There's something so romantic about the idea of camping overnight in an old ghost town. Maybe it's because sleeping under the stars seems kind of Wild West-ish, or maybe it's because deep down inside, you know that seeing a ghost in a ghost town would be kind of awesome...either way, not all ghost towns allow camping, so here are some of the best ghost towns for staying the night!
The "Berlin" part of this park's name is the ghost town, and the "Ichthyosaur" bit refers to some undisturbed but very well preserved dinosaur fossils. Berlin was a boom town founded during a small gold rush in the area. The gold was found in 1896 and within 15 short years, there was nothing left to dig up. Today, you can still see the ore mill, mercury float tables, mine shafts, homes, plus a blacksmith shop and a stage coach shop. All that, plus dinosaur bones!
Bannack was still a functioning town up until the 1970's but the dwindling population and their hard-to-reach, remote location eventually proved too be the town's downfall. At its peak, Bannack had about 10,000 citizens, three hotels, three blacksmith shops, and four saloons. It also briefly served as the capital of the Montana territory. It's probably your best bet if you're in search of ghost town ghosts as well: a scandal in the town found that the town's sheriff had maybe been heading up a secret gang that could have murdered up to a hundred people throughout Montana-- 22 people were hanged for being members of the gang, and even more were lynched or run out of town.
"Church in Bannack State Park" — Photo Credit: Scott Akerman
This once-bustling town is now mostly a tourist attraction (and home to one of the nation's biggest chili cook-offs). It was once owned by the Chisos Mining Company, and they primarily mined cinnabar (used to make mercury), but a new mineral, subsequently named Terlinguaite (how original) was also discovered nearby.
If you're looking to camp, get into the spirit at Las Ruinas Camping Hostel-- the lobby is an old school bus, and they have tents already set up for you!
While a lot of the buildings in this silver-rush town have been replaced with false, Old Western-style fronts, rest assured that several of the structures are original, like Lil's Saloon, the post office/courthouse (now a museum), the general store, and a few others. Since the place has gotten a little touristy, you can see staged gunfights, pan for gold, and get a tour of the mine as well.
Paria Canyon Guest Ranch provides a fantastic homebase for exploring Pahreah Ghost Town in Paria, Utah and you can take trail rides to such fun adventures as Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument and Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness Area.
95 South 10th Street P.O. Box 1624, Tombstone, AZ, US
Crazy Annie's Bordello Bed and Breakfast and Saloon in Tombstone- So it's not camping, and it's not really a ghost town, but if you're looking for a kitschy Wild West experience, look no further than Tombstone. Crazy Annie's in particular is a quirky place to stay if you're in town soaking in all the history. The rooms, named after "working girls", are decorated in period antiques, and the hotel is within walking distance of the historic district. Yee haw!
Ready to take on the past at these rad ghost towns? Hop in your RV and go!
