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Baker, Nevada, is the gateway to Great Basin National Park. This small settlement doesn’t offer much aside from the park, but there’s one minor archaeological site.
Introduction to Baker, Nevada
This blink-and-you’ll-miss-it town with a population of about 40 (as of 2020) was named after an early settler, George W. Baker. Its claim-to-fame is its feature on the Late Show with David Letterman in January 1997, when stage manager Biff Henderson toured the area. Electrical engineer and physicist Calvin Quate (1923–2019), one of the inventors of the atomic force microscope, was born there.
Don’t expect to find supplies and food in Baker — there’s a gas station, a restaurant or two, and some basic accommodation — so come prepared if you’re planning an extended stay at Great Basin.
Baker Archaeological Site
The Baker Archaeological Site lies down a rough gravel road a few miles from the heart of town. Brigham Young University, in cooperation with the Bureau of Land Management, excavated the site between 1991 and 1994. They revealed a large village inhabited by the Fremont culture, a pre-Columbian indigenous people that thrived between the 1st and 13th centuries.
The BLM currently manages the site, where you’ll find a picnic table, shelter, and a restroom. A trail guide at the shelter explains the significance of the site. There’s no admission to visit (as of December 2025).
The village was inhabited from about 1220 to 1295. After completing excavations, archaeologists backfilled the site and covered the original foundations. The small walls you see today were built in 2002 to mark the locations of these foundations. Artifacts uncovered at the site are on display at BYU’s Museum of People and Cultures in Provo, Utah.
Quirky Roadside Art
While driving through town, especially on the road leading to Great Basin National Park, you’ll notice some peculiar and hilarious knick-knacks that good-humored locals have put up along the way. The drive to Baker might be boring, but at least you’ll be entertained once you arrive.
