Berlin-Ichthyosaur State Park

We really enjoyed our stay here, in early April. There are only 16 sites down a well maintained dirt road and only 3-4 sites were occupied while we were there. The water was not yet turned on so it was dry camping. The park ranger is very nice and he drove through the campground several times a day so it felt very safe. We heard from another camper that he has been at this location for 20 years, since he was young. He opened the Fossil House up after someone asked about it. Some sites weren't very level but they are workable. There is a trail from the CG to the Fossil House, with nice views. We also hiked the Richmond Canyon loop, marked as moderate to strenuous, with narrow up and downs but quite enjoyable. The Berlin historical town is very interesting. Do plan your gas tank as it is very remote to get to. We fueled up at Fallon on the way in and then on the way out, at Hawthorne. Cell service is very spotty, to none.

*Note: This park is closing late April for construction and will be closed all summer.

This is our first visit to this State Park and it was a great place to visit. The sites were fairly level all though some would be a challenge. There are well maintained vault toilets as well. It is off the beaten path and the last 2 miles are a bit of a washboard. The abandoned gold mining operation as well as the fossil exhibit is well maintained and fascinating to see. We would revisit the site to take some of the many hikes available. There is NO AT&T cell service.

A little off the main road with some rutted dirt roads to get to park and 2.2miles further to get to fossil house or campgrounds. Campground is up on a ridge with great views. Covered picnic tables and fire rings. No connections by water faucets throughout (available in warm weather), restrooms and a central dump between the campground and main park. 7,000 feet elevation with some tree coverage. One of the prettier Nevada State Parks we have been to. Would highly recommend a visit and donation to the box to keep it open. Absolutely no cel service or Wi-Fi.

This is the second time I've stayed at this campground and I love it. The state park is very interesting. Ghost town has nice posted signs explaining the buildings. The fossil site is fascinating and you can see the fossil through the viewing window even if you are there on a day when it is closed. Campsites are spotless, vault toilets are clean. Water available. Both times I've stayed there have only been a couple of other campsites full. You really feel like you are away from it all. Night sky is brilliant. Drove alongside a herd of running antelope on the way in from the valley. Dirt road to get to the campground but you can do it with a 2wd car. Enjoy.

Small Campground beautifully laid out. Very quiet. All rather rustic. Wood shelters over picnic tables. Fire rings and grills. Water and Rest rooms not far from sites. Dirt roads and sites set in pine forest with mountains all around. The sites are levelish. Some pull through. We fit our 33' pusher with toad in one but care is advised.
The road there becomes a well maintained dirt road before you get there. The first part is a mining ghost town with a lot of buildings. Well documented and fascinating to tour. The campground is a couple of miles further in.
The Ichtheosaur skeletons are also further back and are sheltered.
There are mine tours and guided fossil tours but not right now.

We have been to the park in the past for day visits, but this was the first time that we camped. On previous a visit we enjoyed touring the town and visiting the fossil house. The parking employees are very knowledgeable and helpful.

On this trip we arrived after dark. There were only two campsites that we’re unoccupied. It looked like a lot of people were using the campground is a base camp for hunting. Although the campground was quite crowded it was fairly quiet. It was October, so the weather was cold but there was still water throughout the campground. We didn’t spend much time in the park, but did take advantage of the dump station on our way out to explore the nearby valley. Some of the sites are quite small, while others or a little bigger. Most of the sites aren’t particularly level. I wouldn’t recommend a fifth wheel or large trailer. Great place to go if you have a truck camper or small trailer.

Not sure if we hit it just right, but we almost had this campground to ourselves. Super quiet evenings with abundant star gazing free of any light pollution. Our Jayco 212QBW was a bit too big for most of the spots here. We did find 3-4 that worked. Great staff that worked the tours at the fossil house as well as everything else at the park. Would definitely recommend for those wanting to get away.

Berlin-Ichthyosaur state park has two very cool attractions, the ghost town Berlin itself and North America's most abundant concentration and largest known Ichthyosaur fossils. The state park is open all year, day and night. So if you love taking photos of ghost towns, you have a lot of opportunity right here.

We came here in the middle of November, after emailing with both the main office of Nevada state parks and the park ranger for this specific state park. Because we have a 29 feet fifth wheel, we wanted to know if there would be a space that would fit, as the website states it fits RVs up to 25 feet. We were assured there are a couple spaces where our fifth wheel would fit. We were also warned to bring water, as this time of year the tabs are winterized.

With that in mind, we confidently kept driving the dirt road to the park and continued through the windy dirt road to the campground. It was a little bit challenging, but as the campground was almost empty, we could use site 13 to maneuver our trailer into site 1. The sites are different in size, and some pretty long.

We met the park ranger later in the evening, and after hearing our concerns about the incoming storm, he promised to print and deliver the weather forecast, which we got early next morning.

The toilets are pit toilets, there is a dump station and in summer there are arranged tours. Since there are no hookups, we had to conserve our energy use, as the winter hours did not fully charge our batteries, but the trees are relatively low, so we had our solar panels completely exposed.

Coyotes howling in the distance at night completed the perfect experience in this very cool park.

No Sprint coverage, but Verizon got 1 bar at 4G, which got us the internet access we needed.