Great Basin National Park

Nevada's only national park has 5,000-year-old bristlecone pines, Lehman Caves' stunning limestone formations, and Wheeler Peak rising to 13,063 feet — all with virtually no crowds. Great Basin is also one of the darkest places in the country, with Gold Tier dark sky designation. The Milky Way here isn't a faint smudge — it casts shadows. The park gets about 150,000 visitors per year — just 2% of Great Smoky Mountains' yearly count, making it 50% darker than the average national park.