America's Best Ghost Town
Quietly evocative remnants of California's Gold Rush and Wild West past lure intrepid travelers off the beaten path.
By Paul Oscar Hamilton, Senior Editor
Red and gold leafed aspens sigh and whisper in the Autumn breeze, the brilliant clear blue sky devoid of tumult, and the pale yellow straw dry under hoof. Travelers to California's Sierra Nevada mountain range often limit themselves to the western side, with its magnificent big trees and the rightly renowned Yosemite. But it is the eastern province bordering Nevada that true afficionados of alpine and high desert beauty find surpassingly magnificent vistas.
And nestled in a quiet valley accessed by a steep, and partially unpaved road, is California's best preserved and largest ghost town, Bodie. Stark against the tawny scrub, Bodie's long since inhabited buildings, shacks and petrol pumps jut skyward defiantly against a savage sun and winter's onslaught.
Doomed by the Great Depression and fire, Bodie's final residents gave up and fled in 1932, leaving their belongings, their homes and their ghosts to fend for themselves in the deep snow and blistering high desert heat. Visitors now can look through the warped glass windows and see the lives and times of these long gone Americans. The General Store is particularly well preserved and the small museum enlightening. But it is the haunting mill atop the hill, the rusting tins and the beautiful ancient wood buildings, long shed of their painted faces, that evoke the spirit of this desolate and peaceful place. It is hard to imagine this boom town was a notorious den of iniquity; murderous thugs and harlots were keen for miners' gold. It was a lawless and wild place once, and fabulously productive, but now the smattering of dedicated visitors silently step among the silent ruins, ruminating on a piece of history as it ever so slowly disappears in time.
Bodie is off California's greatest highway, U.S. 395, and close to the unique saltwater Mono Lake and world class trout fishing and outdoor recreation. The road to Bodie is not cleared of snow so is best visited in more temperate seasons. Visit Bodie State Park for the best and most accurate information. Local accomodations abound, especially recommended is The Bridgeport Inn. Bodie can be easily accessed from Los Angeles or San Francisco and could easily be paired with a memorable visit to Death Valley.
Up to date Eastern Sierra images and conditions can be found at Sierra Fall Color Report.
Photos and Text By Paul Oscar Hamilton, Senior Editor