Ward Charcoal Ovens is located about 18 miles southeast of Ely via U.S. 93. Visitors can drive about 11 miles on the dirt road of Cave Valley Road or can continue on U.S. 93 and turn onto a 7-mile dirt road that has signs for the park. Photo by Carol Vesely, NSS.
Park MapWard Charcoal Ovens State Historic Park is located in White Pine County, Nevada about 18 miles south of the town of Ely near Cave Lake State Park.
The basin near Ward Charcoal Ovens was a major stopover for settlers who used Cave Valley road to travel from Pioche, Nevada to the nearby railroad town of Toano from 1870 to 1876. The park's charcoal ovens are associated with the silver mining ghost town of Ward, established in 1876. The town at its peak had a population of 1,500, two newspapers, a school, fire department, two smelters and a stamp mill. The town declined after 1880, with a fire in 1883 destroying a third of the site. The post office closed in 1876. Mining revived briefly in the 1930s and 1960s. The town has been mostly destroyed by repeated flash flooding in its low-lying site. Only the smelter, mill foundations and a cemetery are left.
The charcoal ovens are two miles to the south of the townsite. Six large ovens remain in excellent repair, 30 feet high, 27 feet in diameter, with walls 2 feet thick at the base. The ovens were built in 1876 by emigrant Italian masons who specialized in the ovens. They prepared charcoal from locally-harvested timber for use in the smelters at Ward, using 30 to 60 bushels of charcoal per ton of ore, for 16,000 bushels a day. The Ward ovens are the best-preserved of their kind in Nevada.
The Ward Charcoal Ovens were listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1971.
Audio Tour: Cave Lake & Ward Charcoal Ovens
There is a trail system that covers each end of the park suitable for many types of activities, including hiking and mountain biking. During winter months these trails are great for cross-country skiing and snowshoeing. There is also an off-highway vehicle trail that connects into thousands of acres of Bureau of Land Management lands. Opportunities exist for fishing on Willow Creek. Rainbow trout are stocked as needed and the browns and brook trout are naturally reproducing.
There are two day-use areas that provide a great spot for a day hike and picnic. These areas have covered tables, restrooms, grills and wonderful views. Willow Creek Campground has two large pull-through spaces, which are great for RVs, and many other distinct spaces for every type of camper. A camping limit of 14 days in a 30-day period is enforced.
The park is in a classic Great Basin, high desert environment. Major vegetation consists of big sagebrush at lower elevations and pinyon/juniper forests at higher elevations. The park contains many different creeks with springs as sources. The park has an elevation range of 7,000-8,000 feet. There is diverse wildlife within the park, including elk, deer, rabbit, mountain lion, bobcat, coyote and fox share the area with various bird species.
Video compliments of KNPB - PBS Reno, Nevada
Ward Charcoal Ovens is located about 18 miles southeast of Ely via U.S. 93. Visitors can drive about 11 miles on the dirt road of Cave Valley Road or can continue on U.S. 93 and turn onto a 7-mile dirt road that has signs for the park. The park is open year round with peak use between May and August.
Summer temperatures range from 90 degrees in the day to 50 degrees at night. Winter months range from 40 degrees in the day to -10 degrees at night. During peak winter months there is approximately a foot of snow as a base layer, so the park can support cross-country skiing and other snow activities.
Please help preserve this fragile desert environment by observing these rules:
No climbing on the ovens; it is not safe and causes extensive damage to them.
No shooting in the park.
State law protects all plants, animals, rocks, minerals and historic and prehistoric artifacts. Please do not remove, destroy or disturb these features.
Pets must be kept on a leash no longer than 6 feet.
Collection of wood is prohibited.
Please use trash cans or dumpsters provided.
Elevation: 7,029 ft
State: Nevada
District: White Pine County
Coordinates (WGS84): 39.03712, -114.84698
Nearest town: Ely, NV
Distance from the convention center: 20.9 miles
The charcoal ovens are associated with the silver mining ghost town of Ward, Nevada, established in 1876. The town at its peak had a population of 1500, two newspapers, a school, fire department, two smelters and a stamp mill. Image courtesy of James Marvin Phelps, CC BY-NC 2.0
The official event schedule for the 2025 NCKMS has now been updated. Please check our schedule page or download a PDF to your mobile device.
Great Basin National Park Foundation passionately works to enhance, preserve, and interpret the starry night skies, wide-open scenery, cultural heritage, and diverse native ecosystems of Great Basin National Park.
The Foundation is the official non-profit partner of Great Basin National Park.
Nevada's Lovelock Cave is one of the most important classic sites of the Great Basin archaeological record because conditions of the cave are conducive to the preservation of organic and inorganic material.
In 1911 two miners, David Pugh and James Hart, were hired to mine for bat guano from the cave. They removed a layer of guano estimated to be three to six feet deep and weighing about 250 tons. The miners were aware of the artifacts they were disturbing but, unfortunately, only the most interesting specimens were saved. Archaeologists were quickly alerted to the existence of the cave where they found 11 pre-historic duck decoys stored inside two woven baskets.
The cave was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on May 24, 1984. It was the first major cave in the Great Basin to be excavated.
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Partly sunny. High near 47, with temperatures falling to around 40 in the afternoon. North northwest wind 5 to 10 mph.
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