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| The road to Great Basin National Park |
On the Road Again......
Day 6 brought yet another day trip from our starting point of St. George, UT. This day trip was even longer than the one to Capitol Reef. We were heading to Great Basin National Park.
Again, we got a very early start to the day, checked out of the Hampton Inn, gassed up the car, filled up on snacks and drinks for our very long day ahead. We had done some research on Great Basin and the theme that we were finding that it was in the "middle of no where" so we tried to plan ahead for this. I am not sure that we were still ready for what we encountered!
The Middle of Nowhere
I would have to agree with all the reviewers and information sites that I read before heading to Great Basin. This park truly is in the middle of nowhere! We were on a decent roadway the entire time we driving to and from the park but there was absolutely no cell service and no amenities. Make sure you plan accordingly for your trip here. If your vehicle broke down it could be a long time before you got back to civilization!
As we continued on our way we drove through very windy, hills. We would see signs on the side of the road that simply said "COW". Sure enough, 9 times out of 10 there would be a cow or cows sitting next to the sign....oftentimes in the middle of the roadway. This is an open range area and since there is so little around it is very easy to drive rather quickly. Be careful on this section of roadway because cows literally sit in the road and you come up on them fast!
We then drove though a very large valley...you could see forever. There were dust tornados in the fields around us and very large mountains looming in the distance. It was actually quite beautiful and interesting. (Far better than the drive after we left the park!) About 45 minutes outside of the park, you will run across the small town of Milford which has a Chevron and a Subway. Stop there and make sure you have enough gas and snacks to get you by for awhile.
Great Basin National Park
So after a 4.5 hour drive to the park, we finally arrived. Once we arrived I have to say that we were rather disappointed with what we found. Of all of the parks that we visited on this vacation, this was our least favorite. I guess it is inevitable to run into a dud every now and then when you travel. That being said, let me tell you what there is to do at this park. There is a very large Visitor's Center with informative movies, displays, gift shop and dining area. Restroom facilities are nice and the rangers are very friendly. We joked that they must be happy just to see people!
There are two main attractions in this park. There is a cave that you can tour (tickets can be purchased at the Visitor's Center) and there is a mountain you can drive up to see the views. Unfortunately we had not packed any clothes that would have worked for the cave (50 degree temps year round). I have read mixed reviews of the cave at Great Basin. Most people really seem to enjoy the tour while others indicate that the cave is a bit in disrepair. You would have to weigh your options and your time to see if this tour would be something that would interest you.
The second main attraction is Wheeler's Peak. It is a large snow covered mountain in the middle of the park. Make sure that if you can plan the timing of your trip that you time it for after snowy season when the road is open to the top. We were there in the middle of May and the road was only open to the lower observation level so this didn't allow us very much access. I will say that the facilities at the observation area were very well maintained and much better than many of the national parks.
So basically we stopped at the Visitor's Center, took a look around, went a short way up Wheeler's Peak, ate our sandwich by the Visitor's Center and that was about all there was. There is a nighttime, star gazing program at this park but unless you are camping there, I wouldn't recommend staying and trying to find your way out of there in the dark. With no cell service and no amenities along the way, it just doesn't seem like a great option.
Heading Back to Las Vegas
After leaving Great Basin, we headed on our way back to Las Vegas for this evening. We had completed the day trips that we had planned from St. George and now it was time to head back to Vegas for the next 5 nights. After the drive to the park and the lack of excitement for us from the park, we were anxious to get back to civilization. Well........in order to do that we had to trek back through some very remote areas of Nevada. If I thought that the drive to Great Basin was bad, the drive to Las Vegas was 10 time worse. There was absolutely NOTHING on this roadway. It felt like we were never going to get back to the city. To make matters worse it was a slightly longer trip on the way out! We were both exhausted after a full day of travel. This was about a 14 hour day of mostly driving.
Hilton Grand Vacation Club at the Flamingo
Once we got into Las Vegas, our next task was to locate the Hilton Grand Vacation Club at the Flamingo. The GPS didn't really navigate well to the hotel. We did find that the directions on the hotel website were very accurate but still a little difficult to find the first time you pull in. It is located directly behind the Flamingo so it is very hard to see. It is not on Las Vegas Blvd so you have to make a turn off onto a side road and then weave your way into the hotel parking lot. It's easy to miss but once you locate it the first time, you will be fine.
We are not Hilton Grand Vacation Club Members nor do we wish to become members but we found that rooms at this particular hotel are open to the public to book. We booked a one bedroom suite and was it ever nice! The price was virtually half of that of the Venetian and had so much more space. There was a full kitchen (completely stocked), washer and dryer, living area, dining table, bedroom and two separate areas of the bathroom. One area had a large jacuzzi tub for two with a large granite vanity, while the other area had a toilet and walk in shower and slightly smaller granite vanity. It truly was like having a condo for our stay. 
There is not a casino in this hotel but you are a short walk from the Flamingo and then from there to anywhere on the Strip. It is located mid-strip so the area is awesome. You are next to the LINQ shopping area which also houses the new High Roller Observation Wheel. You are also at a monorail stop so it's very convenient to travel to other areas on the Strip. You are also allowed to use the beautiful Flamingo pools.
The only downsides that we found here were that the hallways were horribly hot (and it was only in the 70's the days we stayed there so I can't imagine what it would be like in full on summer heat), we were hard pressed to find a vending machine that worked on the floors, and the rooms facing the Flamingo pool area can be loud (although we really didn't have any trouble sleeping). Other than that the size, amenities and cost of the room far outweighed any of the negatives. We really enjoyed our stay at this hotel.
Tip: If you do not want to be bothered about taking a tour or listening to a presentation about the Hilton Grand Vacation Club....do not stop at the welcome desk or respond to phone messages asking you to visit the welcome desk. It is a vacation club property so one can't fault them for trying to sell their product. We found that other than the couple phone calls and the extra cheery person at the welcome desk that tried to get you to stop for "discounts" they really didn't bother us at all. It was not high pressure so don't let that deter you from staying. The End of a Long Day
After a quick walk around the property and vicinity, we headed out to the strip to check out some of the nearby Casinos. There is something about being in Vegas that makes you not want to miss anything LOL. We ended up at the Bellagio and had a late diner at the Buffet. This was an amazing buffet. Pricey (as they all are) but the options were just unbelievable. Then we headed back to LINQ area and checked out the High Roller (opting to come back the next evening to ride) and ended up with a sundae from the Ghiradelli Store! That made up for a lot of miles we had spent on the roadway that day!
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