The Sierra Nevada and the nearby high desert are full of old mining camps, backroad ruins, half-forgotten saloons, courthouse towns, and mountain places people drive past without realizing what happened there.
Ghost Town Files is SierraStop’s running series for real places, real history, and practical trip ideas tied to the Sierra Nevada, Eastern Sierra, and nearby Nevada mining corridors.
Latest Files
- Bodie, California – the gold rush ghost town that still feels frozen in time.
- North Bloomfield / Malakoff Diggins, California – hydraulic mining, massive scars, and a town that helps explain the cost of the gold rush.
- Cerro Gordo, California – a hard-edged Inyo Mountains mining town with silver, isolation, and serious Old West atmosphere.
- Aurora, Nevada – once a boomtown with California/Nevada border confusion and a reputation big enough to pull in Mark Twain.
- Belmont, Nevada – saloons, newspapers, a courthouse, rough silver-camp history, and a backroad stop worth knowing.
Coming Next
Bennettville, California is next in the queue: a high-country mining camp near Tioga Pass where big money chased silver through brutal Sierra terrain.
Masonic, California remains on deck once SierraStop secures permission-safe real photos. The story is strong, but the visuals need to be handled the right way.
Plan A Better Stop
These places can be remote, seasonal, rough-road, snowbound, privately managed, or fragile historic sites. Check current access, weather, road conditions, land rules, and local guidance before heading out.
When possible, SierraStop connects each story to nearby lodging, food stops, outdoor activities, road trip routes, and local businesses so the history becomes part of a real trip.
Keep Exploring
For Local Businesses
If your business serves travelers near one of these routes, SierraStop is building room for featured local stops, lodging, restaurants, rentals, guided trips, saloons, shops, and other useful places visitors should know about.