ward charcoal ovens state historic park

My family really enjoyed our visit to the Ward Charcoal Ovens. The history and use information was great. It gave you a picture into a short, but intense period of important history for the west.

Very interesting history of the charcoal ovens. It is wide open, no ranger on site, self-pay $5 for Nevadans and $7 for others (It goes to a good cause). The history is spelled out on plaques. The dirt road to the ovens is pretty good, we took our little car down just fine.

Great and interesting site! Read all the signs...very interesting. Wanted to stay longer, sun was setting, needed to find a bathroom. Signs were not so good for directing you to this site. Went to the camp ground nearby first, then went searching for the ovens. Found them and it was a nice place.

The sign on the highway directs you to the ovens. Long drive from the highway; no indication that there is a fee until you get all the way there.

I never knew there was such a thing. a part of history and interesting. Beautiful setting down a 10 mile gravel road.

the scenery around the area is great with lots of wildlife and historical notes to share with family

The charcoal kilns were in great shape. They have been well preserved and help one understand about mining in the area. They probably could even be used today. We enjoyed hiking several trails. There was a $7.00 entrance fee, but the place was clean, had picnic tables, and was well maintained. It was a bit of a drive to get to the park, but as well worth it!

Well, this is a drive off the road, about seven miles but the road was well maintained dirt and a car like my wife's Mazda 3 had no problems at all. In the winter I am sure it gets snowed in though, so be aware. The ovens were hand made and maintained by Italian immigrants during the mining years where they burned timber to create charcoal to be transported and smelt the ore. At one time in history they went on strike and sheriff's department came up as strike breakers and shot and killed several of them right nearby here in a canyon, but I couldn't find the exact area and I wasn't really interested in looking as it was snowing lightly and pretty cold. It's neat to see how they constructed the ovens. Today they are being used by cows to poop in. Hey, maybe they could convert that to charcoal. (Hint: This is a state fee park and I can't recall how much it was to view the ovens, five or seven dollars, something like that...but if you think you can sneak in forget it. We had no more than paid the fee and entered than the ranger showed up to check our entrance fee stub. He lives just down the road and can see every car that goes up to the ovens. Just a warning. I image the citation is far more than the five to seven dollars.)

This was a nice stop for the afternoon. My kids, ages 2-12, loved playing inside the old charcoal ovens. There are several walking trails, and picnic tables, along with a bathroom. I didn't mind paying the $7 fee, as it goes to help maintain this rural, out-of-the-way park. Take plenty of water, it was hot, and there was not a drinking fountain or source of water there.

The charcoal ovens were in great shape and dare I say could still be used today. These gems have been preserved and help tell the story of the mining industry in Ely, Nevada. I learned a lot about how the charcoal was made and had a great time exploring the ovens. What a neat experience, and to think they did this all by hand. If you're in the area take 10 minutes and stop by. If you have an hour take a walk around the nature trail.

This was an interesting historic site which made for some good photo opportunities. There was a walking trail here as well which we would have explored had we arrived at the site earlier. There are picnic tables too. This made a welcome opportunity for the kids in our group to run around and get some energy out. They enjoyed seeing the ovens too.If you visit the town of Ely you can see a fascinating mural of these ovens and how they were built by Italian immigrants.

We did not spend very much time here. However, it was interesting to see how the Charcoal Ovens were used in silver production.

I wouldn't rate this poor or terrible, but unless it's on your way, I would say take a look on line and call it a day. They're interesting to look at and imagine how they must have worked in their day but for us this was time and gas lost which could have been used for other things. There is a suggested fee but it's on the honor system.

We have seen some similar ovens before, but these are much larger than we expected. The craftsmanship is interesting. There are several hiking trails spanning out from this area. A map of the trails is on the west side of the ovens. Also, check out the old cemetery about 3 miles north of the ovens. It's worth a visit as well.

I took a ride out to the Ward Charcoal Ovens in Ely. NV and it was well worth the drive. You head out of Ely, NV on the Great Basin Highway go about 6 miles and you will see a sign were to turn. The road is a gravel road but is no problem for passenger cars. About a mile before you get to the ovens you will see a sign saying Ward Mining and the road turns to the right and heads up the Mountain towards the mine. The road is blocked before you get all the way up to the mine. Half way up the mountain you will come up to a Cemetery that has graves of the miners from the 1800's. Some of the stories on the tombstones are quite interesting. Travel up the mountain a little ways and you will come across a sign saying were the town of Ward use to be although there is no buildings left. The Charcoal Ovens were used to make charcoal to run the smelters at the mine,