7 Historic Mining Towns in Nevada for a Ghost Town Road Trip

Drive Through Nevada’s Historic Ghost Towns

All across Nevada, you’ll find empty towns from the mining days. These ghost towns tell stories of quick riches and sudden losses in the American West’s golden age. Their glory days may be over, but these seven towns are still worth a visit this 2025.

Rhyolite

• Address: Highway 374, Death Valley, NV
• Closest Town: Beatty

Rhyolite shot up and died out faster than most mining towns. Gold sparked its birth in 1905, and by 1907, 5,000 people called it home.

They had it all – electric lights, running water, hotels, a hospital, and even a place to watch opera. The town’s showpiece, the Cook Bank Building, cost $90,000 to build back then – that’s about $2.8 million today.

By 1908, the mine started producing less gold, and by 1920, almost everyone had packed up and left. Now only empty buildings watch over the desert.

Things to Do:

• Explore the ruins of the Cook Bank Building and the Bottle House made from bottles
• Visit the Goldwell Open Air Museum to see unique sculptures
• Take guided tours of the surrounding Death Valley National Park

Gold Point

• Address: Gold Point Road, Esmeralda County, NV
• Closest Town: Goldfield

The streets that once bustled with 1,000 miners now sit empty.

Back in 1868, folks called it Lime Point when silver was king. When they struck gold in 1908, they changed the name to Gold Point.

The post office kept running until 1968, hanging on longer than most spots. More than 50 old buildings still stand here in the desert.

Step into the general store and you’ll see stuff from the 1940s, such as old cans, tools, and newspapers, all left behind when the town died.

You can crash in the old miners’ cabins (fixed up just enough to sleep in), check out the stamp mill that crushed gold ore, and peek in the sheriff’s office with its old jail cell.

Things to Do:

• Tour the Gold Point Museum and engage with local history through storytelling sessions
• Stay overnight in restored miners’ cabins

Goodsprings

• Address: 375 W. Spring Street, Goodsprings, NV 
• Closest Town: Las Vegas

The town popped up in 1904 when miners found lead and zinc, keeping the drills running until the 1960s. Unlike most ghost towns, Goodspring still has some tough souls who stuck around and are still there today.

But walk these streets, and you’ll see more empty buildings than lived-in ones. The Pioneer Saloon, built in 1913, still stands as the town’s heart. It’s one of Nevada’s oldest bars that never closed its doors.

Check out the stamped tin walls and the original Brunswick bar – if they could talk, they’d tell you about Clark Gable drinking here in 1942, waiting for news about his wife’s plane crash.

Things to Do:

• Join a ghost tour at the Pioneer Saloon or enjoy their famous Ghost Burger
• Explore old mines around town with guided off-road tours available nearby

Pioche

• Address: Main Street, Pioche, NV 
• Closest Town: Panaca

They didn’t call Pioche “the toughest town on earth” for nothing. In the 1870s, more folks here died from bullets than old age.

Out of the first 72 people they buried, only four died naturally. The Million Dollar Courthouse tells you plenty about this wild town. Bad deals and crooked building plans turned a $26,400 project into an $800,000 money pit.

Jump on the aerial tramway that once carried silver ore, walk through Boot Hill Cemetery (where all those gunslingers ended up), and check out the Lincoln County Museum. The old Victorian buildings still stand proud, surrounded by rusting mining gear.

Things to Do:

• Visit Boot Hill Cemetery and learn about its infamous past through self-guided tours
• Attend Pioche Days on Labor Day weekend featuring street dances and live music

Delamar

• Address: Delamar Valley, Lincoln County, NV 
• Closest Town: Caliente

They called this place “The Widow Maker,” and for good reason.

The gold dust here killed more miners than cave-ins ever did. The tiny bits of silica tore up their lungs, but that didn’t stop 3,000 people from calling it home in 1897.

The town had everything: a hospital (they needed it), an opera house, churches, and plenty of saloons. Today, you’ll need a tough 4×4 to reach what’s left.

But it’s worth the bounce – stone buildings still stand, the old mill’s foundations sprawl across the ground, and the cemetery tells the real story of mining’s true cost.

Things to Do:

• Go offroading on nearby trails
• Look for bits of old glass, rusted metal, and mining gear that still litter the canyon floor

Belmont

• Address: Belmont Road, Nye County, NV 
• Closest Town: Tonopah 

The silver mines brought Belmont to life in 1865. By 1867, they called it the county seat.

The courthouse from 1876 still towers over the empty streets – it’s one of the best-preserved buildings in any Nevada ghost town.

Back when 2,000 people lived here, you’d find kids in school, shoppers in stores, and miners in a dozen saloons.

Now the courthouse walls wear 150 years of graffiti, and the brick bones of the old Combination Mill catch the setting sun.

Come at sunset when the desert light turns the brick buildings gold. In that light, you might just imagine the streets full of horses, wagons, and miners heading home from a long day underground.

Things to Do:

• Visit the historic courthouse which now serves as a museum showcasing local history and artifacts
• Go on a ghost town photo walk

Nelson

• Address: Nelson Ghost Town Road, Nelson, NV 
• Closest Town: Boulder City 

Spanish explorers found gold here in 1775. Americans showed up 85 years later and dug the famous Techatticup Mine.

It turned out to be Nevada’s richest gold hole. It remained operational until around World War II when it ceased production due to wartime restrictions.

Today, you can walk through the old mine tunnels with a guide. The town’s packed with rusting cars, mining junk, and buildings that look ready to fall over.

Things to Do:

• Tour the Techatticup Mine with guided tours available multiple times throughout the day
• Explore vintage vehicles scattered throughout town for unique photo opportunities