At the edge of California near the Nevada border, sits a pristinely preserved ghost town that dates back to the Gold Rush. The town’s origins date to 1859, when W.S. Body found small amounts of gold in the area, and a mill was built in 1866. And in 1877, the Standard Company purchased a mine. The town quickly boomed as people rushed in for the gold, turning it from a town of a few people to a population of 10,000. For a time, Bodie was a classic wild west town, with dozens of saloons and shootouts were a regular occurrence.
Bodie’s boom was short-lived, and by 1881, many miners had moved on to other, more promising towns. There were still many residents in Bodie, and they even built churches (some of which are still standing today). By 1910, just a few hundred people lived in Bodie, and 10 years later, only 120 people remained in the town. After decades of mining, the last mine in Bodie was officially closed in 1942. The town was made into a state park 20 years later, in 1962, preserving it as an authentic ghost town.
Today, fewer than 200 buildings remain, although it’s a small fraction of what it once was. Visitors can still explore the abandoned town, a unique remnant from the Gold Rush era. There is a museum on site, with tours available, but otherwise, there are no other commercial amenities in the town.
While the state park is open all year, the winter weather can cause road closures that lead to the park, so we recommend checking the state park website and forecast before heading to the park. Currently, California State Route 270 is closed for the winter, but we recommend saving the park for later in the year.