Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
Street art in Cartagena.
Colombia • 10 days, 9 nights
Colombia Discovery: Coffee, Art & Music
from
Caucasus - Geghard Monastery, Armenia
Armenia • 15 days, 14 nights
Caucasus Road Trip: Azerbaijan, Georgia & Armenia
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
The wall commemorating 11,908 Jewish victims of the Shoah from Frankfurt.
Börneplatz Memorial
Entrance to the munitions area of the lower part of the bunker
Simserhof
Carlos Calderón Yruegas calls the villa his personal playground.
Villa Tabaiba
Apples and pears, Spitalfields Market.
Brick Lane Roundels
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
The sign declares this the number-one gumbo shop in town.
Gumbo Hut Shioya
The pavlova comes crowned with jewel-like fruit.
Central Park Boathouse
The Village Tavern of Long Grove - exterior.
The Village Tavern
Hunter House Hamburgers
L’Escamoteur
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
The exterior of the Hall of Records.
Atlas Obscura Mailbag: Urban Exploration, Illegal Carvings, and Repeat Vacations
2 days ago
Biosphere 2 campus (2016)
Biosphere 2: How Volunteers Survived for 2 Years in an Airtight Habitat
3 days ago
Places like Forest Grove linger on the edge of wilderness and civilization.
Listening for Echoes of the Forest Grove Sound
3 days ago
Longwood House, where Napoleon Bonaparte spent his final years.
The Longwood House: Napoleon Bonaparte’s Beautiful Prison
4 days ago

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United States California Baker World's Largest Thermometer

World's Largest Thermometer

This giant temperature attraction created some giant electric bills.

Baker, California

Added By
Kerri
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
The World’s Largest Thermometer   Jayson on Flickr
The World’s Largest Thermometer   Jayson on Flickr
Plaque at the themometer as of October 2022   jddarcy / Atlas Obscura User
Easy to visit. Exit the I-15   color flow / Atlas Obscura User
  Findingbalance18 / Atlas Obscura User
  vampybunny / Atlas Obscura User
  Mathias Van de Velde / Atlas Obscura User
Town   Yorkshire / Atlas Obscura User
June 2014  
7-12-24   Darrell Powers / Atlas Obscura User
7-12-24   Darrell Powers / Atlas Obscura User
7-12-24   Darrell Powers / Atlas Obscura User
7-12-24   Darrell Powers / Atlas Obscura User
August 2024 Too hot to get out of the car to take photo   ccesare / Atlas Obscura User
7-12-24   Darrell Powers / Atlas Obscura User
7-12-24   Darrell Powers / Atlas Obscura User
  jondi letnap / Atlas Obscura User
  jondi letnap / Atlas Obscura User
circa 2009   Avoiding Regret
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

The mad dream of one businessman, the world's largest thermometer is in actuality an electric sign that commemorates one of the hottest days ever in Death Valley.

Rising out of a small parking lot in the aptly named town of Baker, California, the thermometer stands at exactly 134 feet tall in honor of a 134 degree record heat in 1913. Originally commissioned by a local business owner, the sign once told the active temperature in the area, but over the years, this function ceased to work. There is a diner, a convenience store, and even a gift shop around the base of the landmark. Unfortunately the sign is currently unlit and for sale as the previous owner reported an electric bill of around $8,000 which sales from the gift shop could apparently not sustain.  

However as of June 2014 the thermometer displays the correct temperature again.

Related Tags

Roadside Attractions World's Largest

Community Contributors

Added By

octoberwitch

Edited By

herberth, EricGrundhauser, Avoiding Regret, jddarcy...

  • herberth
  • EricGrundhauser
  • Avoiding Regret
  • jddarcy
  • jondi letnap
  • Findingbalance18
  • ccesare
  • Mathias Van de Velde
  • Darrell Powers
  • vampybunny
  • color flow
  • Yorkshire

Published

January 11, 2012

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World's_tallest_thermometer
  • http://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/2893
World's Largest Thermometer
72155 Baker Blvd
Baker, California, 92309
United States
35.265957, -116.073308
Visit Website
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Alien Fresh Jerky

Baker, California

miles away

Zzyzx Mineral Springs and Healing Center

San Bernardino, California

miles away

Travelers Monument

Baker, California

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Baker

Baker

California

Places 5

Nearby Places

Alien Fresh Jerky

Baker, California

miles away

Zzyzx Mineral Springs and Healing Center

San Bernardino, California

miles away

Travelers Monument

Baker, California

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Baker

Baker

California

Places 5

Related Places

  • Hebron, Nebraska

    World’s Largest Covered Porch Swing

    At 32 feet long, this swing is big enough for the whole family—and then some.

  • Albertinia, South Africa

    World's Largest Aloe Statue

    A larger-than-life representation of the humble aloe plant.

  • Sandy, the world’s largest sandhill crane

    Steele, North Dakota

    World's Largest Sandhill Crane

    The metal bird, nicknamed "Sandy," stands nearly 40 feet tall and is an homage to the birds that migrate through North Dakota every year.

  • The World’s Largest Kokopelli in Camp Verde, Arizona

    Camp Verde, Arizona

    World's Largest Kokopelli

    This oversized flute-playing Ancestral Puebloan deity is also a landmark of Southwestern kitsch.

  • Woodruff, Wisconsin

    The World's Largest Penny

    In 1953, a group of Wisconsin high school students helped build a hospital by collecting over a million pennies.

  • Photo taken in October 2021

    Riverside, California

    World’s Largest Paper Cup

    A tribute to the disposable cups that were once manufactured here, this 68-foot-tall statue would be difficult to throw away.

  • Another angle of Otto the Otter. Do not use this picnic table to climb the otter.

    Fergus Falls, Minnesota

    Otto the Otter

    The world's largest otter started his life as a high school shop project.

  • The World’s Largest Baseball, located in Muscotah, Kansas.

    Muscotah, Kansas

    World's Largest Baseball

    This unfinished tribute to a hometown hero and early baseball great is now an abandoned roadside attraction.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.