Surrounded by mountains, this town has a National Historic District with many Victorian buildings, highlighted by the 1889 Geiser Grand Hotel, which is still sparkling from its multimillion-dollar renovation in 1997. The town also has the Oregon Trail Interpretive Center at Flagstaff Hill, which overlooks the great sagebrush steppe between the Rockies and the Cascades—the place where the pioneers took a breather between mountain crossings.
Settled by gold miners in the mid-1800s, the area around Baker has been of intense geologic interest ever since. The Sumpter Valley Railroad takes you through the old gold-mining district. Don't miss the huge Armstrong Nugget—80 ounces of gold—at the U.S. National Bank's gold exhibit. The Miner's Jubilee takes place in Baker City in July. 300 mi/485 km east of Portland.
