Nevada may be referred to as the “Silver State”, but it could just as easily be called the “Ghost Town State”. We’re home to dozens of ghost towns and they make for pretty awesome places to explore. Most of them are old mining booms towns, leftover from the Gold Rush era. They’ve sat abandoned in the desert for over a century, waiting for the next urban explorer to stumble across them. The town featured here is no different, except for one thing. It might be the most serene ghost town of them all. Aptly named Paradise Valley, Nevada, this place is just that—paradise.
Hiding about 50 miles north of Winnemucca is the beautiful Santa Rosa Mountain Range. Back in the day, it was rumored that gold was hiding in these mountains and four prospectors stopped here to look for it in 1864.
Ken Lund/Flickr
This led to the creation of a little town called Paradise Valley. As legend has it, one of the prospectors declared “What a paradise!” upon seeing the valley…and hence the town’s name came to be. It doesn’t look like much and it’s located in the middle of nowhere, but it’s easy to see why it earned the name.
Ken Lund/Flickr
Today, Paradise Valley is a ghost town. Well, a living ghost town. About 100 people still call this place home but with only one actual business in town, it doesn’t have much to offer for tourists.
Ken Lund/Flickr
The most fascinating aspect of this town is the fact that so many of the town’s original buildings are still standing. Many of the structures are boarded up and haven’t seen a soul in decades, but there’s something oddly beautiful about them.
M 2/Flickr
The downtown area is surprisingly well-preserved, even the old Mercantile looks pretty good! Most ghost towns contain only a few disintegrating and unidentifiable structures, so this is a particularly unique sight.
Ken Lund/Flickr
The town is home to just one restaurant: the Paradise Valley Saloon & Bar. Stop for a drink and introduce yourself to the locals. They probably have some pretty interesting stories to tell.
Travel Nevada/Flickr
This secluded hamlet of a town is a must for ghost town enthusiasts. It may not look like much, but there’s a reason the town has retained a small population for so many years. It truly is a little paradise hiding in the Nevada desert.
Ken Lund/Flickr
Have you visited Paradise Valley, Nevada? It looks just like heaven! Of the many Nevada ghost towns, Paradise Valley is a nice change from the eerie looking ghost towns that are so common in our state. Just look at our list of the creepiest ghost towns In Nevada. For those looking to keep up that creepy feeling, we recommend visiting some of these intriguingly frightening haunted places in Nevada.
Ken Lund/Flickr
M 2/Flickr
Travel Nevada/Flickr
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The OIYS Visitor Center
Nevada ghost towns November 23, 2021 Sarah What’s the most famous ghost town in Nevada? Nevada is well-known for its ghost towns (see the next question), many of which are quite famous among the ghost hunting crowd. Rhyolite is one of the state’s most notorious ghost towns. It was founded in early 1905, and in 1911, the mine was closed because it was operating at a loss. Rhyolite soon became a tourist attraction, and is home to Tom Kelly’s Bottle House and Goldwell Open Air Museum. Goldfield is another iconic Nevada ghost town; in 1923, a fire caused by a moonshine still explosion destroyed most of the flammable buildings in Goldfield. Some of the buildings that existed prior to the fire still remain standing such as the hotel and high school. Also, it’s believed that Goldfield Hotel is haunted. How many ghost towns are there in Nevada? Are you ready for this? There are over 600 ghost towns in Nevada. Yep – you read that right – 600! From relic-strewn ruins to old mills and mines to “living ghost towns” with cute B&Bs and still-open saloons, Nevada’s 600+ ghost towns – more than actual populated ones, no less – make the Silver State an unbeatable destination for ghost town adventures. What are some other beautiful, abandoned places in Nevada? On the border of California and Nevada, there is a place where time stands still. Bodie is a fascinating place that gives visitors a glimpse into life in the Old West. Now a historic site called Bodie State Historic Park, many of the town’s original structures still stand, including its notoriously haunted cemetery. Some 80 souls are buried here, most of whom did not perish from natural causes; but rather, they suffered unnatural and violent deaths. As a result, haunted tales abound about Bodie, including one story about a little girl named Evelyn who perished in a freak accident. When you visit Bodie, the air is thick with the tension of restless, unsettled souls.
The OIYS Visitor Center
Nevada ghost towns
November 23, 2021
Sarah
What’s the most famous ghost town in Nevada? Nevada is well-known for its ghost towns (see the next question), many of which are quite famous among the ghost hunting crowd. Rhyolite is one of the state’s most notorious ghost towns. It was founded in early 1905, and in 1911, the mine was closed because it was operating at a loss. Rhyolite soon became a tourist attraction, and is home to Tom Kelly’s Bottle House and Goldwell Open Air Museum. Goldfield is another iconic Nevada ghost town; in 1923, a fire caused by a moonshine still explosion destroyed most of the flammable buildings in Goldfield. Some of the buildings that existed prior to the fire still remain standing such as the hotel and high school. Also, it’s believed that Goldfield Hotel is haunted. How many ghost towns are there in Nevada? Are you ready for this? There are over 600 ghost towns in Nevada. Yep – you read that right – 600! From relic-strewn ruins to old mills and mines to “living ghost towns” with cute B&Bs and still-open saloons, Nevada’s 600+ ghost towns – more than actual populated ones, no less – make the Silver State an unbeatable destination for ghost town adventures. What are some other beautiful, abandoned places in Nevada? On the border of California and Nevada, there is a place where time stands still. Bodie is a fascinating place that gives visitors a glimpse into life in the Old West. Now a historic site called Bodie State Historic Park, many of the town’s original structures still stand, including its notoriously haunted cemetery. Some 80 souls are buried here, most of whom did not perish from natural causes; but rather, they suffered unnatural and violent deaths. As a result, haunted tales abound about Bodie, including one story about a little girl named Evelyn who perished in a freak accident. When you visit Bodie, the air is thick with the tension of restless, unsettled souls.
The OIYS Visitor Center
The OIYS Visitor Center
Nevada is well-known for its ghost towns (see the next question), many of which are quite famous among the ghost hunting crowd. Rhyolite is one of the state’s most notorious ghost towns. It was founded in early 1905, and in 1911, the mine was closed because it was operating at a loss. Rhyolite soon became a tourist attraction, and is home to Tom Kelly’s Bottle House and Goldwell Open Air Museum. Goldfield is another iconic Nevada ghost town; in 1923, a fire caused by a moonshine still explosion destroyed most of the flammable buildings in Goldfield. Some of the buildings that existed prior to the fire still remain standing such as the hotel and high school. Also, it’s believed that Goldfield Hotel is haunted.
How many ghost towns are there in Nevada?
Are you ready for this? There are over 600 ghost towns in Nevada. Yep – you read that right – 600! From relic-strewn ruins to old mills and mines to “living ghost towns” with cute B&Bs and still-open saloons, Nevada’s 600+ ghost towns – more than actual populated ones, no less – make the Silver State an unbeatable destination for ghost town adventures.
What are some other beautiful, abandoned places in Nevada?
On the border of California and Nevada, there is a place where time stands still. Bodie is a fascinating place that gives visitors a glimpse into life in the Old West. Now a historic site called Bodie State Historic Park, many of the town’s original structures still stand, including its notoriously haunted cemetery. Some 80 souls are buried here, most of whom did not perish from natural causes; but rather, they suffered unnatural and violent deaths. As a result, haunted tales abound about Bodie, including one story about a little girl named Evelyn who perished in a freak accident. When you visit Bodie, the air is thick with the tension of restless, unsettled souls.
