7-Day Ghost Town Exploration in Southern California

  1. Day 1: Bodie State Historic Park
    5 hours (329 miles) from Los Angeles

    Explore the abandoned gold mining town of Bodie with intact buildings and resident homes dating back to the 1800s.

  2. Day 2: Cerro Gordo Mines
    2.5 hours (137 miles) from Bodie

    Visit the silver mining boomtown abandoned in the late 1800s, now preserved with buildings, machinery and cemetery overlooking the Sierra Nevadas.

  3. Day 3: Randsburg
    2.5 hours (122 miles) from Cerro Gordo Mines

    Stroll through the historic main street to the old west Saloon, visit a jail, museums and antique shops in this almost ghost town.

  4. Day 4: Calico Ghost Town
    3 hours (162 miles) from Randsburg

    Explore the authentic silver mining camp renovated for tourists with shops, restaurants, and live reenactments of gunfights and gold panning.

  5. Day 5: Ballarat Ghost Town
    2 hours (93 miles) from Calico Ghost Town

    Discover the remains of an old mining town buried in Death Valley desert, including a schoolhouse, post office, and memorabilia-filled trading post.

  6. Day 6: Zzyzx Mineral Springs
    1.5 hours (92 miles) from Ballarat Ghost Town

    Visit the former health spa and mineral springs now the Desert Studies Center, and relax in the lush botanic gardens and lake in the Mojave Desert.

  7. Day 7: Paramount Ranch
    3 hours (154 miles) from Zzyzx Mineral Springs

    Explore the remnants of the former western movie set, including a church, general store, and iconic western facades used in over 300 productions.

Time and Costs Estimates

  • Bodie State Historic Park (4-6 hours, $8 per person)
  • Cerro Gordo Mines (2-4 hours, $10 per person)
  • Randsburg (2-3 hours, free)
  • Calico Ghost Town (3-6 hours, $8 per person)
  • Ballarat Ghost Town (1-2 hours, free)
  • Zzyzx Mineral Springs (2-4 hours, free)
  • Paramount Ranch (2-4 hours, $10 per vehicle)
  • Total Estimated Costs: $44 per person

Useful Tips

Add a stop at the Amargosa Opera House and Hotel, located halfway between Ballarat and Zzyzx, for a unique art-filled overnight stay or show viewing. If you have less time, consider visiting Calico Ghost Town, which combines preserved historical buildings and ghost town experiences in one destination. If you have more time, continue north to visit the abandoned towns of Cerro Gordo and/or Monte Cristo, which require off-road vehicles to access.

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