What clients say about Ballarat (Ghost Town) in South Trona (CA)
Serene place that time forgot. If you sleep there, or get there before the dune buggies and 4x4s come around, you'll hear nothing but maybe the odd donkey hee-haw in the distance. Absolute peace and tranquility. Worth a stop fasho.
Ballarat ghost town earns a solid 2 out of 5, and it works hard for both of those points. You show up expecting a slice of Wild West history and instead get two standing buildings, two collapsed ones, and an entire scrapyard of rusted metal that looks like someone detonated a car dealership in 1953.
There is nothing here. That is not an insult, that is the brand. No shops. No activity. No vibe except “post-apocalyptic yard sale”. The silence is so complete you start wondering if even the tumbleweeds gave up.
Still, there is something weirdly fascinating about how empty it is. Pure abandonment. Zero polish. It feels like the desert’s own museum of decay. You spend a few minutes wandering around, you take a couple of photos of rusty car corpses, you nod and say “yup, this sure is nothing”, and you head out.
Two points for being honest, unique, and vaguely interesting.
Three points deducted because… come on. It is basically rubble with a marketing team.
Very chill area, pack it in, pack it out! Nice little store with a few things. We stayed in Ridgecrest over night and drove to Ballarat, last 2 miles or so on dirt road. Several of us road thru one of the canyons to the south end of Death Valley on dual sport bikes and side by sides. We are planning on going back in March next year. Is a low lying area, be cognizant of heavy rains during your stay.
If you're nearby and into old artifacts, you might enjoy this place. I incorporated seeing the ghost town into a bike ride loop. I like old stuff - buildings, machines, everyday items - so enjoyed my stop. There are no intact old buildings aside from a trailer and the store. The old wood and adobe ones are crumbling away. The little museum is actually in good condition, but lhas little info on the town. The road is driveable for all vehicles. I wouldn't make a special trip just for the ghost town, but if you're nearby then check it out.
Ghost town in Death Valley with a small museum and campground. The approach is a bit bumpy as there is no developed road. You can learn about the history of the place and go to the toilet in the store on site. However, this is only possible during opening hours.
Visited in April 2015. Ballarat was founded in 1897 and served as a vital supply point for nearby mines. During its peak from 1897 to 1905, it had 400 to 500 residents, saloons, hotels, and more. However, the town declined after mines closed. Ballarat was home to Seldom Seen Slim (Charles Ferge), who lived there from approximately 1918 until his death in 1968. Slim was known for his eccentric lifestyle, claiming not to have bathed in twenty years except for sloshing water on his naked body while standing outdoors. He resided in a Volkswagen and a house trailer after the town’s last adobe building became uninhabitable. Slim’s final resting place was Ballarat’s boot hill, where he famously said, “Just bury me where the digging’s easy.”
Right off the road 3 miles in on ballarat road is the ghost town of ballarat. They have a campground there for 5 bucks a nite suggested price. The first 1.5 miles is rough but the last 1.5 miles is smoother. Down the road is surprise canyon which is very rough.
I stopped in there about seven years ago. No one around except the gentleman in the store. They said they had the coldest beer in town, so I bought one. It wasn't cold, but they didn't lie, it was the coldest beer in town. I love unspoiled ghost towns, and this one fits the bill. I used to go with my dad in the 1950s to his mines south of Death Valley. I always loved going through these old areas. This place brought back some great memories.
This is a tourist trap. It's definitely not worth the 5-mile drive to it. All you see is a building ( not old) that a resident turned into a tourist gift shop, calling it a general store. Around it there are carcasses of rusting cats, and of ranching equipment. One restored cabin raised on pieces of concrete claims to be the old jail. That's another adobe wall nearby. That's it, unless you count the sign that had historic information and was defaced and now advertised free beer and had some silly text meant to be humorous. Your better off testing the info on two of the three plaques on the main road. These are legit and informational.
We stopped here after seeing this ghost town on Google Maps, the road is a little shaky but any car can make it, just take it slow, the guy at the visitor center has a lot of information about the town and is very friendly. Don't forget to grab a t-shirt from their store and leave your dues per car. On the way back to the main road we got to see some jets flying over very cool.
Ballarat is a cool.older ghost town located on the Western South side of Death Valley National Park. It is located about 2-3 miles down a dirt road off of the main road in a vast valley. There are great views of the surrounding mountain ranges, a few historic structures which are slowly eroding, and some old machinery and vehicles. Cool place if you like ghost towns and there is one resident that lives here as well.
This place is neat. Needs some restoration yet, however, more visitors would help that. They have camping, showers, and restrooms. They request a tip to use facilities which is completely reasonable. The Mason truck is cool. Cool history. Check it out.
A must-stop location if you're passing through Panamint Valley. Very friendly Liz is there to answer questions. The store is stocked with simple snacks and cold drinks, along with t-shirts, maps decals, and other souvenirs from your visit. A clean restroom is available 24/7.
This is a private destination so leaving a donation to support the location is very polite. The ghost town has a camping area and a basic outhouse (much improved from some years ago). There is limited reason to visit here unless you are launching into the Panamint Mountains to the East for hiking and 4 wheeling.
Great place to visit. Really wanted to buy some things from the Trading Post but no one around. A really cool place, leave some $$ in the can to support the efforts to keep this place going.
This place is a real trip. We drove in and nary a person in sight. The wife wanted a bathroom, and there was a sign directing her there. Given the location and the general decrepitude of the place, it was with some trepidation that she headed to the back of the general store. In the meantime I went up to the door of the store which was unlit and empty of people, and was shocked to find that it was unlocked. So I went in, and found a most interesting place. Lots of junk, memorabilia, and photos. On the store sat a jar with some money in it and a sign that requested donations. Suggested $2.00 per car. On a counter top was another jar to put money in for cold drinks. I opened the cooler and took not of the fact that it had sodas and beer in it. They were all sitting in warm water. I think there was a sign with prices for the drinks. Still no human presence. Moving into a little alcove off of the main room, there was a rack with tee shirts and sweat shirts with the Ballarat name on them. Also with a jar for payment. And, then there was a little cabinet with all manner of nostrums that a traveler might need. Aspirin, sun block, etc.
The wife returned with a bathroom report and said it was pretty clean. And, like everywhere else, they requested a donation for its use, which seemed quite reasonable given the location----miles from anything.
Eventually a fellow did appear who was quite friendly and claimed to be a part owner of the town. He answered our questions and told us some history. An interesting experience to say the least.
Was a cool experience. Alot of history out there. Just be prepared for the rough terrain and being cut off from civilization you lose cell phone signal just after ridgecrest.
This is someone's private venture. It is a place with old decaying buildings but there are people living right beside them in 1970s RVs. In the one standing historic building, the jail, they have left trash from this decade in there, a box a zatarians and Folger's coffee. Also there is a water bottle that doubles as the bed pan.
If you really want a ghost town experience go up to rhyolite or if even leadfield, if your car can handle it. Forget this place.
It was first time for me to visit a ghost town. We did it in a sunny morning on the way to Death Valley from Ridgecrest. Ballarat is surrounded by the mountains, the road goes through a salt lake (at least it looked to me like a salt lake). There are few buildings left in the town. I liked the feeling there.
Historic stop when visiting the Death Valley area. Soda cans usually available if you're thirsty. Manson truck and Seldom Seen Slim's grave site are here. Camping available.
