Berlin-Ichthyosaur State Park Campground

Located about 3 hours outside of Reno or 2 from Tonopah, this campsite sits adjacent to the well preserved ghost town of Berlin and the world’s largest collection of ichthyosaur fossils. The campsites are located halfway up one of the hills overlooking the vast valley (gorgeous!). This campsite only has about 14 sites that are not reservable and it’s a trek-and-a-half to get out there so keep your fingers crossed you get a site! Last 5 miles are on a decent washboard dirt road. Vault toilets were decently clean. Dump and fresh water available. Perfect spot for a 3-4 day getaway. Would recommend 1 full day to observe Berlin and ichthyosaurus and 1 full day exploring and looking for fossils. Word of advice, phone GPS apps will try to lead you MILES across dirt roads in attempt to get you there the fastest, DON’T DO IT! Take the main highways: Lincoln HWY to 361 around to NV State Route 884 (the last paved road to the campsite). It will actually save you hours and tons wear and tear on your vehicle and RV/Trailer.

An off the beaten path experience for anyone who loves ghost towns or fossils. The old 1800s ghost town of Berlin, Nevada provides the entrance to this unique camping experience. A short trail from the campground leads up to the fossil house where one can view the remains of the largest collection of Ichthyosaurs (ancient marine mammals) ever found. Most of the camping sites are pull through and there are very clean vault toilets throughout the campground. The only drawback for us is the fact that this campground does not accept reservations. After a long days drive we were lucky to find one of the last two spots, but under other circumstances it would’ve been difficult as there are no other camping areas nearby. Remember to bring cash for the self-serve pay station. $15 per night. Also, if you use a GPS to head toward Tonopah after camping here, be warned that you may end up on primitive roads for many miles. Even though the distance is longer, it would be safer to go back to the highway. Let’s just say we had that primitive road experience, and not in a four-wheel drive vehicle 😬

This campground exceeded our expectations on many levels. Don't let the arid scenery fool you on your drive toward the park as there is plenty of shade at most of the campsites. Upon our arrival, we were greeted by a herd of mule-tail deer! There are 14 campsites available with a few of them with RV access. We were there mid-week so there weren't more than 3 other campers there during our stay. The established tent areas were grated and level. Our 5-person tent fit perfectly in the designated space between the trees. The picnic area was covered and clean. There were a few nails available to hang our lanterns. We chose to leave the rain guard off and enjoyed viewing the galaxy from inside, stargazing and watching satellites fly across the sky all night. It definitely cools off at night, with temps dropping to upper 40s in mid-September. The bathrooms were pit stalls, but they were very clean and maintained.

Aside from the excellent condition of the campgrounds, there are a few hiking trails available and an old mining ghost town that the kids loved exploring. The fossil house was closed when we were there, but the park ranger sought us out and offered to open it up for us to visit, which was awesome!

The only downside to our trip here, was someone stole our National Park pass while we were on a short hike to the cemetery. I guess the lesson learned is no matter how few people are around, always lock your vehicle.