Our second day in Great Basin National Park included the 90 minute tour of Lehman Cave.  The cave system was discovered in the 1800s by Absalom Lehman, who then charged admission into the cave, giving tourists of the time a candle and letting them "take whatever they could break" off as a souvenir. Some stalactites of small size were clearly broken off by those tourists of 200 years or more ago.  But for the most part, the cave is unspoiled and breath-taking.  Stalactites, stalagmites, helactites, columns where Stalagmites have joined their dripping stalactite partner, shield formations--rare and unusual--and more fill the caverns.

 You first enter the cavern through an artificial tunnel into the mountain, which replaces the old entry through a small open hole in the ground surface.  Then, one climbed down a rope to enter the cavern.  Today, the path into the cave is mildly sloped, and artificial with a non-skid surface.  Some stairs go up and down, and water occasionally makes the ground slick, but there are hand-holds.

We saw one, lone bat (they usually hang out around the old, natural entrance), and learned that white nosed bat syndrome, which is killing thousands of bats mostly in the east, has not been detected in Lehman Cave.

As we descended--or more accurately penetrated into the limestone mountain side--we encountered great cavern rooms, as well as narrow passages.

The 90-minute tour takes you into more of the cave than the other tour, but still portions are sealed off from the public and restoration from the 1800-early1900 tour damage is being conducted.

The exit from the cave follows a different route, and once again you leave by an artificial tunnel. The tour is well worth it, and both fun and interesting.

Later, we took the nature hike above the cave which takes you past the natural opening which is sealed from access, but surrounded by a bat-friendly entrance enclosure.  Skinks and lizards were the most common animal life we say along the trail.