Ward Charcoal Ovens State Historic Park
Ward Charcoal Ovens State Historic Park
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Marie5466
Municipio de Guanajuato, México1,102 aportes
may de 2024 • Solitario
Beautiful and clean place but a little decrepit. There were no pamphlets left at the entrance where you pay your fee (self-serve, no attendants). Some of the signs have fallen over or are just propped up on fences. Some signs are so faded you can no longer read them.
You may, therefore, want to download the hiking trail maps and information of the park before getting here so you have that data handy. The trail to the overlook point was not well marked so I scrambled upwards until I reached the top. The overlook view of the ovens puts them in quite a different perspective, they appear so small from the top of the ridge. Thankfully, the interpretive loop was well marked so I ended up hiking that one all the way. The interpretive hike leads to Willow Creek, a small but pretty creek meandering through greenery with the backdrop of a snow covered mountain. There are a few signs along the way explaining the flora and fauna of the area. Lovely.
The park features six very well-preserved beehive shaped charcoal ovens that were used from 1876 through 1879 to help process the area’s silver ore. Once mining ended, the ovens were used to shelter travelers or ranchers in bad weather and even had a reputation as a hideout for stagecoach bandits.
At an elevation range of 7,000-8,000 feet, 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.
Silver ore was discovered here in 1872 when freighters were looking for oxen that were grazing in the Willow Creek Basin area. The area was privately owned and managed by ranchers until 1956.
LOTS of charcoal is needed for smelting ore. It takes 30-50 bushels to reduce one ton of ore. Charcoal burns slower and hotter than raw wood, a characteristic necessary for smelting ore. Filling one oven requires trees from six acres of land, with six ovens, that means 36 acres. Each oven held 35 cords of wood, which burned for 12 days, producing 50 bushels per cord or 1,750 bushels/oven or 10,500 bushels for all six ovens which were 30 feet tall by 27 feet wide (9m x 8m). You can see why, in a mere three years, the wood in the Ward area was depleted.
The daily fee is $5 per vehicle for NV residents and $10 for others. I didn’t know that at the time and only paid the $5 fee. Not made very clear on the entrance sign – or maybe I just missed it.
Still worth seeing if you are in the area, I would come better prepared next time as I missed some hiking trails, I didn’t know existed, due to the lack of signage and information. It is about 30 minutes from Ely and the last six miles is a passable (some washboard) dirt road – but very dry and dusty. Covered picnic tables, pit toilets, and dumpster adjacent to parking area. Kind of remote and quiet. A very quick visit of only 15 minutes or so if you don’t also do the 4-5 hiking trails meandering throughout.
You may, therefore, want to download the hiking trail maps and information of the park before getting here so you have that data handy. The trail to the overlook point was not well marked so I scrambled upwards until I reached the top. The overlook view of the ovens puts them in quite a different perspective, they appear so small from the top of the ridge. Thankfully, the interpretive loop was well marked so I ended up hiking that one all the way. The interpretive hike leads to Willow Creek, a small but pretty creek meandering through greenery with the backdrop of a snow covered mountain. There are a few signs along the way explaining the flora and fauna of the area. Lovely.
The park features six very well-preserved beehive shaped charcoal ovens that were used from 1876 through 1879 to help process the area’s silver ore. Once mining ended, the ovens were used to shelter travelers or ranchers in bad weather and even had a reputation as a hideout for stagecoach bandits.
At an elevation range of 7,000-8,000 feet, 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.
Silver ore was discovered here in 1872 when freighters were looking for oxen that were grazing in the Willow Creek Basin area. The area was privately owned and managed by ranchers until 1956.
LOTS of charcoal is needed for smelting ore. It takes 30-50 bushels to reduce one ton of ore. Charcoal burns slower and hotter than raw wood, a characteristic necessary for smelting ore. Filling one oven requires trees from six acres of land, with six ovens, that means 36 acres. Each oven held 35 cords of wood, which burned for 12 days, producing 50 bushels per cord or 1,750 bushels/oven or 10,500 bushels for all six ovens which were 30 feet tall by 27 feet wide (9m x 8m). You can see why, in a mere three years, the wood in the Ward area was depleted.
The daily fee is $5 per vehicle for NV residents and $10 for others. I didn’t know that at the time and only paid the $5 fee. Not made very clear on the entrance sign – or maybe I just missed it.
Still worth seeing if you are in the area, I would come better prepared next time as I missed some hiking trails, I didn’t know existed, due to the lack of signage and information. It is about 30 minutes from Ely and the last six miles is a passable (some washboard) dirt road – but very dry and dusty. Covered picnic tables, pit toilets, and dumpster adjacent to parking area. Kind of remote and quiet. A very quick visit of only 15 minutes or so if you don’t also do the 4-5 hiking trails meandering throughout.
Escrita el 23 de mayo de 2024
Esta opinión es la opinión subjetiva de un miembro de Tripadvisor, no de Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor les hace controles a todas las opiniones.
kevan j
Norman, OK1,468 aportes
mar de 2024 • Pareja
We visited here for an hour as part of our tour of eastern Nevada. Very interesting place. I've never seen such a place. Good signage for the most part, and you can walk right up to the ovens and into the ovens as well. Well-preserved. Nice little short hikes available and beautiful setting. You need to drive a few miles on a dirt road to get to the parking lot. Clearly neglected by Nevada as we could not even pay to visit as the self pay mechanism was completely broken, however, the restrooms were clean. We were the only ones there. Not for everyone, but if you like unusual, historical, and interesting things, I recommend it.
Escrita el 19 de abril de 2024
Esta opinión es la opinión subjetiva de un miembro de Tripadvisor, no de Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor les hace controles a todas las opiniones.
Robert N
Sparks, NV376 aportes
ago de 2023 • Pareja
A piece of the history of mining that isn't common knowledge. Impressive, for the size and the construction.
Road getting to the ovens is 10 miles of gravel.
Road getting to the ovens is 10 miles of gravel.
Escrita el 30 de agosto de 2023
Esta opinión es la opinión subjetiva de un miembro de Tripadvisor, no de Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor les hace controles a todas las opiniones.
edmondite
edmond, oklahoma1,193 aportes
ago de 2023 • Pareja
We came out with a picnic dinner to see WCOSP. It has to be one of the most unique state parks we've ever visited. Loved learning about the history of these ovens and their size is amazing! We took the 1/2 mile walking loop and got lost about half-way through. There were a lot of elk hooves (?) and other little trails that were throwing us off. As the sun was going down, we decided to go back the way we had come so we didn't really get lost out there!
Escrita el 28 de agosto de 2023
Esta opinión es la opinión subjetiva de un miembro de Tripadvisor, no de Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor les hace controles a todas las opiniones.
Sandra D
Temple, TX31 aportes
jun de 2023 • Amigos
This place is so cool. If you like leaning about the history of people, this one really shows you how far we have come with technology and development. You get to explore it all, inside and out!
Escrita el 8 de julio de 2023
Esta opinión es la opinión subjetiva de un miembro de Tripadvisor, no de Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor les hace controles a todas las opiniones.
r g
Las Vegas, NV18 aportes
oct de 2022
This is one of the 27 or so Nevada State Parks places. It is a little off the beaten path but well worth the effort to see. There is a fee, and you are on the honor system. As others have said, coming from Ely, NV, pass the first sign directing you to the park as it is 10 to 14 miles of unpaved, washboard, hardpacked, and dusty road. Regular passenger cars have no problem but because of the necessary reduced speed it seems to take forever. Instead, go past this first sign and a few miles down Highway 50 you will come to a second sign. Take this road. It is only 5-7 miles of unpaved road to get to the ovens but has little to no washboarding and only small rocks. The ovens are impressive and the interpretive signs explain the history of these structures. You are free to enter the ovens and there are at least two hiking trails that explore the area. Near the ovens is a campground. At the parking area there is a covered picnic table area and a pit toilet.
Escrita el 25 de octubre de 2022
Esta opinión es la opinión subjetiva de un miembro de Tripadvisor, no de Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor les hace controles a todas las opiniones.
pat c
Broadview Heights, OH109 aportes
sept de 2022
These are only about 25 minutes away from Ely. If you have the time be sure to stop. They are really enormous and tell an amazing story about mining back in the day.
Escrita el 5 de octubre de 2022
Esta opinión es la opinión subjetiva de un miembro de Tripadvisor, no de Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor les hace controles a todas las opiniones.
jbwhitehouse
Dallas, TX1,845 aportes
jul de 2022
Take the road just AFTER the road sign directing to Ward Charcoal Ovens S.H.P, otherwise you will go up a bumpy, dirt road leading to what you don’t want. The six ovens are well worth going out of the way to see. Site signage is good and the ovens are in pristine condition. There are restrooms by the parking lot.
Escrita el 11 de julio de 2022
Esta opinión es la opinión subjetiva de un miembro de Tripadvisor, no de Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor les hace controles a todas las opiniones.
Erica D
Salt Lake City, UT340 aportes
jul de 2022
We have seen such ovens in other parts of Utah, so were happy to make the trek to these. The historical signage is very helpful, and the area provides the opportunity to get up close and personal with a unique piece of history. Do note that there is a lengthy trip on a non-paved road to get there. We had no trouble in my small AWD SUV. Also, note that the area is very remote. While I felt completely safe since there were two of us, as a woman alone I might have been wary.
Escrita el 3 de julio de 2022
Esta opinión es la opinión subjetiva de un miembro de Tripadvisor, no de Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor les hace controles a todas las opiniones.
pshajh
Tempe, AZ156 aportes
may de 2022
I had never seen charcoal ovens before Ely. It's different. The park also has some hiking trails. Some are marked really well while others are barely marked. We got a little confused but figured it out.
Escrita el 6 de junio de 2022
Esta opinión es la opinión subjetiva de un miembro de Tripadvisor, no de Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor les hace controles a todas las opiniones.
JBRetired
Apple Valley, CA472 aportes
What is the current condition of the dirt road going in. Ok for everyday car - clearance? Time wise how long is the dirt road
juliebrown6468
Las Vegas, NV66 aportes
The road is in good condition and definitely drivable by car. It is about a two to three minute drive.
Sherie C
Sandy, UT2 aportes
can you sleep in these ovens.> where to stay nearby? want to do lehman caves also in a weekend. reservations? how much?
Erik J
Ely, NV69 aportes
You can't sleep in the ovens themselves. If you're coming from Sandy, I assume you'll be coming through Delta and stuff. I'd set up base camp at great basin NP near Baker (where the caves are), and scoot over to check out the ovens one afternoon. Since you're that close when you're at the ovens, stop in Ely, and maybe get a ticket to ride the old steam train. Taking the hour or so drive from great basin solely for the ovens may not quite be worth it. Could also camp at cave lake state park.
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