An Ichthyosaur mural is seen by the Fossil House at Berlin-Ichthyosaur State Park in May 2024.
Photo by Kyler Klix.
If you want to know the reason Nevada’s State Fossil is the shonisaurus popularis, you should visit Berlin-Ichthyosaur State Park. Here, you can take a trip to the remote wilderness that you can see the largest concentration of ichthyosaur fossils in the world and check out the ghost town of Berlin. The location on the western side of the Shoshone Mountains is in the Toiyabe National Forest, filling in the area with a variety of trees at 6,840 feet high, with the high point of 7,880 feet. There’s a day use area with picnic tables and a camping section for staying overnight.
Coming from Carson City, it takes about three hours to make the trek and it’s only a couple turns once you get onto U.S. Highway 50 (turn right at Middlegate on to Highway 361, then turn left on to Highway 844 at Gabbs).
FOSSILS
Ichthyosaurs swam in the oceans more than 225 million years ago and have been found all over the world. This state park is unique because it has the largest concentration of the species — with 37 specimens.
The preservation is also unique. Instead of pulling all the bones out to display them, they kept them all in the ground. Archaeologists worked to remove the surrounding dirt and rocks and then finished the job with chisels and brushes.
A large “Fossil House” was built around the site for preservation. Now visitors can come in and see the bones and read much more information on display. There are scheduled tours where you get a more in-depth analysis of the fossils and get the chance to ask any questions. Park Supervisor Jeff Morris gave the tour and he said he’s been working at the park for 20 years.
Kyler Klix of the Nevada Appeal visited Berlin-Ichthyosaur State Park in the spring of 2024.
GHOST TOWN
When you first get to the park, you will drive through the ghost town known as Berlin. Established in 1897, the town was opened for mining and the population peaked around 300 people. Many buildings were maintained by the mining companies until the State of Nevada acquired the property in 1970 — keeping them in great shape. There are a few homes and offices, but many of the homes where the townspeople lived have disappeared.
There are many interpretive signs that tell you what stood where and names of people who lived there.
Just a bit outside of the town within walking distance is also the Diana Mine.
Between the town and the fossils there is a lot of history to take in and learn, so it’d be smart to do some research before going and it might help to understand everything when it’s in front of you.
NATURE & CAMPING
Camping was very pleasant at Berlin–Ichthyosaur State Park. It’s a large campground, with a total of 14 spots. There’s plenty of space and solitude from neighbors.
One of the coolest things about being so far out in the remote wilderness is the darkness and silence. When it’s silent, it gets very quiet. If wildlife is making noise, you’ll hear it from miles away. At night, the sky gets very dark. On a clear night it will feel like every star in the sky is visible.
As far as wildlife, you never know what you might come across. There’s many animals, birds and reptiles within the area, but there’s plenty of hiding places. You might get lucky or just have better skills at finding what you want to see. In the large valley before the town, there were a couple pronghorns out and about, but no herds were seen.
The campground amenities include parking at your site (there are a few spots that can hold larger RVs and campers). There’s a picnic table with a shade/rain structure and a fire pit. There is non-potable water (there is drinking water April through October) and there are latrine outhouses that were taken care of very well.
There’s one hiking trail that is a loop that starts at the Fossil House (There is a 1/3-mile connector trail from the campground, or you can drive to the Fossil House). This trail is rated moderate to difficult, as it goes up quite a bit in elevation and the terrain is a little rough at times. It’s about 2.7 miles for the full loop. This trail will give you a grand view up high of the valley to the west. It will also take you by another mine, the Richmond Mine. There are some remains of the mining operation along the way.
The other trails marked for hiking/walking are mostly around Berlin and where the townspeople lived.
BE PREPARED
If you want isolation in the wilderness, this is a great trip to take. But as the Boy Scout motto goes: Be Prepared. Bring everything you need because you’ll be far away from civilization. And that means water, food, gas and anything else you need for your trip. The closest town is Gabbs at about 20 miles away. There was cell service at the campground, so that is helpful for emergencies.
You’ll be traveling along “The Loneliest Highway in America” for part of the way, and back down even more desolate roads and the service is not good for most of the way.
According to parks.nv.gov, the summer temperatures seldom exceed 90 degrees and late spring and early fall can often be the nicest times of the year. Winter visits to the park are possible but call for weather and road conditions before visiting.
The last bit of paved road before the park did have many potholes, so you do have to be careful driving that section of road. But for the most part the roads were easy for any vehicle to traverse.
MORE INFO
Visit online: https://parks.nv.gov/parks/berlin-ichthyosaur
Day use entrance fee is $5 per vehicle (non-Nevada vehicles are $10).
Camping is $15 per vehicle, per night (non-Nevada vehicles are $20, per night)
Bike-in:$2 per bike.
Tours: Adults: $5. Kids 12 and under: Free.
Bring cash or check only. The park is not able to accept credit cards.
Kyler Klix is a designer for Nevada News Group. He also writes about the outdoors and entertainment. Email kklix@nevadanewsgroup.com