Berlin

State: Nevada County: Nye County Founded: 1897 Abandoned: 1911 Peak Population: 200-300

Berlin is Nevada's best-preserved ghost town—a company town where buildings remain in 'arrested decay.' But the park's real claim to fame: 225-million-year-old ichthyosaur fossils, the largest ever found (50-60 feet). The Shonisaurus popularis is Nevada's state fossil. Ghost town meets Jurassic sea monsters.

Quick Facts

  • 50-60 foot ichthyosaur fossils are largest ever found
  • Shonisaurus popularis is Nevada's state fossil
  • Company-town ownership preserved buildings other ghost towns lost
  • Only state park combining ghost town AND prehistoric fossils

Location

Address: Berlin-Ichthyosaur State Park, Nye County, Nevada

Coordinates: 38.8806, -117.5958