Baker

History of Baker, Nevada

This region is rife with cultural history. Multiple sites throughout the area have been identified as camps of Paleo-Indians who hunted mammoth, camel, bison, and more as long as 14,000 years ago. Over the millennia, many other Indigenous peoples would leave behind calling cards, like milling stones and signs of agricultural activity. Eventually, the region became the seasonal turf of Numic-speaking peoples—ancestors of the Paiute and Western Shoshone American Indian peoples, who continue to call it home. Today, visitors can get a glimpse of the Baker Village that was occupied by the Fremont Culture back in 1220-1295 A.D. by visiting the Baker Archaeological Site.

It was the Lehman family who is believed to have been the first folks to explore what are now the Lehman Caves system—and which was designated in 1922 as the first of Nevada’s national monuments. Fast-forward to 1986 and we get Great Basin National Park. Although this abridged history hardly does this fascinating region a shred of justice, our partners at the Great Basin National Heritage Area—one of only 55 in the nation—offer a map and self-guided tour to help you dive far deeper into all the tales this incredible slice of Nevada (and western Utah) has to tell.

Notable Euro-American visits to the area began with Spanish explorers in 1776, followed by Jedediah Smith in the 1820s, John C. Fremont in the 1840s (who journaled that this vast region was “truly a great basin”), Mormon explorers and settlers, and even John Muir, who climbed Mt. Wheeler in 1878. The settlement of Baker, Nevada was founded in 1875 when the Lehman family picked this location to start a ranch. By the 1890s other ranchers set up shop, along with a handful of miners, and a community was born, ultimately taking its name from prominent settler George W. Baker. 

Baker, Nevada Hotels & Camping

If you’re looking to bed down indoors, Baker’s got you covered. The Stargazer Inn lives up to its name with cute sitting areas outside of retro-chic rooms in the heart of town, on the same property as the Bristlecone General Store. Hidden Canyon Retreat offers a get-away-from-it-all vibe on a 375-acre ranch with stunning views—including from the pool and hot tub. The End of the Trail…er Bunkhouse is perfect for families and groups, with two bungalows boasting terraces and kitchenettes. For campers, RV-ers, or those who want to get out of their temporary rigs, Whispering Elms Motel & RV Park does the trick. 

If you’d rather sleep with a ceiling of stars over your head, camping in Great Basin National Park is pretty hard to beat. Wheeler Peak Campground, at the top of Wheeler Peak Scenic Drive, puts you just below 10,000 feet and right at the trailheads to some of the park’s most famous attractions. Upper Lehman Creek and Lower Lehman Creek Campgrounds put your RV or tent within earshot of babbling streams and wind rustling through aspen and white fir trees. Meanwhile, more rustic tent spaces (and fewer campmates) can be found at Baker Creek Campground—or in the backcountry.

Great Basin Astronomy Festival

Each September, Baker lights up for one of the most (literally) stellar events in the Silver State. Thanks to the darkest skies in the Lower 48, Great Basin National Park hosts the annual, free-to-everyone Great Basin Astronomy Festival (AKA Astro-Fest), which features talks by astro-experts, celestial photography workshops, and unbeatable stargazing—including through dozens of fancy, high-end telescopes (sometimes up to 20 feet tall!) with the power to literally change how you see our universe. Around here, we like to say: “Half the park is after dark.” That’s never not true. But this event is a way to understand that in, shall we say, astronomical proportions.