Bodie State Historic Park in
Bridgeport (CA)

Nice place to visit. Had to drive around 3 miles of unpaved slippery road to get here. There is an $8 per adult entrance fee. Overall, it was a great experience walking through the snow-filled roads of the ghost town. Only saw the buildings from the outside.

This is a glimpse of the past. Very interesting place. Plenty of parking and restrooms. Easy walking paths. Gorgeous drive in and out.

We visited in October 2025. This was my first Ghost Town. It was very interesting to see and it was nicely preserved. The drive in is LONG and DUSTY once you hit the unpaved road. You can walk around and explore everything at your leisure. There is a section that is only accessible through a special daily tour (which we missed). It would have been fun to see it though. I don’t know if it’s a usual occurrence but it was really windy there which stirred up the dirt; there is also direct sun and no shade so I got a little sunburned too. Overall, it was cool to tour and have the experience.

A must-see! It's amazing to see homes and businesses that left behind furniture and goods. Nothing has been restored, so you see how it was left. There are layers of dust, peeling wallpaper, ragged curtains, falling ceilings, and missing pieces of the rock foundations. Despite the age and the weathered wood, these buildings still stand! To walk and see it all, allow yourself at least a few hours. I'll be going back again!

Super cool place to visit...ghost town that is basically preserved rather than "rebuilt". Great scenery and fun peering into the homes and lives of those who lived here and left.

It's hard to take a bad photo of Bodie. Make sure to get there early as there is a lot to explore! Tickets are $8 a person. The museum closes earlier than the park so make sure you do it early on!

Bodie is my favorite place to visit in the Eastern Sierra. If you like old recent history, this is it.

This place is absolutely incredible. It is literally like stepping back in time. I love that things have been untouched for so many years. I loved the history and walking to each of the buildings and seeing what they were or who lived there. I highly recommend this. I also love that it's not touristy in the fact that there aren't roped off areas and sidewalks. You are literally roaming through a town in the middle of a field. If you have children be very careful because there is broken glass and machine parts and other things that if they are not careful they could hurt themselves on. But that is because they want it left raw and untouched. Absolutely love it and would recommend it to anyone!!! Great piece of California gold history!

Such a cool place full of history of California and the gold rush. The road to reach Bodie is beautiful, but it’s also about a 10 minute section on an unpaved road, so make sure your vehicle is up for that. It is also in a cellular service dead zone. The park is so interesting, I recommend getting one of the maps at the information center.

We visited Bodie State Historic Park/Ghost Town and it was awesome. We arrived around noon and headed to the Museum to purchase tickets for the Stamp Mill Tour, we lucked out and got the last tickets for the tour. The museum has some cases you can look at and displays of items from the time period. They also have a small section for a gift shop as well as the tour books and pamphlets on the cemetery. We headed up toward the stamp mill for the tour, and checked out some buildings and abandoned trucks in the field. We were s family of 8 for this trip with the youngest being 2. We ran through safety precautions and other general information from our guide, Malcom before beginning the tour of the stamp mill. Malcom gave factual information over the different areas of the tour and answered questions from the group. We had a sold out tour and alot of ears and questions. We got to tour through the stamp mill and see everything from the electrical room to the stamping and the Shaker tables. Malcom was an excellent guide and provided alot of information. We learned that for ever 5 homes still standing there were 80-90 more! The school has as many as 625 students enrolled at one time and that Bodie was the 6th largest town in California at that time. We had a great time visiting Bodie and getting to learn some of the areas rich history.

Really cool ghost town in arrested decay. Be prepared to walk a bunch and youre above the tree line. The weather looked like itd be colder than it actually was when we went because youre out in the sun so it was pleasant in September, hats recommended. The $3 (cash only) walking tour booklet was worth it. Wish we caught the stamp mill tour but even without it, there was tons to see and we didnt cover all of it in the 3 hours we were there. Bring your own snacks and such but there is a small gift shop in the museum (no food), a water fountain, and bathrooms. You can't even see your the parking lot when youre down in the town, so cool.

Firstly, the level of preservation this town is at is sheerly incredible. It really feels like you're in a whole other time period. The amount of artifacts they have gathered and restored is amazing. If you are interested in abandoned buildings or any history involving the gold rush of the American old west, this spot is a must and definitely worth the $8 admission fee. Secondly, my car broke down here and the staff did their very best to accommodate us as we first tried to get it to start and afterwards called for a tow truck. They were gracious enough to let us stay after they closed to wait for the truck to come. There are public restrooms and starlink wifi at the gift shop/museum (a nice luxury considering there isn't any cellular service at the park). Unrelated to my car's problem, be aware that regardless of which road you take to get in to the park, you will have to drive on some unpaved dirt roads. My old 2006 Accord did perfectly fine getting there, but if your car isnt equipped to handle that, it might not be worth the risk getting stuck out there. Everyone there is super nice, knowledgeable, and the town is absolutely incredible to walk around. There is so much to see. Will definitely be back (with a more capable car!)

HOW COOL. A fully intact ghost town. Although over 75% of the original town burnt down, there is still a lot of history left. We opted to take the guided tour of the mill. It is the only building that you are permitted to go into while accompanied by the guide. THE MILL TOUR WAS GREAT! The guide was very informative!! Don’t arrive to close to departure time though - they cut off selling tickets in the museum for the tour about 10mins prior to start. It was still interesting to take a peek through the windows of everything else that is still there. Given its remote location (we had to take a very long, winding road to get there, 3 miles of which was washboard dirt that was no joke) and it’s high elevation of almost 8500 feet above sea level - when the town closed up shop, everyone just left everything and went. So odd to see! Be sure to check out the picnic area just past the parking area for the town. Great spot to have lunch!

Such an amazing place in California! Definitely would be back one day and spend at last 4 hours to explore every corner. You can feel the history here. Amazing to see how people lived there years and years ago!

Great experience. With all that is available on the Internet, research and know what you're going to face. When you get there, there are restrooms by the parking lot. No services, drinking fountains, etc. best bet is get there when they open at 9 when it's cool, carry a bottle of water, pee when you get there, and wear walking shoes. A lot of ground to cover, but a lot of history. Site is in a state of arrested decay, it has not been recreated. Look in windows and doors, just respect the buildings that are staff housing.

So Cool! I've been here at least 5 times over the years and I always see new cool things. The drive: The last 3.5 miles is on a dirt road, but pretty much any vehicle can make it....just go slow. It's $8/person to get in and well worth the price of admission. We saw plenty of open parking at 10:30am on a weekday. There are clean bathrooms at the parking lot with running water, but no soap or towels. The Museum is pretty cool - lots of good information and displays. Otherwise, walk through the town and look into any clear window - lots of cool stuff to see. Pro Tip: read all of the signs - some building are residences for the park rangers/staff - they will all have signs and the windows will have curtains blocking people from looking in ?

This historic site was by far one of the best stops on our roadtrip. It has a much more historical feel than some of the other California ghost towns (Calico etc) because there are no commercial services and it is in a moderately remote location. The drive down through Bridgeport and then up to the town itself is beautiful. There are bathrooms in the parking lot and that is it. We spent a little over an hour there in the morning after opening and by the time we were leaving it was starting to get crowded on a Friday in late July. We got lucky to see some cattle being herded by the town and were able to spot a couple sage grouse. They have brochures with detailed info for $3 cash only. If you are anywhere near the area going to/coming from Tahoe this is definitely worth the stop!

Bodie Ghost Town is absolutely worth the trip. Nestled high in the Sierra Nevada at around 8,400 feet, the scenery is hauntingly beautiful—rolling hills, open skies, and dozens of well-preserved wooden and brick structures that look frozen in time. As a former gold-mining town turned state historic park, Bodie offers a fascinating glimpse into California’s past. Many of the buildings, like the church, saloon, jail, and general store, remain intact in a state of “arrested decay,” with original furnishings and artifacts still visible through the dusty windows. Walking the dirt paths feels like stepping back into the late 1800s, and the overall atmosphere is both eerie and captivating. Getting to Bodie is part of the adventure. The town is most commonly accessed via California State Route 270, which is about a 45-minute drive from either Bridgeport or Lee Vining. While the first 10 miles are paved, the last 3 miles are a bumpy, unpaved dirt road. It’s manageable for most vehicles, but be prepared to go slow—15 to 20 mph is a good range to avoid damage or kicking up too much dust. This final stretch can be a bit jarring, but it's well worth it once you arrive. Do avoid alternate routes like Cottonwood Canyon Road, as they are far rougher and not recommended for standard cars. The park has a small entrance fee—typically around $8 for adults—and offers a self-guided walking tour with interpretive signs explaining the history behind various buildings. There are no services inside the park, so bring water and wear sturdy shoes, as the ground can be uneven with nails and broken glass scattered about. The town is open seasonally, with access limited in winter due to heavy snowfall and road closures, so it’s best to visit in the summer or early fall. Overall, Bodie offers a unique and atmospheric experience. Whether you’re a history buff, a photography enthusiast, or just looking for a memorable detour, it delivers. The houses are cool, the views are stunning, and though the last bit of road is rough, it’s a small tradeoff for such a fascinating glimpse into California’s ghostly past.

Incredible! By far the best ghost town I've been to. Very cool to see all the things left in the buildings. We didn't get there at the right time to take one of the tours, but they seemed like they would be very good. The road is gravel part of the way, but you could make it in any regular vehicle. Highly recommend!

Nice museum built inside the old US mint. It had a good representation of Nevada and what makes it unique. I would have been happy to see more emphasis on the old mint because the history of the mint interests me but I think it would have taken away from the main purpose of the museum.

Wow! Can't say enough about this place. It was even better than I expected. There are so many structures that you can go see. You can see through the windows of most of them and can even walk in one of them. We spent a little over 2 hours here and we loved it.

Super cool, choose your own adventure wandering around a well preserved ghost town. Pretty amazing to see it abandoned and some stuff left inside the buildings. Went on a Thursday and spent a few hours wandering the town and it felt empty among other visitors even though the lot was half full of cars. Highly recommended for lovers of California history. 10/10 would go again.

It was a perfect day to be at the park and just trip around with the dog. Not a ton of tourists. They have heaters in the restrooms which I found very nice on such a cold windy day. Found a ton of eye catching treasures ??????⛏️? but left them all there. IYKYK

This place is amazing. So much history is held on this incredible park. We went in early May. It was chilly but worth it. You need a reservation to get a tour of mine but you can walk the town on your own.

A remnant of great California gold rush and a well preserved park. Road going up to the park is gravel but any sedan can drive slowly, easily. Has clean restrooms, fee is per person and felt bit high. Can see variety of structures and can easily spend couple of hours looking through exhibits.

Located in California east of the Sierra Nevada on the border with Nevada, Bodie is a ghost town which was built as a gold mining settlement in 1859 and gradually abandoned in the 1930s. Thanks to the low humidity, many buildings, equipment, and cars have been well preserved, which is why Bodie is now considered the best-preserved ghost town in the USA. There is a church, a school, a brick bank building, a bar, a shop and several residential buildings as well as a cemetery and an old gas station to visit. Since many of the furnishings are still unchanged in the buildings, a visit to Bodie feels like a journey back in time. There is a large parking lot at the entrance; admission prices ($8 for adults, $5 for children ages 4 to 17) are very reasonable. Since there are no shops on site, you should take something to drink with you - especially in summer! Definitely worth a visit if you are in the Lee Vining and Mono Lake area.

Bodie ghost town was super impressive. I personally didn't realize how large it was or how well preserved it is. This town is so expansive you really need to make a day trip out of it. We stopped here on our way back from a day trip just 30 mins before closing. First, I gotta say the staff were very friendly and welcoming. They never told us to leave even though we stayed past closing. It was very cold so we really rushed through about the first 1/4 of the town with our 2 dogs before leaving. The structures are so well preserved, yet they appear to be left untouched. All of the homes and buildings we looked in still had very old furnishings and objects that were clearly degraded by time & elements. I personally appreciate that nothing appears to be restored...its very authentic, just how I would expect a ghost town to be. There was one home that you can walk into which was very cool. My fiance & I plan to visit again and spend a day here. It's an incredible place.