31 Ghost Towns In Nevada [MAP]

Last Updated on August 26, 2022 by Urbex Underground

If you’re searching for ghost towns inNevada, we’ve got you covered! Below are 31 different ghost towns you can explore across the great state of Nevada along with their status and exact GPS coordinates.

We rate ghost towns in Arizona based on their status. Here’s how our system works:

• Abandoned: Is abandoned with ruins and structures in a decayed state. Great for urban explorers.
• Historic: Preservation efforts have been made and sometimes plaques installed. Great for everyone.
• Barren: Almost nothing remains of the town. Ideal for metal detectorists.
• Commercial: Is commercially owned with amenities, restaurants, and stores. Great for families.
• Semi-Abandoned: Abandoned areas with a small population in the area.
• Privately Owned: Tours might be available but not open to the general public.

History:

A ghost town within the park’s limits was submerged when Lake Mead first filled up in the 1930s. St. Thomas thrived as a halting station along the Arrowhead Trail between Los Angeles and Salt Lake City when it was a Mormon town. 

St. Thomas is located near the Overton Arm of the Muddy River, which feeds Lake Mead, in the park’s northern section. The approach route is dirty` and occasionally uneven, so guests in low-riding vehicles should be cautious.

What’s Left?

Due to the dropping water levels of Lake Mead because of severe drought conditions, vestiges of the town may now be seen. Visitors may now walk the ghost remnants of a classic western town, which was once flooded more than 60 feet above the tallest structure.

Unlike many ghost towns in Nevada, St. Thomas is one of the few towns that were completely submerged by water.

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History:

Unionville, like most other ghost towns dotting the Silver State, experienced a traditional rise and eventual fall as the mines were mined out. With a tremendous boom between 1863 and 1870, this small village functioned as the county seat for Humboldt County. While less than two-dozen people remain here today, it’s tough to envision Unionville in its prime with a population of 1,500. 

For the big mining and exploration prospects, most locals were drawn to the gold-rich ore bordering the canyon slopes. Indeed, it was so well-known that some well-known residents lived there, including a small elderly man called Samuel Clemens.

What’s Left?

Some could argue that with a population of only 20 people, Unionville is a true living ghost town, but with the nearest services being an hour away and genuine human sightings few and far between, it certainly feels that way. Unionville, except for one remaining company, The Old Pioneer Garden B&B Guest Ranch, wasn’t always a quiet little haven.

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History:

A visit to Gold Point Ghost Town, located southwest of Goldfield at the Nevada/California border in Esmeralda County, will enthrall history buffs.

Originally known as Lime Point and formed as a silver mining settlement in the early 1860s, Gold Point was once a bustling boomtown with 125 homes, a post office, bakery, hotels, cafes, a store, and multiple saloons. The community was known as Hornsilver until 1932, when it was renamed Gold Point, a name that has stuck ever since.

When World War II broke out, the government ordered all gold mines to close since they were considered non-essential to the war effort. Mining in Gold Point ended at this time, as most of the residents relocated to neighboring communities or enlisted in the military.

What’s Left?

Gold Point has been meticulously conserved by historians and ghost town enthusiasts. The main street, a saloon, and the Gold Point Bed and Breakfast are all still open to visitors. You can stay in an authentic, antique miner’s cabin here. While Gold Point is one of the better-known ghost towns in Nevada, that doesn’t take away from it’s unique charm.

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History:

Blair was established in 1906 by the Pittsburgh Silver Peak Gold Mining Company three miles north of Silver Peak. The Tonopah mining boom was causing frenzy in adjacent mining towns by 1906. The business brought by the company, constructed a rail spur to serve the town and mill. A post office and a newspaper were both established in 1906. A two-story hotel was constructed, and several saloons catered to the mill workers and miners in the area.

Mining lasted until around 1916, when the low-grade ore became unprofitable to mine. The mill equipment was dismantled and transported to California and Blair was left abandoned.

What’s Left?

The settlement was mostly uninhabited by 1920. All that is left of Blair are the ruins of stone structures and mill foundations. Patty Flannery’s saloon and hotel, which is claimed to have housed a brewery in the basement, is the most prominent structure in town.

Unlike other ghost towns in Nevada, Blair doesn’t have a whole lot left to explore, but I’d still recommend checking it out if you’re nearby.

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History:

Aurora town site was founded in 1863, when the Wild West Vein was first discovered in the Nevada Territory and was named for the goddess of the dawn. Around the same time, Samuel Clemens arrived in the area to aid his brother Orion, who had been appointed Secretary of the Nevada Territory and his brother helped lead the Nevada Territory to statehood. 

Most Aurora’s riches were already harvested by 1864, the year the Nevada Territory became a state. By 1870, almost all the stamp mills had closed, and almost all the dwellings in Aurora had been abandoned.

What’s Left?

Almost all of Aurora’s structures have been demolished, and while some foundations can still be seen, the high desert has recovered the majority of what was once one of Nevada’s most famous boomtowns. In and around historic Aurora, the Borealis Gold Project, a modern-day mining endeavor in the Hawthorne region, is currently operating, making it one of the more active ghost towns in Nevada.

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History:

Tybo, which means “white man’s territory” in Shoshone, was founded in 1870 after gold ore was discovered in the Hot Creek Mountains of central Nevada. A post office, newspaper, general store, jail, literary society, Wells Fargo office, school, blacksmith shops, hundreds of saloons, an International Order of Odd Fellows branch, and even an official town brass band grew up to support this booming population.

In the early 1880s, the Tybo Consolidated Mines Company ran into serious challenges when ore quality plummeted, resulting in the mine’s closure. All but 100 people had moved on to more exciting Western boomtowns within a year, and a big fire destroyed 32 structures just a few years later, effectively ending any possibility of a meaningful comeback and left Tybo abandoned.

What’s Left?

Today, a few amazingly intact ruins may be seen throughout this once-thriving gold mining town, including the Tonopah consolidated Mining Company’s original hoist house and headframe, ancient Wells Fargo Office ruins, several miner cabins remain, historic milling sites, old charcoal kilns, and more.

Of all the ghost towns in Nevada, Tybo is one of my personal favorites.

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History:

Candelaria was founded in 1864, the same year Nevada became a state, and its rich silver mines were discovered by Mexican prospectors looking for gold and silver in southwestern Nevada. Candelaria boasted two hotels, doctors, lawyers, a post office, numerous shops and mercantile, and many saloons, as befitting a Nevada boomtown. 

The stamp mill was compelled to run as a dry mill as Candelaria’s population grew, resulting in a veil of deadly dust in and around town, killing many Candelaria miners and civilians. Later in the 1890s, a nationwide depression interrupted mining operation, and by 1935, when the post office closed for good, practically all Candelaria people had moved on and left Candelaria to become a ghost town.

What’s Left?

Urban explorers can discover the original Wells Fargo building, stone mercantile businesses, a few miners’ huts, exquisite native stone-terraced slopes, and a historic cemetery today. While there are certainly more exciting ghost towns in Nevada, Candelaria still deserves a visit if you aren’t too far.

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History:

Delamare Ghost Town, dubbed the “Widowmaker” because of its lethal gold mine, is the gold star of southeastern Nevada ghost towns, with an outstanding array of still intact stone masoned structures. Delamare had become the place to be by 1897, with thousands of residents flocking to the town to support a hospital, opera house, churches, a school, and a plethora of shops, stores, and saloons. 

Delamare earned the moniker “Widowmaker” after the gold was crushed and processed, resulting in a toxic silica dust. Delamare, like most of Nevada’s great ghost towns, was largely destroyed by fire in 1900.

What’s Left?

A visit to Delamare Ghost Town today will allow you to see various stone structures that have stood the test of time in the Mojave Desert for more than a century. Many foundations and entire structures, as well as two historic cemeteries and mill sites, can be seen—made of native rock, which sets it apart from most other Nevada ghost towns.

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History:

The site of one of the several Pony Express stations that dotted Nevada in the mid-nineteenth century is now in ruins, marked by low walls of undressed rhyolitic stones. The six-room station is generally rectangular, with an east-west long axis. The dry-stacked rocks for the walls were found locally.

From 1860 until the end of the Pony Express operation in 1861, the building served as a Pony Express station. From 1861 to 1863, the station served as a halt along the overland mail route, as well as a telegraph station that closed in 1869. The station was immediately buried by desert sands, and researchers discovered the abandoned Sand Springs in 1976.

What’s Left?

The old station is now maintained by the Bureau of Land Management, which has placed interpretative markers around it. The stone remnants of the Cold Springs stage and telegraph stations can be seen from the highway. The ruins of the Cold Springs Pony Express station lie about a mile and a half east of these ruins.

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History:

Metropolis is an extremely rare ghost town in Nevada. The settlement grew out of a failed attempt to produce wheat in the sagebrush areas surrounding Wells in the early twentieth century.

Due to low agricultural prices and disputes over water rights, the town had largely dried up by the mid-1930s. A lawsuit from downstream water users in the Humboldt River drainage barred the use of agricultural water from a nearby creek.

What’s Left?

The ruins of the school and hotel are all that remained of the once-thriving town. Apart from a few damaged relics, there isn’t much left standing. Sagebrush, a scruffy gray-green shrub that has grown back beyond its original range, is seen across the area. If all the ghost towns in Nevada, Metropolis has some of the most impressive ruins that are still intact.

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History:

A Native American prospector discovered gold in 1907 at the town location that would become known as Nivloc Nevada. The settlement was named after the previous owners, “Colvin,” who operated the land in 1923. Such is the haste in the Nevadan desert that the word Nivloc was spelled backwards.

The first mining activities lasted only a few years. In the 1930s, the town witnessed a renaissance. With only one saloon, the community never rose to much. The town had a post office from 1940 to 1943, when it was at its peak and is now counted as a famous abandoned place in Nevada.

What’s Left?

Several structures and buildings are still surviving. The mine headframe and a rail trestle bridge with a length of 120 feet and a height of 40 feet are still standing.

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History:

In 1870, the first mining claims were staked. When the community of National City built around the National Mine the following year, the district was formed. In the following year, the settlement was renamed Bristol City. The mines were supplied with water from the town’s wells. By 1890, the community had grown to 400 people and a new smelter had been built to handle copper ore. 

After 1893, activity slowed. Copper was recovered for two years at a leach-recovery plant erected in 1900. In 1922, the town was renamed Tempest after the Tempest Mine, but it was renamed Bristol again in 1929. The post office was in operation until 1950 and then Bristol Wells officially started its journey in becoming a ghost town.

What’s Left?

The Day-Jackrabbit, as seen from the Stonehouse site. The Bristol Range’s base features a major mine. The mine is accessible through a short side road; however, entry is restricted by a locked gate. Warnings are posted everywhere: “There will be no hunting. This property was guarded. Trespassers will face charges.”

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History:

The tiny town of Coaldale had formed itself by the 1930s on the precarious foundation of roadside service, having started out as a (unsuccessful) coal mining camp. A modest motel, a diner, and, most crucially, a petrol station were the only businesses in town. The station quickly went out of business since it couldn’t afford to remedy the problem or upgrade their tanks. 

With no more petrol to stop for, the diner and motel’s customers dried up quickly, and Coaldale, Nevada was coming to an end. The village was abandoned abruptly, leaving only its squat mid-century structures as physical traces of its presence.

What’s Left?

The broken-down service station sign pole still sits near the motel’s dead windows today. Some of the buildings have been vandalized, but for the most part, the town remains, waiting for future historians to reflect on its history before handing it over to roadside hucksters, as so many other ghost towns have done before it.

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History:

The place has a violent history. The population was 1200 and it was a tent city of miners. In 1914, there was a conflict between two mining counties. Both parties launched a back and forth attack on each other resulting in a climax scene of the Colorado Coalfield war at the Ludlow massacre. Tents were burned down and women and children were killed.

What’s Left?

There are many buildings that exist in their original condition. There is an honoring of the victims called United Mine Workers of America. It is located at the north of Trinidad situated at Las Animas County.

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History:

Eagleville never truly got off the ground, despite struggling for nearly three decades. A post office opened in 1889 and closed in 1913, and sporadic mining began in the 1880s. Because there wasn’t much ore exported from the district, you must wonder what Eaglevillians had to write about to justify a post office.

However, when things got hot and heavy at Rawhide, there was a temporary upsurge of activity; later, a barium deposit kept things running through the 1920s and early 1930s, but when that ran out, the camp perished.

What’s Left?

Eagleville is just as thrilling now as it was then. Except for a few collapsed wooden structures, a few of rock remnants, and an ore chute at the mine. Like many ghost towns in Nevada, Eagleville has numerous mines in the area that can be explored by those who are prepared and daring enough.

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History:

Shermantown, Eberhardt, Swansea, Babylon, Hamilton, and Treasure City had sprung up in the high elevation valley below Treasure Hill by the early 1870s, producing Shermantown, Eberhardt, Swansea, Babylon, Hamilton, and Treasure City. The first structure built was a saloon, as is customary in the Wild West, but by the 1870s, one might expect to find a company offering almost any item or service. The largest town was Hamilton, which had nine assay offices, 29 attorneys, and “two saloons for every lawyer.”

The mines soon dried up, a disastrous fire broke out, and everyone moved on to more lucrative new mining camps. By 1895, most of Hamilton’s population had left the city, deeming Hamilton to become a ghost town of Nevada.

What’s Left?

This more than 150-year-old mining camp boomtown obviously took a pounding. Each of the buildings’ roofs are fashioned completely of flattened tin cans. The Wells Fargo bank building, which served these areas, is still one of the city’s most photographed structures.

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History:

Marietta was incorporated as a town in 1877 and quickly grew to a population of several hundred people. The village quickly grew to include 13 saloons, a post office, several stores (including one run by ‘Borax’ Smith), and numerous stone and adobe houses. The town’s remote location made it a convenient target for robberies and allowed thieves to roam freely. 

In Death Valley, F.M. Smith discovered significantly larger and more extensive borax deposits. The village gradually deteriorated as this source of money dried up, and by the early 1900s, it had been virtually abandoned.

What’s Left?

Since 1991, the land has been managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). About 85 burros live in this 68,000-acre (280-km2) region, which includes Marietta and Teels Marsh. Burros in small groups can frequently be observed roaming the remains of Marietta.

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History:

Palmetto was founded in the 1860s, following the discovery of a large vein of silver ore in 1866 by H.W. Bunyard, Thomas Israel, and T.W. McNutt. There were restaurants, saloons, shops, a bakery, a bank, a doctor’s office, and even a post office open for business. A big, 12-stamp-mill, as well as numerous other stone buildings, were erected on a little hill, indicating that the prospects were promising.

Most of the community was abandoned within a year because the prospects were not as promising as they had hoped. A massive flash flood washed out what was remained of the town, according to legend.

What’s Left?

Most of the ruins date from Old Palmetto, with just foundations and tin cans from New Palmetto remaining. The community is overlooked by a two-story rock store. The foundations of the mill are strewn across the slope. Below the mill foundations, a piled rock hut stands along the current highway.

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History:

At the time the Pioneer mine was discovered, there were multiple camps and several different mines working in the region. The Pioneer mine was the catalyst for the district’s transformation. Pioneer became a town in March after the opening of a post office. A timber company, a theatre, hotels, saloons, restaurants, bakeries, a shoe store, boardinghouses, a cigar store, a Western Union office, and other businesses boomed. 

The flourishing town was devastated by a fire that ripped through the tinder-dry wood buildings in 1909. Pioneer received a minor boost from the reopening of the mine in 1915, but not enough to restore the town to its previous glory. The mine ceased operations, and Pioneer became a ghost town of Nevada.

What’s Left?

As of 2004, little remained of Pioneer aside from a bit of debris, leveled building sites, a few boards, some foundations and, nearby, remnants of the Mayflower headframe and ore bin. Although Pioneer isn’t as lively as some ghost towns in Nevada, explorers still have a lot to do and see in the area.

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History:

The intriguing remains of Belmont are located north of Tonopah and the extra living ghost town of Manhattan. Mining strikes dwindled as the industry grew in popularity, but it resurfaced in the 1870s. The town had four stores, two saloons, five restaurants, a livery stable, a post office, an assay office, a bank, school, telegraph office, two newspapers, and a blacksmith shop, having already been the county seat. 

However, the population surge was short-lived, and by 1887, several mines had closed. During World War II, airmen from the Tonopah Air Force Base utilized this chimney as a target practice area, firing their 50 caliber guns!

What’s Left?

Wandering around the finely produced craftsmanship that has seemingly weathered the test of time is immensely fascinating. Given that the structures are over 150 years old, the fact that any of them are still standing is very astonishing. Belmont is completely off the grid, with no access to electricity, gas, or food. Of all the ghost towns in Nevada, Belomt easily has some of the best-preserved structures.

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History:

The Meadow Valley Mining Company was founded in 1868 by San Francisco businessman Francois L.A. Pioche, who purchased claims and built a smelter in the area. “Pioche’s City” was the name given to the mining settlement, which subsequently became known as Pioche. In the early 1870s, the community grew quickly to become the largest mining town in southeastern Nevada.

In 1871, Pioche experienced one of the worst flames in the West. It started in a restaurant during a Mexican independence celebration and swiftly spread. The debris explosion killed thirteen people and injured forty-seven others, and the ensuing fire displaced nearly the entire community. Due to the closure of the main mines in 1876, Pioche’s fortunes declined in the 1880s and Pioche became a famous Nevada ghost town.

What’s Left?

By western standards, Pioche is an old town, with many of the structures dating back to the turn of the century. The Lincoln County Courthouse is in Pioche, and a nearby public park includes a picnic area, recreational amenities, and a swimming pool.

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History:

Eldorado was the name given to the area now known as Nelson by the Spaniards who discovered gold in the area that is now Eldorado Canyon in 1775.

This ghost town of Nevada was the site of one of Nevada’s first major gold strikes, as well as one of the state’s largest mining booms. Around 1859, gold and silver were discovered here. The region gained a reputation for being harsh and lawless during its heyday. Despite its ominous reputation, the mine, along with others in the area, yielded millions of dollars in gold, silver, copper, and lead.

Nelson’s Landing flooded into Lake Mohave when a heavy rainstorm in the region’s mountains caused runoff to flow down the channels and cause a flash flood. When the flood came through the wash, it wrecked the entire landing and town, killing nine people.

What’s Left?

The mines and landing are accessible via Nelson, which is located 25 miles southeast of Las Vegas on US 95. Much of Nelson, which was not flooded in 1974, is still standing today towards the crest of the wash, away from the flood courses.

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History:

This ornate three-story granite tower, built in 1897, is a reference to the inconceivable silver wealth that surrounded Austin’s boom days. Anson Phelps Stokes, a railroad entrepreneur and notable mine developer and banker, bought this acreage to build a summer home for his family. Stokes, a well-known businessman and global traveler, based his opulent residence on a tower he had admired in the Roman Campagna in Italy.

The family returned to Austin for brief periods throughout 1897 after Stokes sold his Austin mine and milling equipment, but they never returned after Stokes sold his Austin mine and milling equipment. The house had a formal owner at the time, but it has been vacant since the Stokes family lived there.

What’s Left?

Today, the structure serves as a memorial to the local men who built the tower and others who assisted in the establishment of the mines in the area. Because of its conspicuous location on the ridge above, Stokes Castle is nearly impossible to overlook while entering Austin from the west side.

The history and architecture make Stokes Castle easily one of the most unique ghost towns in Nevada

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History:

The remnants of a historic US Army fort that served as a way station on the Pony Express and the Central Overland Routes are preserved at Fort Churchill State Historic Park. The fort was built to defend early settlers as well as the Pony Express as it travelled throughout the country.

The fort served as a supply store for the Union Army during the Civil War, as well as protecting caravan routes and the Pony Express. It maintained a garrison of roughly 200 troops during the Civil War. It was abandoned in 1869, not long after the conflict ended.

What’s Left?

Inside the Fort Churchill State Historic Park, visitors can witness the fort’s remnants, which are presently in a state of halted decay. Visitors can wander the park’s paths and observe the ruins of the old fort. The pathways have interpretive markers that explain each of the structures. There’s also the Buckland Station, which has been refurbished (an important way station for pioneer travelers on the Overland Route).

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History:

The Berlin Historic District is in Nye County, Nevada, and incorporates the ghost town of Berlin. Following the opening of the Berlin Mine the previous year, the town was created in 1897 as part of the Union Mining District. 

The name is derived from Berlin, Germany, where many of the area prospectors were born. The community never thrived as much as other boom towns like Tonopah and Goldfield, and it began to collapse after the Panic of 1907. By 1911, the settlement had been mostly abandoned.

What’s Left?

The mine supervisor’s house, now the park office, the assay office, and a machine shop are among the Berlin structures that have been saved. The 30-stamp mill has been stabilized, making it one of the best in the state.

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History:

Shorty Harris and E. L. Cross, who were prospecting in the area in 1904, were the catalysts for the creation of this ghost town. They discovered quartz strewn across a hill. The town exploded, with houses springing up all over the place. It was decided to establish a stock market and a Board of Trade. Hotels, stores, a 250-student school, an ice factory, two power plants, foundries, and machine shops, and even a miner’s union hospital were all there. 

Rhyolite was hit hard by the financial panic of 1907. Mines began to close, and banks faltered during the next few years. The Montgomery Shoshone mine and mill were closed on March 14, 1911, by the board of directors. The town’s lights and power were finally shut off in 1916.

What’s Left?

Several relics of Rhyolite’s glory days can still be found today. Some of the three-story bank building’s walls, as well as a portion of the old jail, are still intact. The train depot (privately owned) and the Bottle House are two of the few full buildings left in town. In January 1925, Paramount Pictures refurbished The Bottle House.

Rhyolite is known across the country for its historic and old-world charm, making it easily one of the most famous ghost towns in Nevada.

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History:

The magnificent Santa Rosa Mountain Range is located about 50 miles north of Winnemucca. Gold was said to be hiding in these mountains back in the day, and four prospectors halted here in 1864 to seek for it. This resulted in the establishment of Paradise Valley, a small community. 

According to folklore, when one of the prospectors saw the valley, he exclaimed, “What a paradise!” and thus the town’s name was born but now is considered a famous ghost town of Nevada.

What’s Left?

Paradise Valley is now a deserted town. A live ghost town, to be precise. The fact that so many of the town’s original structures are still standing is the most fascinating part of this town. Even the ancient Mercantile looks beautiful. The downtown area is remarkably well-preserved.

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History:

Jarbidge is a small town located 10 miles south of the Idaho-Nevada border. It’s the most isolated town in the entire state, with only a few hundred residents. This was Nevada’s first designated wilderness area, and it’s also one of the most spectacular in the state. 

It has eight peaks that reach over 10,000 feet in elevation, as well as several canyons, streams, and rivers. You’ll be overwhelmed by the recreational choices before you, with hundreds of hiking paths to select from.

What’s Left?

The town’s few permanent residents oversee maintaining the town’s few enterprises. The most popular (and only) hotel choice is the Outdoor Inn. The inn has a very genuine feel to it. It’s the ideal spot for eating, sleeping, and socializing when visiting Jarbidge.

History:

A caravan traveling along the Old Spanish Trail documented the springs for the first time in 1830. The first mining in the area began in 1856, when Mormons developed a lead mine at nearby Potosi, Nevada’s oldest lode mine. 

The town thrived until the end of World War I, when lead and zinc were in high demand for the war effort. Production fell once the war ended in 1918, mines closed, and the town began to collapse. The railroad rails were removed in 1934.

What’s Left?

Many people still live at Goodsprings today, some in restored structures and others in mobile homes or newer constructions. The tavern and the general shop are both covered with pressed metal that looks like bricks.

History:

Beginning in the 1860s with early silver finds, the Manhattan area had multiple periods of activity. Following the discovery of gold in the area after 1900, a new rush to the area erupted, and the town of Manhattan was founded in 1905. 

Manhattan had two newspapers, telegraph and telephone service, electric lighting, three banks, and, of course, a plethora of saloons by spring 1906. During the 1910s, Manhattan grew to a population of roughly 1,000 people, thanks to the stabilization of the mining business. In the 1920s, the mines began to decline, and the town’s heyday came to an end.

What’s Left?

Today, Manhattan is a deserted outpost with a few hundred residents and two bars to keep thirsty travelers satiated. Of all the ghost towns in Nevada, Manhattan is easily one of the best-kept secrets.

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Go out and explore!

That concludes our list of ghost towns in Nevada, but that doesn’t mean that’s all there is to find. Take the back roads, follow train tracks, and find some places for yourself. There are plenty of places I kept off this list so get out there and explore.

If you’re having trouble finding ghost towns be sure to check out our Ultimate Guide to Finding Abandoned Places, or explore other ghost towns across the country.