Sewers, Trash Collection Services, Fire Protection, Television Translators, Road Maintenance, Street Lighting, Park and Recreation is administered by the Baker Community Services District Mars rover test site The Mars Science Laboratory Team tested an engineering model of the Curiosity rover in the desert near Baker. Attractions The town's most prominent feature is a thermometer, dubbed "the world's tallest thermometer". Visible for miles, it was not operational from 2012 to mid-2014 when it was relighted following restoration. Its height commemorates the hottest temperature ever recorded on Earth, , in nearby Death Valley on July 10, 1913. The thermometer was featured on the television show Strange Inheritance season 1 episode 13 on the Fox Business Network. Dumont Dunes Off-Highway Vehicle Area, a popular area for ATV riders. Just a few miles to the west along I-15 lies the exit for Zzyzx Road. This dirt road leads to Soda Springs, the site of the health resort established by Curtis Springer in the late 1940s and now the Desert Study Center maintained by the California State University. A yearly race is held called "The Challenge Cup Relay: Baker to Vegas" or commonly referred as "Baker to Vegas" where law enforcement do a relay running race from Baker, CA to Las Vegas, NV. It attracts law enforcement agencies including LAPD, national, and international agencies to participate annually. In popular culture The Big Empty Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas In the video game Fallout: New Vegas, the fictional town of Novac is located in the Mojave desert near the real-world location of Baker, and features as a main attraction the world's second-largest thermometer. See also List of census-designated places in California References External links Baker Chamber of Commerce A history of Baker Pilgrims in the Desert - a book on the history of Baker History and photos of Baker's roadside attractions Mojave National Preserve Populated places in the Mojave Desert Census-designated places in San Bernardino County, California Census-designated places in California