Great Basin National Park is located in Baker, Nevada. People have been living in this region for thousands of years. Today, the town of Baker is a declining cattle and sheep ranching community hoping tourism will bolster the economy. Prior to Baker, the town of Ward occupied the foothills and supported the same mining operations found in so many areas in Nevada during the late 1800’s. And, until 1295 AD, the Fremont Indians gathered here for ancient rituals.
We explored this area in June 2025. Like an archaeological dig, we visited modern, past and ancient sites which all contribute to this desert outpost.
Baker, Nevada
With very few amenities for visitors, we were glad we had stocked up on supplies prior to traveling here. The small town is about a mile in length with one over priced convenience/grocery store, one bar (which also served as the RV park office), a Mexican food truck with amazing burritos, one gas station, and a diner with limited hours. It is filled with abandoned ranch structures and housing units in various stages of disrepair and/or restoration. The Great Basin National Park Visitor Centers at both the Wheeler Mountain entrance and the Lehman Caves were open most days. It is one of the hardest towns we’ve visited to try to get a feel for and there is nothing else for miles around.
SLIDESHOW: Click following photo to begin
Historic Ward, Nevada
Before there was Baker, the town of Ward was the centerpiece of the county. With riches from silver and copper mining, Ward was both a company town and a prospering merchant district. It had an aerial tramway to carry ore from the mines to the smelting and milling facilities. The boom town lasted 11 years until the ore ran out and most of the machinery and buildings were moved across the valley to the new boom site in Taylor. The post office closed in 1888 and the town of Ward was no more. We walked around the ruins and saw remnants of the aerial structures. Further into the hills we could see what were openings that must have been part of the mining operations. The Cemetery contains 46 graves with headstones that range from marble obelisk to mound of rocks marking the last resting place of people from Utah as well as China and the British Isles. It seems the boom town crowd was even more mobile than us RV nomads!
SLIDESHOW: Click following photo to begin
Ward Charcoal Ovens and Kilns
The smelting facilities and mills required fuel to process the ore. Charcoal was more efficient than raw timber and could be made by refining huge quantities of wood. Ovens were constructed and timber was harvested from all the surrounding hills to produce the charcoal. Limestone kilns were first constructed to produce mortar to make the huge ovens. The ovens were so well constructed that they remain today, looking like giant beehives and still smelling of smoke and burnt firewood.
SLIDESHOW: Click following photo to begin
The Charcoal Oven State Park property extends beyond the ovens and kilns into a beautiful mountain meadow. We stopped here for a picnic lunch and explored the enchanting grassy meadow and springs. Another stop included Comins Lake which is a large reservoir stocked with fish and a home for a variety of waterfowl.
SLIDESHOW: Click following photo to begin
Ancient Baker Village and Solstice
The ancient Fremont peoples lived in this area until 1295 AD. We have been criss-crossing the settlements of the Fremonts for several years now and were surprised to find an archaeological site just outside of this National Park. Excavated in the 1990’s, this agricultural and community complex contains numerous buildings of various sizes and purposes. A vast number of artifacts were recovered including stone tools, pottery, basketry, obsidian, turquoise, and shell trading goods. But most interestingly is the arrangement of the structures. The buildings are aligned to construct a sort of horizontal calendar marking the Summer and Winter solstices. It was surreptitious that our visit coincided with the Summer solstice. We were able to watch the sunrise from the very center of the ancient village where people hundreds and hundreds of years ago witnessed the same event. It was surreal and something we’ll never forget.
SLIDESHOW: Click following photo to begin
We continued to stay at Whispering Elms RV Park throughout our stay in Baker and visit to Great Basin National Park. See previous post for campground review.
Thank you for visiting TheirRVtravels! We’re so glad to have you along for the ride!
Please take a moment to subscribe and you’ll receive a notice each time a new post is published.
Next up… the railroad town of Ely, Nevada
Their RV Travels 