Saguaros and tumbleweeds are just the beginning in these small desert towns across the U.S.
These are some of our favorite desert towns—all worth finding on a big-skied open highway somewhere out in America.
A guide to visiting five eerie, kitschy, rustic outposts of the Wild West.
Looking for some old west fun? Randsburg ghost town is a fun, historical spot just off California's Highway 395 in the Mojave Desert. They call it a 'living ghost town,' since it does have some human residents and some shops that are open limited hours on weekends.
Lowell - Arizona Ghost Town
From Texas to Colorado, these U.S. desert towns offer a truly magical getaway.
Valley Wells - Trona, CA
Goldfield Nevada is different from most ghost towns. This town has many buildings still standing and is the creepiest abandoned town in NV.
The atmosphere of Paradise Valley, Nevada is surprisingly serene. It's one of the most beautiful ghost towns in the state.
The liveliest ghost town in the state.
The magic of Mount Desert Island extends far beyond Acadia’s jagged coastal cliffs and piney peaks to its four towns and the Cranberry Isles.
Few people realize the remnants of this old nuclear testing site are still here, and they're just begging for a visit.
There are more ghost towns in the Silver State than populated cities. Hungry for ghost towns close to Reno, NV? Check out these ghost towns near Reno—including Fort Churchill, Unionville, and Berlin-Ichthyosaur State Park—all less than 3 hours away.
Dublin Gulch historic mining camp near Shoshone California.Explore a strange ghost town with cave dwellings used miners in the early 1900s.
It concerns me that the gas station attendant has never heard of Steins. We are one stop away from Steins on New Mexico’s Interstate 10. It’s basically this gas station, flat desert, some yucca plants, then Steins. I could walk to my destination from here. Granted, I might get sunstroke and also scary close to the vultures on the fences, but the point is we’re that close. “Sorry ma’am,” he shakes his head. “I don’t know that town.” I keep calm, knowing Steins doesn’t fit everyone’s definition of a town. Not since the mid-1940s has Steins had much street traffic. That was when the Southern Pacific Railroad switched from steam to diesel, shutting down this depot town virtually overnight. It’s the ...
An old car in the ghost town of Rhyolite, Nevada. Photo by Kathy Weiser-Alexander.
A snowflake hasn’t been seen in the southern California town of Mojave for more than 50 years, making it an ideal place to escape a cold winter.
Tarde en Álamos Sonora, México. Foto: Tomás Escalante.
Terlingua Texas Ghost Town small old mining town in the Chihuahuan Desert 2010 Ghostown abandoned Cinnabar ore mercury mine
