Out with the old and in with the new. Life is moving fast and furious with technology screaming ahead. With the world becoming smaller it’s also easier to work from home or move across the country and leave everything behind. Abandoned places in Northern California and old buildings tell a story of a different time. Decayed and left without the light of human life to keep them working, these places are being reclaimed by nature…and it’s both sad and beautiful.

  1. Country Beauty

flickr/patrick dirden Mendocino County is where you’ll find this tiny beauty, shyly sinking into the land it’s been sitting on for years. The photographer got a great shot of this one with flowers all abloom. Mendocino County, CA, USA

  1. Industry Gone

flickr/patrick dirden Anderson is the home of this abandoned TeePee Woodchip burner, used back in the day when the logging industry in these parts was booming. The logging industry has been around here for over 130 years. Sadly, lots of mills have closed up and down the state. Anderson, CA 96007, USA

  1. Old Rusted Cars

flickr/jan arendstz The old ghost town of Bodie is where you can find this gem. You can bet your bottom dollar that a lot of guys would know exactly what the make and model is on this rusted beauty. Let us know in the comments.

  1. Abandoned House

flickr/bill gracey Next up on our list of abandoned places to visit in Northern California is this empty house near Moss Beach. Not sure there’s a better place for this home to die than along the lovely coastline. Whoever owns this place is missing out on some gorgeous views. So sad. Moss Beach, CA, USA

  1. Noah’s Ark?

Dan Pfeifer/ Google We had no idea Noah landed here. This is the shell of an old fishing boat that has been left to be reclaimed by nature in Point Reyes. The irony is this: the company that bought the land specializes in wetlands preservation.

  1. Plains Trains & Automobiles

flickr/ patrick dirden This old freight car is rusting away in Richfield. Who left it? Why is it still here? Do train companies just drop off a car and ride away? This one was probably a beauty in its day. Richfield, CA 96021, USA

  1. Old Bridge

flickr/patrick dirden Find this one in the Sacramento River Canyon. This old abandoned bridge is a reminder of life not so long ago. It’s near the Delta and while it’s no longer functional, places like these are a photographer’s dream. Sacramento River, California, USA

  1. No Gas Today

flickr/patrick dirden Old Highway 99 in Castella is the home of this gas station and general store. Nature is reclaiming it while life still whizzes by as proven by the train in the background. It kind of looks like one shot in the movie “Fried Green Tomatoes” but with a fully functioning gas station! Castella, CA 96017, USA

  1. On the Dock of the Bay

flickr/patrick dirden Bodega Bay hosts this old place. It makes you wonder who built it. Who came to enjoy gathering on the water? Where did they all go? A place like this is just waiting for someone to come along and love it again. Bodega Bay, CA 94923, USA

  1. Hot Springs Hotel

flickr/david cohen This is an abandoned hot springs in Northern California. Most people have probably never seen antique toilet paper before!

  1. Loma Prieta Benched this Building

flickr/ron reiring The 1989 earthquake we know as Loma Prieta is the reason this gem stands empty. This train station in Oakland was built in 1912. A few generations back have a personal love for seeing this building restored - as the first settlers in their families were here even before it was built and probably watched it going up. Train stations were the airports of their time. How many people flocked to this building, eagerly awaiting their first ride on a train? Oakland, CA, USA

  1. Graffiti

flickr/thomas hawk This forgotten spot is where artists gather. Graffiti on display in a place that’s been abandoned. There aren’t too many cops who are going to hike here to check things out. Enter at your own risk but bring along a camera for sure.

  1. Ghost Town Fuel

flickr/Srikanth Jandhyala Bodie is a ghost town built in the 1800s. The whole town is being reclaimed at the same time. But, we’re pretty sure this is one of the earliest “gas stations” and almost looks like something out of a post-apocalyptic movie. Bodie, CA, USA

  1. Passing Through

Shawn Clover If you pass through Point Reyes on Highway 1 you’ll see an old dilapidated brick and mortar building. Most pass by and think nothing of it. Built in the last 1800s, it was once a general store, then a hotel with over 20 rooms. Dwight D. Eisenhower once stayed here. It’s been closed since 1950. The new owner had plans to resurrect it to its heyday. But, in 2005, bureaucratic red tape killed all plans. Way to go government. Point Reyes, California, USA

  1. Two Shacks

flickr/ patrick dirden Two tiny shacks left abandoned near Alliance Redwoods. To some this might be an eyesore. To others, they see a rich history of a time gone by. And, for even more savvy folks, they see treasure in old barn wood. It’s a commodity for the eclectic few who love to decorate in woods. Alliance Redwood, CA 95465, USA

These abandoned places in Northern California hold so many stories…if only they could speak. If you ever do a search for “abandoned places near me,” one of these is sure to appear near the top of the list.

flickr/patrick dirden

Mendocino County is where you’ll find this tiny beauty, shyly sinking into the land it’s been sitting on for years. The photographer got a great shot of this one with flowers all abloom.

Mendocino County, CA, USA

Anderson is the home of this abandoned TeePee Woodchip burner, used back in the day when the logging industry in these parts was booming. The logging industry has been around here for over 130 years. Sadly, lots of mills have closed up and down the state.

Anderson, CA 96007, USA

flickr/jan arendstz

The old ghost town of Bodie is where you can find this gem. You can bet your bottom dollar that a lot of guys would know exactly what the make and model is on this rusted beauty. Let us know in the comments.

flickr/bill gracey

Next up on our list of abandoned places to visit in Northern California is this empty house near Moss Beach. Not sure there’s a better place for this home to die than along the lovely coastline. Whoever owns this place is missing out on some gorgeous views. So sad.

Moss Beach, CA, USA

Dan Pfeifer/ Google

We had no idea Noah landed here. This is the shell of an old fishing boat that has been left to be reclaimed by nature in Point Reyes. The irony is this: the company that bought the land specializes in wetlands preservation.

flickr/ patrick dirden

This old freight car is rusting away in Richfield. Who left it? Why is it still here? Do train companies just drop off a car and ride away? This one was probably a beauty in its day.

Richfield, CA 96021, USA

Find this one in the Sacramento River Canyon. This old abandoned bridge is a reminder of life not so long ago. It’s near the Delta and while it’s no longer functional, places like these are a photographer’s dream.

Sacramento River, California, USA

Old Highway 99 in Castella is the home of this gas station and general store. Nature is reclaiming it while life still whizzes by as proven by the train in the background. It kind of looks like one shot in the movie “Fried Green Tomatoes” but with a fully functioning gas station!

Castella, CA 96017, USA

Bodega Bay hosts this old place. It makes you wonder who built it. Who came to enjoy gathering on the water? Where did they all go? A place like this is just waiting for someone to come along and love it again.

Bodega Bay, CA 94923, USA

flickr/david cohen

This is an abandoned hot springs in Northern California. Most people have probably never seen antique toilet paper before!

flickr/ron reiring

The 1989 earthquake we know as Loma Prieta is the reason this gem stands empty. This train station in Oakland was built in 1912. A few generations back have a personal love for seeing this building restored - as the first settlers in their families were here even before it was built and probably watched it going up. Train stations were the airports of their time. How many people flocked to this building, eagerly awaiting their first ride on a train?

Oakland, CA, USA

flickr/thomas hawk

This forgotten spot is where artists gather. Graffiti on display in a place that’s been abandoned. There aren’t too many cops who are going to hike here to check things out. Enter at your own risk but bring along a camera for sure.

flickr/Srikanth Jandhyala

Bodie is a ghost town built in the 1800s. The whole town is being reclaimed at the same time. But, we’re pretty sure this is one of the earliest “gas stations” and almost looks like something out of a post-apocalyptic movie.

Bodie, CA, USA

Shawn Clover

If you pass through Point Reyes on Highway 1 you’ll see an old dilapidated brick and mortar building. Most pass by and think nothing of it. Built in the last 1800s, it was once a general store, then a hotel with over 20 rooms. Dwight D. Eisenhower once stayed here. It’s been closed since 1950. The new owner had plans to resurrect it to its heyday. But, in 2005, bureaucratic red tape killed all plans. Way to go government.

Point Reyes, California, USA

Two tiny shacks left abandoned near Alliance Redwoods. To some this might be an eyesore. To others, they see a rich history of a time gone by. And, for even more savvy folks, they see treasure in old barn wood. It’s a commodity for the eclectic few who love to decorate in woods.

Alliance Redwood, CA 95465, USA

Have you been to any of these abandoned places? If so, what did you think? What emotions did they evoke? We’d love to read about your experiences in the comments section below!

If you’re in the mood for more potentially creepy spots, read this article about this ghost town cemetery.

For more paranormal fun in Northern California, check out this video:

 

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The OIYS Visitor Center

Ghostly Adventures in Northern California January 30, 2023 Lysa Allman-Baldwin Where are some haunted places in Northern California?

The Battery Point Lighthouse – Located in Crescent City, it is believed that a former lightkeeper is haunting it by ascending the spiral staircase. The Fort Humboldt Historic State Park – Located in Eureka, the park is thought to be the “home” of a post commander. He supposedly died in 1859 of malaria and still walks the halls of the old hospital building. The Ferndale Repertory Theatre – Located in Ferndale, it is where supposedly a shape-shifting ghost named Bertha performs some strange theatre-related tasks at night.

Learn more about other haunted places in Northern California. Where can we find haunted cemeteries in Northern California?

Hills of Eternity Memorial Park in Colma – Multifaceted and well-known personality Wyatt Earp was laid to rest here. Mountain View Cemetery in Oakland – A lot of early Northern California pioneers have been buried in this cemetery since the late 1800s. Mare Island Cemetery in Vallejo – The cemetery is named after General Vallejo, leader of the Mexican army, and the site of the first naval base on the west coast.

Learn more about other haunted cemeteries in Northern California. Are there any ghost tours in Northern California?

Pleasanton – Paranormal fans can embark upon a two-hour guided Ghost Walk walking tour of Pleasanton’s most haunted sites every fall. Ione – Here, The Preston Castle is an old abandoned prison constructed in 1894 in the Romanesque Revival style but made to look like the reform school that it was rather than a prison. Placerville – The city’s nickname is “Hangtown” and here you can take a Hangtown Ghost Tour that guides participants through the tumultuous history of this town during the Gold Rush

Learn more about other ghost tours in Northern California.

The OIYS Visitor Center

Ghostly Adventures in Northern California

January 30, 2023

Lysa Allman-Baldwin

Where are some haunted places in Northern California?

The Battery Point Lighthouse – Located in Crescent City, it is believed that a former lightkeeper is haunting it by ascending the spiral staircase. The Fort Humboldt Historic State Park – Located in Eureka, the park is thought to be the “home” of a post commander. He supposedly died in 1859 of malaria and still walks the halls of the old hospital building. The Ferndale Repertory Theatre – Located in Ferndale, it is where supposedly a shape-shifting ghost named Bertha performs some strange theatre-related tasks at night.

Learn more about other haunted places in Northern California. Where can we find haunted cemeteries in Northern California?

Hills of Eternity Memorial Park in Colma – Multifaceted and well-known personality Wyatt Earp was laid to rest here. Mountain View Cemetery in Oakland – A lot of early Northern California pioneers have been buried in this cemetery since the late 1800s. Mare Island Cemetery in Vallejo – The cemetery is named after General Vallejo, leader of the Mexican army, and the site of the first naval base on the west coast.

Learn more about other haunted cemeteries in Northern California. Are there any ghost tours in Northern California?

Pleasanton – Paranormal fans can embark upon a two-hour guided Ghost Walk walking tour of Pleasanton’s most haunted sites every fall. Ione – Here, The Preston Castle is an old abandoned prison constructed in 1894 in the Romanesque Revival style but made to look like the reform school that it was rather than a prison. Placerville – The city’s nickname is “Hangtown” and here you can take a Hangtown Ghost Tour that guides participants through the tumultuous history of this town during the Gold Rush

Learn more about other ghost tours in Northern California.

The OIYS Visitor Center

The OIYS Visitor Center

  • The Battery Point Lighthouse – Located in Crescent City, it is believed that a former lightkeeper is haunting it by ascending the spiral staircase.
  • The Fort Humboldt Historic State Park – Located in Eureka, the park is thought to be the “home” of a post commander. He supposedly died in 1859 of malaria and still walks the halls of the old hospital building.
  • The Ferndale Repertory Theatre – Located in Ferndale, it is where supposedly a shape-shifting ghost named Bertha performs some strange theatre-related tasks at night.

Learn more about other haunted places in Northern California.

Where can we find haunted cemeteries in Northern California?

  • Hills of Eternity Memorial Park in Colma – Multifaceted and well-known personality Wyatt Earp was laid to rest here.
  • Mountain View Cemetery in Oakland – A lot of early Northern California pioneers have been buried in this cemetery since the late 1800s.
  • Mare Island Cemetery in Vallejo – The cemetery is named after General Vallejo, leader of the Mexican army, and the site of the first naval base on the west coast.

Learn more about other haunted cemeteries in Northern California.

Are there any ghost tours in Northern California?

  • Pleasanton – Paranormal fans can embark upon a two-hour guided Ghost Walk walking tour of Pleasanton’s most haunted sites every fall.
  • Ione – Here, The Preston Castle is an old abandoned prison constructed in 1894 in the Romanesque Revival style but made to look like the reform school that it was rather than a prison.
  • Placerville – The city’s nickname is “Hangtown” and here you can take a Hangtown Ghost Tour that guides participants through the tumultuous history of this town during the Gold Rush

Learn more about other ghost tours in Northern California.