park Education Coordinator via e-mail, or call (775) 234-7331 x 209.
Bus tours must call at least two weeks in advance.
Brief tours of the first room of the cave, the Gothic Palace, are available for those unable to negotiate the stairs and narrow passageways of the tour route. Participants join the first 30 minutes of a regular tour, and are escorted out of the cave by a ranger. Another friend or family member must be available to assist visitors in non-motorized wheelchairs.
Please be advised that wheelchairs are not available at the park. First room tours may not be available on every tour, depending on staffing levels.
Maine ocean islands provide the only nesting sites for Atlantic puffins in the United States. Eastern Egg Rock in the midcoast region, Seal Island and Matinicus Rock at the mouth of Penobscot Bay, and Machias Seal Island and Petit Manan Island off the downeast coast provide habitat for more than 4,000 puffins each summer.