• Menu
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Travel Notes & Beyond logo

The Opinionated Travelogue of a Photo Maniac

  • Home
  • DESTINATIONS
    • Africa
    • Asia
    • Australia
    • Europe
    • Middle East
    • North America
    • South America
    • Pacific Islands
  • FOOD & WINE
  • TRAVEL GUIDES
  • TRAVEL RESOURCES
  • OTHER TOPICS
    • Rants & Raves
    • Reviews
    • Travel Blogger Interviews
  • ABOUT
    • Contact Form
    • Privacy Policy
    • Media Kit
    • Featured Elsewhere
  • Search
  • Home
  • DESTINATIONS
    • Africa
    • Asia
    • Australia
    • Europe
    • Middle East
    • North America
    • South America
    • Pacific Islands
  • FOOD & WINE
  • TRAVEL GUIDES
  • TRAVEL RESOURCES
  • OTHER TOPICS
    • Rants & Raves
    • Reviews
    • Travel Blogger Interviews
  • ABOUT
    • Contact Form
    • Privacy Policy
    • Media Kit
    • Featured Elsewhere
  • Search

Guide to Visiting Bodie, California’s Most Authentic Ghost Town

Home » DESTINATIONS » Guide to Visiting Bodie, California’s Most Authentic Ghost Town

Last Modified: August 4, 2024 //  by Anda //  32 Comments

Welcome to Bodie, California’s most authentic ghost town! Located in the hills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, not too far from the incredible Mono Lake, Bodie is a beautiful reminder of the Wild West. But what you see today is a mere shadow of what was once a thriving gold-mining town in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, in Mono County.

Table of Contents

  • A Brief History of Bodie
  • Bodie – a Gold-Mining Town With a Bad Reputation
  • How Did Bodie Become a Ghost Town
  • What to Expect in Bodie Ghost Town
  • How to Reach Bodie Ghost Town
  • Best Time to Visit Bodie

A Brief History of Bodie

In 1861 a mill was established here and the town began to grow. It started with about 20 miners. Due to other strikes in the area Bodie’s development started very slowly, but it eventually boomed. 

the town of Bodie
Bodie

By 1879 Bodie was a thriving, bustling place, containing some 600 to 800 buildings and a population of about 10,000 people. But with the growth of the population also grew the town’s bad reputation for wickedness and bad men.

Bodie Ghost Town
Abandoned houses on Bodie

The town of Bodie was named after Waterman S. Bodey who discovered gold here in 1859. It’s not certain how the spelling of the town’s name came about. Some sources attribute it to an illiterate sign painter. Others claim the spelling was deliberately changed by the citizens to ensure proper pronunciation.

Kitchen in Bodie Ghost Town
Kitchen in Bodie Ghost Town

Bodie – a Gold-Mining Town With a Bad Reputation

Bodie was considered one of the most violent and lawless towns in the Wild West. Killings, staged robberies and street fights occurred almost every day. At some point there were about 65 saloons in town, numerous brothels, gambling halls and opium dens.  

Abandoned houses in Bodie ghost town
Abandoned houses in Bodie Ghost Town

The story goes that one little girl, whose family was taking her to the infamous town, wrote in her diary: “Goodbye God, I’m going to Bodie.” The phrase became known throughout the West. Bodie had a bad climate reputation too: melting hot summers and savage winters, with winds that can sweep across the valley at close to 100 miles per hour.

Abandoned church in Bodie Ghost town
The Old Methodist Church on Green Street

How Did Bodie Become a Ghost Town

Bodie’s downfall was caused by a series of unfortunate events. The first one was a big earthquake that struck, causing severe damages to the main vein of the mine. The investors decided it would be too much trouble and cost to relocate it. Then, in 1892 a disastrous fire destroyed much of the town, followed by another devastating one several years later.

abandoned store in Brodie
Abandoned store in Brodie

Although some mining continued, Bodie was already dying. Its citizens were leaving. The town’s decline was also accelerated by the Prohibition and the Depression. By the 1950s all the mining ceased and Bodie became a ghost town. In 1962, after years of neglect, the Ghost Town of Bodie became a California Historic Site.

DSC_0271
The Wheaton & Hollis Hotel

They say that although over $75million in gold was taken from Bodie Butte, there is still as much gold left in the ground as it was taken out. However, water invaded the tunnels and shafts and the cost of mining would exceed the gold’s present day value. So for now, the gold will probably stay where it is.

DSC_0212
Mining equipment

What to Expect in Bodie Ghost Town

Today there are only 168 remaining structures in Bodie. Nonetheless, the town is one of the most authentic gold-mining towns of the Old West. In contrast with other ghost towns like Calico, or Jerome, which are more commercialized, Bodie looks really abandoned and isolated. It’s like an open-air museum where you see authentic structures from 160 years ago.

Bodie Ghost Town
Bodie Ghost Town

Strolling through the quiet, dusty streets gives you a peek into the heart and soul of this town that was once bustling with life. The abandoned buildings and old furnishings stirred your imagination. You can almost envision those whose lives played out here over a century ago.

There are no commercial facilities at Bodie, or within 14 miles of the Historic Park. So if you are planning a visit you should bring your own food and water.

Restrooms are located in the parking lot and the picnic area. There is no smoking allowed in the park, except in the parking lot. Certain areas in the park are uncertain and thus closed to the public.

How to Reach Bodie Ghost Town

Bodie State Park sits on the California/Nevada border of U.S. Highway 395, about 135 miles south of Reno. South Lake Tahoe is only about an hour away.

Reaching Bodie from the Highway 395 is quite difficult. The 270 Road leading to town is actually a dusty and bumpy dirt road. With so difficult access, it’s surprising that over 200,000 people come to visit Bodie every year.

Bodie ghost town make a great California getaway

Best Time to Visit Bodie

The ghost town of Bodie is technically open year round. The hours of operation are: 9:00am to 4:00pm from November 1 to May 14, and 9:00am to 6:00pm from May 15 to October 31.

Bodie sits on a high altitude plateau, so weather-wise you can count on dry, hot summers and long, cold winters, filled with snow. In fact, Bodie is one of the coldest spots in the country.

visiting Bodie ghost town in winter
Visiting Bodie in winter

If you plan to visit Bodie in winter, you have to be aware that the road that takes you to town is not plowed. Even if you drive a 4-wheel car, I recommend you check the road conditions before making the trip. The best time to visit is from from spring to fall.

We visited the town in mid winter, when very few visitors were around. However, the place is quite vast so I can’t imagine it’s ever too crowded.

Costs are: $8 per adult, $5 children for 4 – 17; children 3 and under are free. Only cash or checks are accepted at the park entrance station.

Please share this article on Pinterest, Facebook or Twitter.

Category: DESTINATIONS, United StatesTag: Ghost Towns of America

About Anda

Anda is an award winning travel writer, avid globetrotter and passionate photographer. She is the voice behind "Travel Notes & Beyond," a collection of stories and travel impressions from her wanderings around the world. When she is not busy writing, traveling, or editing photographs, you can find her hiking in the foothills behind her house together with her husband and their dog.

Previous Post: « Interview with Jen Seligmann from “The Trusted Traveler”
Next Post: 12 Best Beaches in Kauai – Which One is Your Perfect Spot »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Lila

    November 16, 2021 at 7:01 pm

    My ex’s great great great uncle was a sheriff at Bodie and i know the history about what happen to the people there

    Reply
    • Anda

      November 17, 2021 at 4:53 pm

      It must be very interesting to people who eye-witnessed of what happened in Bodie.

      Reply
    • Marcia

      August 3, 2024 at 9:07 am

      Anything about the history would be great to read if you’d post it. We’re going there this year.

      Reply
      • Anda

        August 4, 2024 at 12:25 pm

        There is already a brief history of Bodie in this post.

        Reply
  2. Lyn aka The Travelling Lindfields

    August 23, 2017 at 3:53 am

    I have to laugh at your description of the ‘dusty’ road in to Bodie. It wasn’t dusty when we visited. It snowed the night before and we only just got through. I remember David talking on the phone to my brother (in Australia) asking, in jest, where all the heat and tumbleweeds that he had described to us were. He visited Bodie in the heat of summer and we were there in autumn. The several feet of snow on the ground was such a contrast to his hot and dusty experience
    .

    Reply
    • Anda Galffy

      August 23, 2017 at 10:54 am

      I can imagine how difficult the road to Bodie must have been in a few feet of snow. I think it was very brave of you to attempt it in winter. That road is not serviced and if you get stuck there you may not even have phone reception to call for help.

      Reply
  3. Jim ~ ReflectionsEnroute

    August 20, 2017 at 10:09 am

    I’m surprised, and happy, that this hasn’t been commercialized. When I hear of ghost towns in California, I always think of Columbia which was an old ghost town that has been over-commercialized. I will certainly make my way to Bodie at some point in time. Thanks for linking in to

    Reply
    • Anda Galffy

      August 20, 2017 at 7:51 pm

      I’ve never heard of a ghost town named “Columbia” in California, Jim. You made me really curious. I believe the one you are referring to is Calico. That one has really been commercialized.

      Reply
  4. eileen

    August 19, 2017 at 11:34 am

    This is a true ghost town. amazing to think this could exist today, Nice find!

    Reply
  5. Rhonda Albom

    August 19, 2017 at 4:25 am

    I like the sepia tone photos of Bodie. Thanks for the interesting history on this mining town. I’ve visited ghost towns but not this one.

    Reply
  6. Connie Reed

    April 6, 2015 at 6:38 am

    Bodie is on my itinerary for a trip I’m taking next month. Thanks for the preview of what I’ll see. I’m looking forward to it.

    Reply
  7. Sarah Ebner

    February 19, 2015 at 4:55 am

    Incredible story. We went to gold rush country some years ago and I found it absolutely fascinating – all these ghost towns had such a palpable sense of history about them.

    Reply
  8. Elaine J. Masters

    February 16, 2015 at 3:05 pm

    So evocative and what exquisite pictures. There’s nothing like visiting a ghost town and you found a real gem.

    Reply
  9. Packing my Suitcase

    February 16, 2015 at 2:54 am

    Wow Anda, your photos are stunning!
    Happy to have found your blog!
    Happy travels and have a great week.
    Allane

    Reply
  10. Mary {The World Is A Book}

    February 15, 2015 at 9:44 pm

    I have wanted to go to Bodie for a long time. It looks so interesting and all this history and information you provided is great. What a neat little town to visit.

    Reply
  11. Linda Bibb

    February 15, 2015 at 7:01 pm

    What a coincidence; my father-in-law was just talking about Bodie a few days ago. He has been there twice. As a long-time California resident he has seen his share of ghost towns and said this is the most authentic of all. Apparently the historical society has established a policy to keep Bodie exactly the way it was found and not do any restoration.

    Reply
    • Anda Galffy

      February 16, 2015 at 12:54 am

      You are right, Linda. Bodie is being kept in a “state of arrested decay”

      Reply
  12. bettyl - NZ

    February 15, 2015 at 2:49 pm

    I love places like this. Your sepia editing makes it so much more realistic. I just found you and will be linking up sometimes soon 🙂

    Reply
    • Anda Galffy

      February 15, 2015 at 6:23 pm

      Hope to see you here every week-end, Betty.

      Reply
  13. Suze the Luxury Columnist

    February 15, 2015 at 5:12 am

    I find these ghost towns like Bodie fascinating, we don’t have anything similar in the UK

    Reply
    • Anda Galffy

      February 15, 2015 at 6:18 pm

      The reason the Wild West Ghost Towns are so fascinating is exactly because you can’t find them anywhere else, Suze. But don’t worry, you have other fascinating things in the UK that we don’t have here.

      Reply
  14. Esther

    February 15, 2015 at 12:17 am

    So interesting!! Ghost towns always strike me as ‘something typical for the US’ as it makes me think of westerns 😉 Ha,how about that stereotype! I have seem some ghost towns when I was in Nevada, impressive!
    Thanx for the link party!!

    Reply
    • Anda Galffy

      February 15, 2015 at 6:21 pm

      You are welcome, Esther. Thanks for linking up.

      Reply
  15. Tim

    February 14, 2015 at 1:29 pm

    After winding up my road trip around the ghost towns of the Mojave I began reading a lot about Bodie. What an incredible piece of wild west history.

    Reply
  16. Vlad

    February 14, 2015 at 12:10 pm

    Fascinating story, thank you for sharing! Was it eerie visiting it, to see an entire town with no one around?

    Reply
  17. Laszlo

    February 14, 2015 at 10:56 am

    I visited Bodie the second time after 2o years, and found it unchanged, except the presence of security vehicles and people. I think there still is gold there, and that is what they are there for, not the visitor’s safety!
    The views of the Sierras on the drive back to the highway are magnificent, and the place is a gold mine if just for the amount of stuff left over, witness of human struggle 150 years ago! Much has changed for the better!

    Reply
  18. JP

    February 14, 2015 at 6:27 am

    I love old ghost towns! You’ve captured Bodie perfectly in your article and black & white pictures.

    Reply
  19. Marisol@TravelingSolemates

    February 14, 2015 at 4:35 am

    Hi Anda, very very interesting post. I heard about Bodie but didn’t learn about it in so much details until now. It sounds like a modern day Sodom and Gomorrah. It’s a true Ghost town indeed. It’s amazing to see the state they were left at and that they’re still intact. If I didn’t read your narratives, I would think this is a movie set. Your photos are beautiful – they capture the loneliness and the ghostly atmosphere of Bodie.

    Reply
  20. Steve Oliver

    February 14, 2015 at 3:34 am

    hi Anda, these are such great pictures! And a very interesting story.

    How long is the dirt road into Bodie? Do you need a truck to drive it?

    Thank you for hosting #TheWeeklyPostcard.

    Steve

    Reply
    • Anda Galffy

      February 14, 2015 at 11:23 pm

      The dirt road is about 13 miles. We had a 4-wheel drive truck, but if there is no snow you can manage with any car.

      Reply
  21. Lyn @thetravellinglindfields

    February 13, 2015 at 9:37 pm

    We visited Bodie years ago with our two boys. My brother had been there previously and told us we just had to go to see and feel the heat and desolation. He described tumbleweeds blowing along the street pushed along by hot gusty winds. When we arrived there was about three feet of snow covering everything. The road in was only just passable. We loved it – it felt so much like the ‘wild west’ but the contrast with my brother’s description of heat and drought couldn’t have been stronger.

    Reply
    • Anda Galffy

      February 13, 2015 at 10:52 pm

      Indeed, Lyn, the climate is very extreme: torrid summers in contrast with very harsh winters. We were lucky to get a very mild weather when we visited (although it was February). Those poor people living in Bodie … can you imagine?

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

ABOUT THIS BLOG

Travel Notes & Beyond a collection of travel stories and itinerary ideas designed to encourage independent travel at any age, while providing tips and useful information to help you make the most of your trip. Read More

 

Subscription Form

POPULAR POSTS

  • Riding the Golden Pass Line from Lucerne to Interlaken
  • Towns in Sicily 10 Amazing Towns in Sicily That Everyone Should See
  • Red Rock Crossing Sedona, Arizona Red Rock Crossing – Hiking Sedona’s Most Iconic Trail
  • “The Crucifixion” – the Largest Painting Ever Painted
  • Places to Visit in Jerusalem 23 Historic Places to Visit in Jerusalem Old City

Footer

COPYRIGHT NOTICE

All rights reserved © Travel Notes & Beyond. The material on this website is protected by copyright law. Republishing the content on this blog (including text, photography, etc.) is strictly prohibited.

Awards

  • Gold Award Winner
  • Silver Award Winner

AFFILIATE PROGRAM DISCLOSURE

Some of the pages and posts of this blog contain links to products and services that may be useful for my readers. When clicking on these links you will have the option to purchase or register for a service at no extra cost to you, but doing so can help me offset the costs associated with running this blog. Thank you for your support!

Orbitz
SHOP AMAZON HERE
Auto Europe vous offre des promotions sur les autos, les vols, et les hôtels.
Save On Airport Parking

Copyright © 2025 · Travel Notes & Beyond. All rights reserved

232 shares
  • 153