The Silver State and the Grand Canyon State are littered with the bones of once-thriving mining camps, stagecoach stops, and silver-rush boomtowns. While California may have its famous ghosts, Nevada and Arizona offer some of the West’s most atmospheric, well-preserved, and downright quirky abandoned (and semi-abandoned) places. From movie-set gold mines to towns where wild burros outnumber people, here are the standout ghost towns and living relics you need to see.
Nevada’s Best Ghost Towns & Historic Gems
Vegas’ Secret Backyard Ghost Town (Nelson)
- Location and Access: 40 miles southeast of Las Vegas via US-95 and Nelson Road.
- Highlights: Explore Techatticup Mine, see a crashed vintage airplane, rusty antique cars, and movie props scattered throughout.
- History: Richest gold mine in the Eldorado Canyon (1861–1942).
- Why It Stands Out: Hollywood once used the site, and it still feels like a film set abandoned in the desert.
The Castle That Lost Its Kingdom (Stokes Castle)
- Location and Access: Just outside Austin on a hill, 170 miles east of Reno via US-50.
- Highlights: Three-story granite tower resembling a medieval castle.
- History: Built in 1897 by mining magnate Anson Phelps Stokes as a summer home (used for only a few months).
- Why It Stands Out: An unexpected European-style castle rising from the rugged Nevada landscape.
Frozen in 1898: Nevada’s Creepiest Time Capsule (Berlin)
- Location and Access: 2½ hours northeast of Tonopah via NV-844 (remote but paved most of the way).
- Highlights: Preserved homes still containing original furniture, machinery, clothing, and 225-million-year-old ichthyosaur fossils.
- History: 1890s silver camp that died fast when the ore ran out.
- Why It Stands Out: Among the West’s most preserved ghost towns, step into a town frozen in time. Website.
The Gold Rush City That Evaporated Overnight (Rhyolite)
- Location and Access: 4 miles west of Beatty, 120 miles north of Las Vegas via NV-374.
- Highlights: Cook Bank ruins, bottle house, and the famous “Ghost Rider” sculpture nearby.
- History: 1904–1916 gold boom; once had 5,000–10,000 residents and electric streetlights.
- Why It Stands Out: Dramatic ruins against the Amargosa Desert backdrop—pure post-apocalyptic Wild West.
Where Sinatra Drank and Ghosts Still Play Poker (Goodsprings / Pioneer Saloon)
- Location and Access: 35 minutes Southwest of Las Vegas via I-15 and NV-161.
- Highlights: Pioneer Saloon (1913), still serving cold beers; said to be haunted by a miner shot over a card game.
- History: Lead/zinc boomtown that peaked at 800 residents.
- Why It Stands Out: One of the closest real-deal ghost towns to Vegas with an authentic Old West bar.
The Richest Place on Earth… Until It Wasn’t (Virginia City)
- Location and Access: 30 minutes southeast of Reno via NV-341.
- Highlights: Wooden sidewalks, the Delta Saloon, Comstock mine tours, and a historic train ride.
- History: Richest silver strike in U.S. history (1859–1880s).
- Why It Stands Out: The best-preserved and liveliest 19th-century mining city in America. Website.
Sleep in a Real Ghost Town (Yes, the Bed Actually Creaks) (Gold Point)
- Location and Access: 180 miles north of Las Vegas, 8 miles off US-95 on a good gravel road.
- Highlights: Restored 1908 saloon and hotel with original fixtures; experience a real ghost-town B&B.
- History: 1880s camp renamed after 1920s gold strike.
- Why It Stands Out: You can literally sleep in a restored ghost-town hotel run by the town’s seven residents.
The Courthouse the Desert Refused to Swallow (Belmont)
- Location and Access: 46 miles north of Tonopah via NV-376 and dirt road.
- Highlights: Spectacular 1876 brick courthouse ruins, jail, crumbling bank, and saloon.
- History: Nye County seat during the 1870s–1880s silver rush.
- Why It Stands Out: Gorgeous high-desert setting and one of Nevada’s most photogenic courthouse ruins.
Nevada’s Oldest Bar Still Serving the Same Attitude (Genoa)
- Location and Access: 15 minutes south of Carson City at the base of the Sierra Nevada.
- Highlights: Nevada’s oldest bar (1853), Mormon Station museum.
- History: First permanent non-native settlement in Nevada (1851).
- Why It Stands Out: Living history with the state’s oldest thirst parlor still pouring drinks.
The Town So Lawless 75 Men Were Buried Before Anyone Died Naturally (Pioche)
- Location and Access: 2½ hours north of Las Vegas via US-93.
- Highlights: Million Dollar Courthouse, aerial tramway ruins, Boot Hill cemetery.
- History: One of the roughest mining camps in the West—75 men buried before anyone died of natural causes.
- Why It Stands Out: Still has that lawless frontier vibe with incredible mountain scenery.
Adobe Bones on the Pony Express Trail (Fort Churchill)
- Location and Access: 30 miles east of Carson City via US-95A.
- Highlights: Crumbling adobe ruins beside the Carson River and a richly curated visitor center.
- History: 1860–1869 U.S. Army fort protecting the Pony Express route.
- Why It Stands Out: Eerie, wind-worn adobe skeletons that look straight out of a Western movie.
America’s Most Remote Bar (You’ll Earn That Beer) Jarbidge, Elko County, Nevada
- Location and Access: 100+ miles of mostly dirt roads from Elko or Twin Falls, ID.
- Highlights: Outdoor Bar with dollar bills stapled to the ceiling, spectacular canyon setting.
- History: 1909 gold discovery; last stagecoach robbery in America (1916).
- Why It Stands Out: So remote it barely ever died—still only reachable by dirt road.
Arizona’s Wildest Ghost Towns & Living Relics
The Billion-Dollar Town That Slid Down the Mountain (Jerome)
- Location and Access: 90 minutes north of Phoenix via I-17 and AZ-89A.
- Highlights: Sliding jail, art galleries in old brothels, haunted hotel.
- History: “Wickedest Town in the West” copper camp perched on Cleopatra Hill.
- Why It Stands Out: The ultimate resurrected ghost town—now a bohemian mountain artist colony.
Where Wild Burros Own the Streets and Gunfights Are at 2 p.m. Sharp (Oatman)
- Location and Access: 30 minutes from Laughlin/Bullhead City via historic Route 66.
- Highlights: Wild burros roaming the streets, daily gunfight shows.
- History: 1915 gold boom; Clark Gable & Carole Lombard honeymooned here.
- Why It Stands Out: The most fun, touristy, and burro-filled ghost town experience in the Southwest.
Junkyard Art Meets 1860s Silver Fever (Chloride)
- Location and Access: 20 miles northwest of Kingman off US-93.
- Highlights: Mock gunfighter town, junk-art graveyard, rock murals.
- History: 1860s silver-mining camp that never quite died.
- Why It Stands Out: Quirky desert folk art meets Old West history.
The Ghost Town That Refused to Stay Dead (Goldfield)
- Location and Access: 45 minutes east of Phoenix via US-60.
- Highlights: Arizona’s only running narrow-gauge railroad, thrilling gunfight reenactments, and mine tours.
- History: 1890s gold town that burned down and was rebuilt as a tourist attraction.
- Why It Stands Out: The most family-friendly, fully restored Wild West town in Arizona. Website.
A 1950s Mining Street Trapped in Amber (Lowell)
- Location and Access: Inside Bisbee city limits, just up the hill from downtown.
- Highlights: Perfectly preserved 1950s street frozen in time with vintage cars.
- History: The Company’s mining town was abandoned in the 1970s.
- Why It Stands Out: Feels like stepping onto the set of a 1950s movie.
The Town Too Tough to Die (And Still Cashing In on It) (Tombstone)
- Location and Access: 70 miles southeast of Tucson via I-10 and AZ-80.
- Highlights: O.K. Corral reenactment, Boothill Graveyard, Bird Cage Theatre.
- History: 1879–1880s silver boom; site of the famous Gunfight at the O.K. Corral.
- Why It Stands Out: “The Town Too Tough to Die”—the most legendary Wild West town still kicking. Website.
Final Thoughts: Get Out There Before They Vanish Again
These Nevada and Arizona ghost towns aren’t just crumbling buildings—they’re open-air museums of the American Dream gone bust. Some are perfectly preserved, some are living on borrowed time, and a few have clawed their way back from the grave as tourist attractions. Whether you want eerie silence or staged gunfights and cold beers, the desert is waiting. Pack plenty of water, respect the ruins, and go chase some ghosts. The Wild West isn’t completely dead—it’s just taking a very long nap. Want more Ghost Towns? Visit the California Ghost Town Page.