Randsburg California Ghost Town Day Trip Points of Interest

Randsburg is located just off Highway 395 in eastern Kern County, known as the Rand Area. At an elevation of 3,500 feet, the Living Ghost Town of Randsburg transports travelers back to California’s early gold mining days. Randsburg once housed nearly 3,000 miners and their families. When gold was discovered in 1895, prospectors flooded the area and quickly formed Rand Camp, aptly named after the Witwatersrand mining area in South Africa.

Although gold fever no longer draws visitors, tourists still flock to explore the town’s historical past. They can wander Butte Avenue, taking in the sights of dilapidated structures and historical monuments, including a tiny jail cell and rusted-out abandoned vehicles scattered throughout empty lots. With around 100 people, Randsburg is often called a living ghost town. Almost everywhere you turn, you will find quirky signs, monuments, or artifacts from the present and back to the town’s glory days. This fascinating little town is a must-see for any history buff.

Randsburg Ghost Town Points of Interest

In Randsburg are antique shops, an authentic western saloon, an opera house, a general store with an old-fashioned soda fountain famous for its “Black Bart” floats, two small inns, and a Hot Rod Shop. Bumper stickers reading “Where the hell is Randsburg?” can be found on various vehicles and business windows around the town. The surrounding outhouses are adorned with cheesy, hand-painted signs like “Her’n” and “Hiz’n” or “We Got Our Bailout.” Additionally, one privy even has a TV antenna.

The Joint Randsburg, California

The infamous “Joint” bar lets travelers wet their whistles at the ultimate hole-in-the-wall with its Mason jar lamps lighting the outside facade. The Joint attracts offroad bikers, ATVs, and history buffs. The Joint was built in the early 1900s and has been in his family-owned since the mid-1950s. Grab a drink, order a burger, and relax in a living Ghost in the middle of the beautiful Mojave desert. Don’t forget to pick up a “Joint” T-shirt while visiting Randsburk. You can find the Joint at 165 Butte Ave, Randsburg, California. Open Thursday through Sunday.

Rand Desert Museum Randsburg CA

Historical Marker No. 938, located nearby, designates The Rand Desert Museum as one of the first museums established in Kern County in 1942. The museum houses various unique artifacts, such as an extensive mineral collection, a stamp mill, an antique miner’s toilet known as a “HoneyPot,” and old photographs of Randsburg and the surrounding area. Additionally, the museum showcases equipment that was used in the local mines. Outside, you can find a collection of old, rusty mining machinery, including a 5-ton Steam Locomotive used in the Yellow Aster Mine in the early 1900s. Rand Museum Website.

Randsburg is Popular With Off-Roaders

Besides attracting history buffs, geologists, and rockhounds from around the country, the town is also a hotbed for off-roaders. Thousands come every year to explore this creepy little spot on the map. It’s common to hear the sounds of squeaking gates and the haunting shriek of an off-road vehicle far off in the hills. Because OHV areas and wilderness lands surround the region, including Johannesburg and Red Mountain, Randsburg is the perfect outdoor recreation paradise.

High Desert Area Wildlife

The area is also teeming with wildlife, and some of the animals that live in Randsburg year-round are kit foxes, jackrabbits, cottontails, hawks, eagles, and coyotes. The Costa’s hummingbird visits during the summer, while the desert tortoises inhabit the nearby Desert Tortoise Research Natural Area.

Randsburg Climate When To Visit

The region experiences a typical high desert climate, characterized by hot and dry summers with average highs of around 110 degrees. The winter season can bring about temperatures as low as 10 degrees, and there might be occasional sightings of light snow.

Getting to Randsburg Ghost Town

Randsburg is west of U.S. Route 395, between Kramer Junction to the south and Ridgecrest to the north. In addition to the two inns in town, motels are in nearby Ridgecrest, and some campgrounds, including Walker Pass Campground and Red Rock Canyon State Park, are within a short driving distance. Please note that the Randsburg General Store has relocated from its old building on the street to a new location called THE VAULT. The new address is 161 Butte Ave, Randsburg, California.

Randsburg Points of Interest in the Area

Red Mountain Owl Cafe Museum

A few miles south of Randsburg lies the town of Red Mountain. Remember to visit the Owl Cafe Museum, situated on Highway 95. Although it’s not a cafe, the museum has many historical artifacts and pictures from the town’s early mining years. If you’re interested in gold prospecting, the museum can provide you with all the necessary equipment and recommend areas to try your luck. Red Mountain’s fascinating history includes a secret hideaway for Hollywood actors during the 1920s. Website.

Burro Schmidt Tunnel

Burro Schmidt was an ambitious man who spent 32 years digging through the rock to create a shortcut for transporting gold ore to the smelters near Mojave. Although he never found any gold ore, he completed his tunnel. Schmidt began digging the tunnel at the age of 36 and finished it at age 68. During summers, he worked as a ranch hand, and in the winters, he would head to the Last Chance Canyon with his mules loaded with supplies to work on his tunnel.

Borax Visitor Center Boron, CA

The Borax Visitor Center is in the Mojave Desert in Boron, California. It is on top of a massive pile of materials extracted from the borax mine pit. From the visitor center, you can enjoy a panoramic view of the Rio Tinto Borax processing plant and the largest open-pit mine in California. As you enter the visitor center, you will be greeted by a full-size replica of a 20-mule team with a wagon. Borax was originally transported from deposits in Death Valley to processing plants via a 20-mule team pulling a wagon of ore.

Red Rock Canyon California State Park

Red Rock Canyon State Park covers an area of nine square miles in the middle of the Mojave Desert, along both sides of California Highway 14. The park is known for its scenic desert cliffs, buttes, and multi-colored rocky outcrops resembling a distant planet’s mysterious landscape. This area was once a crossroads of an indigenous trade route and home to gold and silver miners who flocked to the area in search of the mother lode in the mid-1800s.

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