April 24
Lehman Cave was formed around 550 million years ago. The rock began as limestone, then was put under immense heat and pressure over millions of years. Once the material turned into marble, acidic waters began flowing upward. Eventually the water table dropped, leaving cracks, openings, and voids in the rock layer. Gravity then played its part by pulling surface water downwards. The water picked up minerals, mainly calcium, and constant dripping over other millions of years created what we see today. Staff volunteer Bill was quite pleasant and informative during the tour. He is something of a specialist on caves, having also volunteered at Timpanogas Cave NMon in the past. But he had a young watchful eye keeping him on his toes at the 1 PM Grand Palace Tour (check the park’s website for the different cave tours offered during different parts of the year). Bill needed a volunteer to hold a flashlight during the tour and asked a young girl how she felt about the practice of sharing (she had two sisters with her). After a brief pause, she replied loudly, “Bad”. The entire group laughed. Bill gave the flashlight to the oldest sibling.
The Grand Palace Tour is the longest public tour offered. And what a tour. People say the splendor of Lehman Cave is the quantity of so many different speleothems. There did not seem to be one square inch of rock surface which did not have something of awe. Bill pointed out a number of Shields, which is a formation that Lehman Cave is renowned for. Unlike other NPS cave systems which can have hundreds of stairs to climb (Mammoth, Wind, Jewel, etc.), only a few are in Lehman. It is pretty much a flat walk. But most of us had to watch our heads.
The original entrance which AB Lehman used to access the cave, beginning around 1885, is now blocked from human entry. But the opening has been fixed to allow bats to fly into and out of the cave. We did see a couple of Brown Bats during the tour. The population at Lehman is down significantly from the past due to White-Nose Syndrome. Most of the USA has been impacted by this disease, with an estimate of 7 million bats having perished. There is no cure. All visitors have to go through a screening list with a ranger or volunteer before being allowed into any of the NPS caves that contain bats. It was in 1939 when the NPS used dynamite to create the opening which visitors use today.
Yes, Baker, Nevada, is a long way from any big city. But if you ever think about driving across central Nevada, and on the loneliest road (US 50) in the country, be sure to get a reservation for a tour of Lehman Cave.