Silver City Idaho is arguably the finest Ghost Town in the West. Though diligent maintenance has been done since its origins in the 1860s, the remaining buildings are either original, or moved from neighboring mining camps and towns. We are amazed that wildfire has not destroyed this wonderful place in 150 years. Advice: Though this is a “real” town, with property owners occupying many structures during the summer, it is remote and primitive for many modern folk. For instance, the electricity was removed in 1940. It could be a challenge for some cars to access, being about 20 miles from the nearest paved road. The town is occupied by owners in the summer, and by a caretaker in the winter. Bring your own water, a lunch and emergency supplies. The dirt road from the west from Highway 78 is of good quality for most of the way there, being well-maintained, but the upper reaches are steeper and may be challenging for low-clearance cars and city drivers. There is a campground with a pit toilet near town, and one on the dirt road about 19 miles up from Highway 78. We visited on a Wednesday in 2021, but were told that the few businesses in town are typically open on Thursdays only. We strongly recommend contacting the Owyhee County Museum in Murphy before going to Silver City. (208) 495-2319, https://owyheemuseum.org/ . The folk there are friendly and very knowledgeable; many of the museum and adjacent historical society docents are descendants of pioneers in the County. We really think of that historical society as the “front door” to Silver City, though it is 25 miles distant.
This is one of the best places for breakfast in the area. The bacon is the tastiest that we have ever had. Connies is comfortable and superb.