Perched on the eastern border of Nevada, this little ranching town serves as the gateway to the spectacular Great Basin National Park, the only national park entirely within that state of Nevada. Baker has a population of about 400 people and holds the distinction of being part of the Great Basin National Heritage Area, one of 49 such sites in the country.
This history of Baker itself began in 1875 when the Lehman family started a ranch here. As more ranchers and miners moved into the area during the 1890s, the settlement grew into a bonafide town, named after George W. Baker, one of the early settlers.
Baker wasn't connected to the national power grid until the 1970s. You won't find any lavish resorts in Baker, but you will find great food, quirky art, and hometown hospitality behind every open door.
Great Basin National Park is truly a wilderness park/ Travelers have the chance to descend into the depths of the Lehman Cave system to explore a series of limestone and marble caverns full of huge stalagmites and other wild rock formations. The park is also home to snow-capped Wheeler Peak which, at 13,064 feet, is the tallest free-standing mountain in Nevada. Here you can hike dozens of trails or take a scenic drive up to 10,000 feet for sweeping views of the Great Basin. Visitors searching for a national park to visit that is not overrun by massive crowds and traffic jams that rival a big city, will enjoy the town of Baker and Great Basin National Park.
