Berlin-Ichthyosaur State Park: A Ghost Town and Ancient Fossils

Berlin grew out of central Nevada's mining country after the Berlin Mine was established in 1896, with the Nevada Company taking over in 1898. It was never a giant — the town supported roughly 200 to 250 people, including miners, woodcutters, charcoal makers, a doctor, and a nurse — and it produced gold steadily until activity wound down and the town essentially died by 1911. Crucially, many of its original buildings still stand today, giving visitors an honest look at a small working camp rather than a reconstruction.

The park's second wonder lies in the rock itself. Nevada State Parks established the protected area in 1957 to safeguard a remarkable concentration of ichthyosaur fossils — the remains of large marine reptiles that swam in a warm sea covering central Nevada around 225 million years ago. The fossils are protected and displayed in the park's Fossil House, with seasonal tours.

Because it is genuinely remote, Berlin rewards RV travelers who want quiet and distance from crowds. The park is open year-round with self-guided walking tours and dozens of interpretive signs threading through Berlin and the nearby Union townsite, so you can roam the ghost town at your own pace and then step back into deep geologic time at the Fossil House.