Bodie State Park Ghost Town, CA

• 5-star hike
• 0 to 3 mile options
• Easy | Gain 0 to 50 feet
• Bodie, CA | Eastern Sierras
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The image shows an old, abandoned wooden cart with large spoked wheels in the foreground, situated in a grassy area. In the background, there are several weathered wooden buildings, suggesting a historical or ghost town setting. The scene captures a sense of history and abandonment, evoking thoughts of past rural or frontier life. The buildings and cart appear to be relics from a bygone era.

The image shows an old, abandoned wooden cart with large spoked wheels in the foreground, situated in a grassy area. In the background, there are several weathered wooden buildings, suggesting a historical or ghost town setting. The scene captures a sense of history and abandonment, evoking thoughts of past rural or frontier life. The buildings and cart appear to be relics from a bygone era.

You'll feel like you're in a Western movie.

Preserved in an arrested state of decay by California State Parks, the ghost town of Bodie is an incredible trip back into the days of the California gold rush. Not only can you walk through the streets of the remaining buildings, you can also peer into the windows and see artifacts from the town - including a fully stocked store, casino games, school building, bank vault, blacksmiths shop and more.

Check out the park store early to see if you’re interested in any of the available tours (for some reason the park’s website doesn’t always list them) including a guided tour of the remaining preserved stamp mine, visit the looped historical video, or chat to the many park staff. We were most pleased that the park allows visitors to freely roam around the town - our experience felt more like an exploration than a museum trip.

The park is located two and a half hours from Lake Tahoe, or an hour from Mono Lake. Note that the last couple of miles of road to the park is unpaved, but remains entirely passable for all vehicles. This area gets snowed in for winter and into spring - check out the park's website if you think snow and ice conditions might be an issue.

The image shows a weathered wooden signpost with the text 'UNION ST' written on it. The signpost is in the foreground, while in the background, there are old, rustic buildings that appear to be part of a ghost town or an abandoned settlement. The buildings have a worn and aged appearance, with one structure having a rusted metal roof and another with a bell tower. The landscape around the buildings is dry and grassy, suggesting an arid or semi-arid environment.

The image shows an old wooden house situated in a grassy, open landscape under a bright blue sky with scattered clouds. The house appears to be abandoned, with weathered wood and a simple, rustic design. There are other similar structures visible in the background, suggesting this might be part of a ghost town or an old settlement.

The image shows an old, abandoned town with several wooden buildings scattered across a grassy, hilly landscape. The buildings appear to be remnants of a historical settlement, possibly a ghost town, with some structures in a state of disrepair. The scene includes a mix of small cabins and larger industrial buildings, suggesting that this might have been a mining town. The background features rolling hills under a clear blue sky, adding to the sense of isolation and historical significance.

Tangents:
• Driving Directions: Park Entrance
• Official: Bodie State Park
• AllTrails Public: Walking Tour
• Facebook Group: Comment, Follow Us

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