Length: 2.7 miles, round trip

Elevation change: 600 feet

Difficulty: Easy

Type: Loop

Usage: Medium

Season: Late spring, summer and early fall, since the access road is closed by snow at other times

Trailhead: Parking area near the end of the scenic drive

Rating (1-5): ★★★★★

The 2.7 mile Alpine Lakes Loop is the shortest of the main hiking trails in Great Basin National Park, and not at all difficult, climbing a little way up the northern slopes of Wheeler Peak through a mix of meadows and light woodland, passing two small, sheltered lakes within glacial cirques, at the foot of much steeper hillsides.

Stella Lake is the largest, and has the best views, southwards to the high summits, while the smaller Teresa Lake is more enclosed, though also prettier, containing turquoise, glacial water and lined by more vegetation. The trail crosses the exit streams from the lakes several times, flowing through generally dry woodland, but lined in many stretches by a good variety of wildflowers, including such riparian species as Sierra shooting star, Parry's primrose, brook saxifrage and white bog orchid. Both lakes are named after early settlers of this region.

Teresa Lake

The hike can be extended, up to 6.7 miles round trip, by the linked Bristlecone and Glacier Trail, which traverses a wooded slope and leads up a spectacular glacial valley directly below Wheeler Peak, past a grove of bristlecone pines to the base of a permanent snowfield.

Location

Map of Great Basin National Park.

Alpine Lakes Trailhead

The Alpine Lakes Loop begins near the upper end of the scenic drive, shortly before Wheeler Peak campground, at elevation 9,960 feet; parking is a spacious lot in a clearing in the upper reaches of the valley of Lehman Creek, which is fed by the two lakes. The parking area is entirely enclosed by trees but the forest opens out in and around the campground, allowing good views of the mountains.

Stony shoreline along the east side of Stella Lake

Trail through the woods, descending towards Teresa Lake

Stella Lake

The trail first crosses the stream, here bordered by clumps of shooting stars, passes the junction with the 0.4 mile (loop), wheelchair-accessible Sky Islands Forest Trail, then arrives a second junction, at the start of the main loop. Turning right, the path returns to the stream, crosses via a footbridge to the north side and rises through gradually more open woodland, initially straight followed by one switchback, where gaps in the trees allow the first views of the peaks. The trees change from spruce and pine to aspen in the vicinity of another junction, along the path to the Wheeler Peak summit, which starts from an alternative trailhead a little way back along the road. Ahead is a long, dry meadow where the summit path forks off, then the first lake (Stella) is reached soon after, lined by unvegetated, stony flats and bordered to the east by a steep, sparsely-wooded slope.

The narrow outlet stream of Teresa Lake - a tributary of Lehman Creek

Long, level meadow, flanked by sparse woodland

Teresa Lake

South of Stella Lake the path crosses over a slight rise, within sight of rocky slopes to the right, and proceeds through dry, level woodland before descending to a tiny, spring-fed stream, which provides some of the water of the next lake, Teresa. Parry's primrose grows profusely on the streambanks. The water in the lake is cloudy, turquoise in color, unlike the clear water of Stella Lake. The trail follows the eastern shoreline, descends a dry rock gully on the far side to the final junction, with the path to the glacial valley. Ahead, the last part of the loop descends more steeply through darker, moister woods with bigger trees, crosses the Teresa Lake exit stream a couple of times and returns to the junction near the parking area.