Stargazer Inn & Bristlecone General Store

Want to get away from it all and enjoy a national park that holds some of Nevada’s best-kept secrets—without abandoning the comforts of home? Make the Stargazer Inn and the Bristlecone General Store your first two stops. Nestled within the tiny community of Baker, the gateway to Great Basin National Park, this completely renovated hotel and general store will keep you well rested and full of energy for adventures in the spectacular eastern region of the Silver State.

Bristlecone General Store

The Bristlecone General Store offers dependable, year-round access to groceries and beverages, maps and outdoor gear, clothing, hardware, Baker-made art, and a thoughtfully curated collection of books about local geology and history, the American West, and Nevada’s Great Basin. Just up the road at Great Basin National Park, you’ll find a world of Dark Sky Ranger-led programs. In town, you’ll find even more information and resources about why this remote, DarkSky International-friendly community offers the best stargazing in the country, with no better overnight viewing than the Stargazer Inn.

Stargazer Inn

The Stargazer Inn delights visitors with a variety of single, double, and family rooms. The inn has 10 rooms, eight of which have been renovated with modern amenities. Two other rooms are larger but more of a throwback delight (yet equipped with a mini fridge and microwave). When planning your trip to Great Basin, be sure to call ahead for availability and pricing, as rooms tend to book far in advance.

Gateway to Some of Nevada’s Best Adventures

Whether you’re road tripping the Loneliest Road or using the Stargazer and Bristlecone as a launch pad for your adventures in Great Basin, any reason to stop is a good one.

Located along a legendary stretch of highway, be sure to snag a Loneliest Road Passport. Get stamps and document your road trip as you ramble along Highway 50, proving you, too, can survive the Loneliest Road. Plus, the Stargazer Inn is the gateway to Great Basin National Park, and trust us, one glimpse at those mountains and you’ll be wanting to extend your trip. Great Basin National Park is one of the least visited parks in the National Parks system, which means a visit is not only an incomparably pristine nature experience, but it’s downright easy to be here because you don’t have to fight the crowds.

Great Basin is also home to Nevada’s second- and third-tallest peaks, as well as the only active glacier in Nevada. Spend time exploring the unbelievably massive Lehman Caves or peruse the ancient bristlecone pine forests, where you can come in direct contact with some of the oldest living organisms on Earth. Plus, the skies here are so specifically dark that scientists are referring to this sort of darkness as an endangered resource, which draws a whole variety of wildlife who depend on a true nocturnal environment to thrive.