Great Basin National Park, in eastern Nevada, stretches from sagebrush-covered foothills to the 13,063-foot summit of Wheeler Peak. Between the town of Baker and the end of the Wheeler Peak Scenic Drive, the land climbs through five life zones, each with its own mix of animals. Mule deer are common in the mountains and foothills, while mountain lions and bobcats hunt across the range but are seldom seen. Bighorn sheep, which probably vanished from the Snake Range early in the 20th century and were reintroduced in 1979 and 1980, still roam the high, rocky country in small numbers.
Yellow-bellied marmots live among rock piles up to 11,000 feet, and kangaroo rats can live their whole lives without drinking water. Pinyon jays gather around the Lehman Caves Visitor Center, Clark’s nutcrackers and Steller’s jays work the conifers higher up, and black rosy-finches forage near the park’s glacier. The Bonneville cutthroat trout, the only trout native to eastern Nevada, has been restored to several of the park’s streams. Keep reading to see featured photos of Great Basin’s wildlife and to learn more about wildlife photography.
Featured Great Basin National Park Wildlife Photographs
Have a National Park Wildlife photograph you’d like featured? Contact us today to learn more!
Wildlife Photography Tips
Wildlife photography in the US National Parks offers a unique and enriching experience, as these protected areas are havens for diverse species and pristine natural landscapes. Capturing wildlife in such settings requires preparation and respect for both the environment and its inhabitants. Photographers should familiarize themselves with the specific animals and ecosystems of the park they are visiting, as each park hosts different species and behaviors. Early mornings and late afternoons, known as the golden hours, provide the best light and increased wildlife activity. Different seasons also offer different wildlife viewing opportunities. Patience and stillness are key, as the best moments often come to those who wait quietly.
If wildlife does present itself, always make sure to maintain a safe distance. Using a telephoto lens allows for close-up shots without intruding on the animals’ space. If you already own or want to own a professional grade mirrored camera like the Canon EOS 5D Mark IV Full Frame Digital SLR, we recommend using a Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM Lens zoom lens for wildlife photography. If you have or are interested in a newer mirrorless model like the Canon EOS R5 Full-Frame Mirrorless Camera, we recommend using a Canon RF100-400mm F5.6-8 IS USM Black for long distance shots.
Not quite ready to invest in traditional professional-grade camera equipment but want to enhance the quality of your cell phone photographs? Consider using a Moment Tele 58mm Mobile Lens II for improved reach, and use a Moment camera case with a lens mount to attach it to your phone. Since cell phones generally cannot provide the same reach as a dedicated telephoto camera lens, never compensate by moving dangerously close to wildlife. As with any visit to a national park, it’s important to follow park regulations, practice “Leave No Trace” principles, and prioritize safety while photographing wildlife.
Want to take your wildlife photos further? Featured photographer Vella Torvik shares her field-tested advice on gear, camera settings, light, composition and safely approaching wildlife in our Wildlife Photography 101: Insider Tips From the Field masterclass.
Great Basin Wildlife Education and Resources
Want to learn more about Great Basin National Park and the wildlife that inhabits it? Check out these guides & books:
- Peterson Field Guide To Mammals Of North America: Fourth Edition (Peterson Field Guides)
- Peterson Field Guide To Birds Of Western North America, Fifth Edition (Peterson Field Guides)
- Bird Songs: 250 North American Birds in Song
- Peterson Field Guide To Western Reptiles & Amphibians, Fourth Edition (Peterson Field Guides)
- Peterson Field Guide to Freshwater Fishes, Second Edition (Peterson Field Guides)
- Animal Tracks: A Folding Pocket Guide to the Tracks & Signs of Familiar North American Species (Wildlife and Nature Identification)
Please note, by making purchases through our affiliate links, you are supporting our mission to celebrate and showcase our National Parks and the photographers who frequent them. As an Amazon Associate, National Park Photographer earns from qualifying purchases at no cost to you. We appreciate your support.
Great Basin National Park Species List
The wildlife at Great Basin National Park is beautiful and diverse. There are a variety of mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and fish to view. Check out all the incredible species this park has to offer! Click on the links below to see the different animal species that inhabit Great Basin National Park:
Species Spotlight
Photo posts of animals you’ll find in Great Basin.
American BadgerMammal · Common
CoyoteMammal · Common
Golden-mantled Ground SquirrelMammal · Common
Mountain LionMammal · Common
Mule DeerMammal · Common
American RobinBird · Common
Steller’s JayBird · Common
BobcatMammal · Uncommon
ElkMammal · Uncommon
Bald EagleBird · Uncommon
Bighorn SheepMammal · Rare
North American PorcupineMammal · RareGreat Basin National Park Mammals
54 species
- American Badger Photo post(Taxidea taxus)
- American Beaver(Castor canadensis)
- Big Brown Bat(Eptesicus fuscus)
- Bighorn Sheep Photo post(Ovis canadensis)
- Black-tailed Jackrabbit(Lepus californicus)
- Bobcat Photo post(Lynx rufus)
- Botta’s Pocket Gopher(Thomomys bottae)
- Brazilian Free-tailed Bat(Tadarida brasiliensis)
- Bushy-tailed Woodrat(Neotoma cinerea)
- California Myotis(Myotis californicus)
- Canyon Mouse(Peromyscus crinitus)
- Chisel-toothed Kangaroo Rat(Dipodomys microps)
- Cliff Chipmunk(Tamias dorsalis)
- Coyote Photo post(Canis latrans)
- Deer Mouse(Peromyscus maniculatus)
- Desert Woodrat(Neotoma lepida)
- Elk Photo post(Cervus elaphus)
- Ermine(Mustela erminea)
- Golden-mantled Ground Squirrel Photo post(Callospermophilus lateralis)
- Gray Fox(Urocyon cinereoargenteus)
- Great Basin Pocket Mouse(Perognathus parvus)
- Hoary Bat(Lasiurus cinereus)
- House Mouse(Mus musculus)
- Inyo Dwarf Shrew(Sorex tenellus)
- Least Chipmunk(Tamias minimus)
- Long-eared Myotis(Myotis evotis)
- Long-legged Myotis(Myotis volans)
- Long-tailed Vole(Microtus longicaudus)
- Long-tailed Weasel(Mustela frenata)
- Merriam’s Shrew(Sorex merriami)
- Montane Vole(Microtus montanus)
- Mountain Cottontail(Sylvilagus nuttallii)
- Mountain Lion Photo post(Puma concolor)
- Mule Deer Photo post(Odocoileus hemionus)
- North American Porcupine Photo post(Erethizon dorsatum)
- Northern Grasshopper Mouse(Onychomys leucogaster)
- Ord’s Kangaroo Rat(Dipodomys ordii)
- Pallid Bat(Antrozous pallidus)
- Pinyon Mouse(Peromyscus truei)
- Piute Ground Squirrel(Urocitellus mollis)
- Ringtail(Bassariscus astutus)
- Rock Squirrel(Otospermophilus variegatus)
- Sagebrush Vole(Lemmiscus curtatus)
- Silver-haired Bat(Lasionycteris noctivagans)
- Small-footed Myotis(Myotis ciliolabrum)
- Spotted Skunk(Spilogale gracilis)
- Striped Skunk(Mephitis mephitis)
- Townsend’s Big-eared Bat(Corynorhinus townsendii)
- Uinta Chipmunk(Tamias umbrinus)
- Vagrant Shrew(Sorex vagrans)
- Water Shrew(Sorex palustris)
- Western Harvest Mouse(Reithrodontomys megalotis)
- White-tailed Antelope Squirrel(Ammospermophilus leucurus)
- Yellow-bellied Marmot(Marmota flaviventris)
No mammals match.
Great Basin National Park Birds
159 species
- American Coot(Fulica americana)
- American Crow(Corvus brachyrhynchos)
- American Dipper(Cinclus mexicanus)
- American Goldfinch(Carduelis tristis)
- American Kestrel(Falco sparverius)
- American Pipit(Anthus rubescens)
- American Robin Photo post(Turdus migratorius)
- American Three-toed Woodpecker(Picoides tridactylus)
- American White Pelican(Pelecanus erythrorhynchos)
- Ash-throated Flycatcher(Myiarchus cinerascens)
- Bald Eagle Photo post(Haliaeetus leucocephalus)
- Barn Swallow(Hirundo rustica)
- Belted Kingfisher(Ceryle alcyon)
- Bewick’s Wren(Thryomanes bewickii)
- Black Rosy-finch(Leucosticte atrata)
- Black-billed Magpie(Pica hudsonia)
- Black-capped Chickadee(Poecile atricapillus)
- Black-chinned Hummingbird(Archilochus alexandri)
- Black-crowned Night-heron(Nycticorax nycticorax)
- Black-headed Grosbeak(Pheucticus melanocephalus)
- Black-throated Gray Warbler(Dendroica nigrescens)
- Black-throated Sparrow(Amphispiza bilineata)
- Blue Grouse(Dendragapus obscurus)
- Blue-gray Gnatcatcher(Polioptila caerulea)
- Brewer’s Blackbird(Euphagus cyanocephalus)
- Brewer’s Sparrow(Spizella breweri)
- Broad-tailed Hummingbird(Selasphorus platycercus)
- Brown Creeper(Certhia americana)
- Brown-headed Cowbird(Molothrus ater)
- Bullock’s Oriole(Icterus bullockii)
- Burrowing Owl(Athene cunicularia)
- Bushtit(Psaltriparus minimus)
- Calliope Hummingbird(Stellula calliope)
- Canada Goose(Branta canadensis)
- Canyon Wren(Catherpes mexicanus)
- Cassin’s Finch(Carpodacus cassinii)
- Cedar Waxwing(Bombycilla cedrorum)
- Chestnut-sided Warbler(Dendroica pensylvanica)
- Chipping Sparrow(Spizella passerina)
- Chukar(Alectoris chukar)
- Cinnamon Teal(Anas cyanoptera)
- Clark’s Nutcracker(Nucifraga columbiana)
- Cliff Swallow(Hirundo pyrrhonota)
- Common Nighthawk(Chordeiles minor)
- Common Poorwill(Phalaenoptilus nuttallii)
- Common Raven(Corvus corax)
- Common Snipe(Gallinago gallinago delicata)
- Common Yellowthroat(Geothlypis trichas)
- Cooper’s Hawk(Accipiter cooperii)
- Cordilleran Flycatcher(Empidonax occidentalis)
- Dark-eyed Junco(Junco hyemalis)
- Dark-eyed Junco (Gray-headed)(Junco hyemalis caniceps)
- Downy Woodpecker(Picoides pubescens)
- Dusky Flycatcher(Empidonax oberholseri)
- Eurasian Collared-dove(Streptopelia decaocto)
- European Starling(Sturnus vulgaris)
- Evening Grosbeak(Coccothraustes vespertinus)
- Fox Sparrow(Passerella iliaca)
- Golden Eagle(Aquila chrysaetos)
- Golden-crowned Kinglet(Regulus satrapa)
- Golden-winged Warbler(Vermivora chrysoptera)
- Gray Flycatcher(Empidonax wrightii)
- Gray Vireo(Vireo vicinior)
- Gray-crowned Rosy-finch(Leucosticte tephrocotis)
- Great Blue Heron(Ardea herodias)
- Great Horned Owl(Bubo virginianus)
- Great-tailed Grackle(Quiscalus mexicanus)
- Greater Sage-grouse(Centrocercus urophasianus)
- Green-tailed Towhee(Pipilo chlorurus)
- Green-winged Teal(Anas crecca)
- Hairy Woodpecker(Picoides villosus)
- Hammond’s Flycatcher(Empidonax hammondii)
- Harlan’s Hawk(Buteo jamaicensis calurus)
- Hermit Thrush(Catharus guttatus)
- Horned Lark(Eremophila alpestris)
- House Finch(Carpodacus mexicanus)
- House Sparrow(Passer domesticus)
- House Wren(Troglodytes aedon)
- Juniper Titmouse(Baeolophus ridgwayi)
- Killdeer(Charadrius vociferus)
- Lark Sparrow(Chondestes grammacus)
- Lazuli Bunting(Passerina amoena)
- Lesser Goldfinch(Carduelis psaltria)
- Lewis’s Woodpecker(Melanerpes lewis)
- Lincoln’s Sparrow(Melospiza lincolnii)
- Loggerhead Shrike(Lanius ludovicianus)
- Long-billed Curlew(Numenius americanus)
- MacGillivray’s Warbler(Oporornis tolmiei)
- Mallard(Anas platyrhynchos)
- Merlin(Falco columbarius)
- Mountain Bluebird(Sialia currucoides)
- Mountain Chickadee(Poecile gambeli)
- Mourning Dove(Zenaida macroura)
- Northern Flicker(Colaptes auratus)
- Northern Goshawk(Accipiter gentilis)
- Northern Harrier(Circus cyaneus)
- Northern Mockingbird(Mimus polyglottos)
- Northern Pygmy-owl(Glaucidium gnoma)
- Northern Rough-winged Swallow(Stelgidopteryx serripennis)
- Northern Saw-whet Owl(Aegolius acadicus)
- Olive-sided Flycatcher(Contopus cooperi)
- Orange-crowned Warbler(Vermivora celata)
- Oregon Junco(Junco hyemalis oreganus)
- Pacific Wren(Troglodytes pacificus)
- Peregrine Falcon(Falco peregrinus)
- Pine Siskin(Carduelis pinus)
- Pinyon Jay(Gymnorhinus cyanocephalus)
- Plumbeous Vireo(Vireo plumbeus)
- Prairie Falcon(Falco mexicanus)
- Pygmy Nuthatch(Sitta pygmaea)
- Red Crossbill(Loxia curvirostra)
- Red-breasted Nuthatch(Sitta canadensis)
- Red-naped Sapsucker(Sphyrapicus nuchalis)
- Red-shafted Flicker(Colaptes auratus collaris)
- Red-shouldered Hawk(Buteo lineatus)
- Red-tailed Hawk(Buteo jamaicensis)
- Red-winged Blackbird(Agelaius phoeniceus)
- Ring-necked Duck(Aythya collaris)
- Rock Wren(Salpinctes obsoletus)
- Ruby-crowned Kinglet(Regulus calendula)
- Rufous Hummingbird(Selasphorus rufus)
- Sage Sparrow(Amphispiza belli)
- Sage Thrasher(Oreoscoptes montanus)
- Sagebrush Sparrow(Artemisiospiza nevadensis)
- Savannah Sparrow(Passerculus sandwichensis)
- Say’s Phoebe(Sayornis saya)
- Sharp-shinned Hawk(Accipiter striatus)
- Song Sparrow(Melospiza melodia)
- Spotted Sandpiper(Actitis macularia)
- Spotted Towhee(Pipilo maculatus)
- Steller’s Jay Photo post(Cyanocitta stelleri)
- Swainson’s Hawk(Buteo swainsoni)
- Townsend’s Solitaire(Myadestes townsendi)
- Townsend’s Warbler(Dendroica townsendi)
- Tree Swallow(Tachycineta bicolor)
- Turkey Vulture(Cathartes aura)
- Vesper Sparrow(Pooecetes gramineus)
- Violet-green Swallow(Tachycineta thalassina)
- Virginia’s Warbler(Vermivora virginiae)
- Warbling Vireo(Vireo gilvus)
- Western Bluebird(Sialia mexicana)
- Western Kingbird(Tyrannus verticalis)
- Western Meadowlark(Sturnella neglecta)
- Western Screech-owl(Otus kennicottii)
- Western Scrub-jay(Aphelocoma californica)
- Western Tanager(Piranga ludoviciana)
- Western Wood-pewee(Contopus sordidulus)
- White-breasted Nuthatch(Sitta carolinensis)
- White-crowned Sparrow(Zonotrichia leucophrys)
- White-throated Swift(Aeronautes saxatalis)
- Wild Turkey(Meleagris gallopavo)
- Williamson’s Sapsucker(Sphyrapicus thyroideus)
- Wilson’s Phalarope(Phalaropus tricolor)
- Wilson’s Warbler(Wilsonia pusilla)
- Woodhouse’s Scrub-jay(Aphelocoma woodhousei)
- Yellow Warbler(Dendroica petechia)
- Yellow-breasted Chat(Icteria virens)
- Yellow-rumped Warbler(Dendroica coronata)
- Zone-tailed Hawk(Buteo albonotatus)
No birds match.
Great Basin National Park Reptiles
13 species
- Desert Horned Lizard(Phrynosoma platyrhinos)
- Desert Night Snake(Hypsiglena chlorophaea)
- Desert Striped Whipsnake(Masticophis taeniatus taeniatus)
- Great Basin Collared Lizard(Crotaphytus bicinctores)
- Great Basin Gopher Snake(Pituophis catenifer deserticola)
- Great Basin Rattlesnake(Crotalus lutosus)
- Northern Sagebrush Lizard(Sceloporus graciosus graciosus)
- Northern Side-blotched Lizard(Uta stansburiana stansburiana)
- Utah Mountain Kingsnake(Lampropeltis pyromelana infralabialis)
- Wandering Garter Snake(Thamnophis elegans vagrans)
- Western Fence Lizard(Sceloporus occidentalis)
- Western Skink(Plestidon skiltonianus)
- Western Whiptail(Aspidoscelis tigris)
No reptiles match.
Great Basin National Park Amphibians
1 species
- Great Basin Spadefoot(Spea intermontana)
No amphibians match.
Great Basin National Park Fish
5 species
- Bonneville Cutthroat Trout(Oncorhynchus clarkii utah)
- Brook Trout(Salvelinus fontinalis)
- Brown Trout(Salmo trutta)
- Lahontan Cutthroat Trout(Oncorhynchus clarkii henshawi)
- Rainbow Trout(Oncorhynchus mykiss)
No fish match.
Note: The wildlife species included in the lists above have been confirmed with the National Park Service to be present in Great Basin National Park. Other species may exist in the park that are currently under review or not yet known.
Do you want to be featured on National Park Photographer?
Why wait! Contact us today at nationalparkphoto@gmail.com for more information!
