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jefe_4x4's avatar
jefe_4x4
Explorer
Dec 14, 2015

An off-road truck camper (XTC) western Ghost Town tour

This is not a trip report but rather a query. Have any of you done or have a great itinerary for a Ghost Town tour of the west (including only NV, CA, AZ). My bro John and I want to make a long winter or early spring caravan trip, but there are so many old mines and towns he'd like to whittle it down to remote, hard to get to sites where we can camp. It would be good if these were strung together in a pattern. We have been to many G. Towns over the years, but never made an attempt at a string of them. I have some books on Ghost Towns of the west, but the array is bewildering. If you have looked into a trip like this and have an itinerary, lehmee noh. Thanks for your time. A remote cyn. in Death Valley:
jefe
  • There is Cerro Gordo, and from there up to the tram at Swansea. also the area just north of, Bodie, as well as just east of Bridgeport has some places that are on leased range land, so close the gates after you go thru. I think there is still some places in the East Mojave Preserve, like the Vulcan mine area, and the old XO Ranch. There used to be a settlement that was mined, and abandoned between Nipton, and Searchlight too.
  • Jefe: Nevada is our go to destination for ghost towns. Remote, boon docking spots, few folks, history. Most sites are just rubble but a few have some partially standing buildings. Anywhere around Tonopah is good. Park Canyon, Tybo, Ophir, to name a few. We wanted to see more of Delamar near Caliente but the single track, off camber road with steep drop off kept us from venturing further. Neat graveyard, though. Pm me if you want more suggestions. We are heading out in April and May so may want to meet up with you to check out places. Happy trails.

    PS, Belmont, north of Tonopah, was on our list especially for its red brick courthouse, but when we arrived it was full of squatters in their RVs. A ghost town to me means no residents. A cool ghost town in Idaho is Silver City, but again has residents although they live in the homes thus keeping them from disrepair. Belmont had falling down buildings and the only attempt at p restoration was the courthouse. I like abandoned ghost towns where you can wander about without eyes watching like you experience at Rhyolite. Still, I guess those eyes keep people from stealing.

    Something to remember is that ghost towns were boom and bust which meant that after the bust, the next boom town was often built from the materials from the bust town. Our western history is so cool. And, cemeteries are interesting to read the headstones if you are not spooked by wandering about. Another cool ghost town is Frisco in western Utah. Check them out plus the links others provided.