Caving

Lehman Caves is the most famous cave in the park, but there are many others

White-Nose Syndrome

White-Nose Syndrome (WNS) is a fungal disease that has killed more than a million bats in
North America since it was detected in 2006. This epidemic started in upstate New York
and has since spread west to Oklahoma. WNS causes bats to behave in unusual ways and in some
cases has killed over 90 percent of the bats in a cave. Bats make up more than 20 percent of
the mammal species on Earth and consume enough insects to save the U.S. agricultural
industry over 3 billion dollars a year in pest-control.

Little Muddy Cave is currently the only wild cave in the park open to cavers.
It is open from October 1 to April 1.

Cave Permits

The park will issue a cave permit to those who can demonstrate their experience with horizontal and vertical caving techniques, expertise with the required equipment, and cave conservation ethics. Cavers must certify that their equipment is clean and disinfected. The permit must be in your possession while caving. Permits must be applied for at least one week before the caving trip. Only one permit per week will be issued for each cave. Groups entering a wild cave must have a minimum of three members, and a maximum of six members. A separate cave permit is requiried for each cave.

Cave permit terms and regulations, and cave permit application forms, are available at home.nps.gov/grba/planyourvisit/caving.htm .

Mail permit applications to:

Resource Management
Great Basin National Park
100 Great Basin National Park
Baker, NV 89311

For more information contact Resource Management staff at 775-234-7331 x 7561.