Figure 1. The Parachute in Lehman caves, Great Basin National Park.
One of the attractions in Great Basin National Park is the Lehman Caves, which is named after the "discoverer" Absalom Lehman. It was first protected as Lehman Caves National Monument in 1922. Then it is included in the larger Great Basin National Park in 1986.
While this cave is rather small comparing to other well known caves such as Mammoth Cave or Carlsbad Caverns, a rare cave formation called shield is quite abundant in this cave. The most photographed is a shield decorated with draperies and it is called the Parachute.
To access the cave, visitors need to join a cave tour led by a ranger. You can see shields on both 60-minute Lodge Room or 90-minute Grand Palace Tours, but the Parachute can only be seen on Grand Palace Tour. Be sure to bring a jacket on the tour as it is cool in the cave.
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