One Of The Best-Preserved And Most Photographed Ghost Towns Is A Historic Nevada Beauty

Haunted or not, there's something eerily beautiful about a ghost town. Abandoned buildings stand like Wild West movie sets, and walking down once-bustling streets can feel like taking a step back in time. Home to countless boomtowns and mining communities during the mid-1800s silver and gold rushes, Nevada has over 600 ghost towns still standing today. While towns like Virginia City have been transformed into tourist traps lined with modern-day restaurants and haunted museums offering ghost tours, the historic ghost town of Rhyolite is truly frozen in time. 

With dozens of historic building remnants surrounded by picturesque desert mountains, you'll find plenty of photo-worthy moments as you explore its storied streets. With its authentically rustic atmosphere, Rhyolite was the site of multiple film shoots and even an Alanis Morrissette music video, making it the most photographed ghost town in Nevada. It's also considered one of the best-preserved ghost towns in America. If you're looking for a historic adventure or a cheap, relaxed alternative to lively Las Vegas, take a trip to Rhyolite.

Founded as a mining town in 1905, Rhyolite used to be a bustling community complete with 50 saloons, 16 restaurants, a red-light district, and over 5,000 residents. The town saw its first signs of decline after the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, and by 1910, most of its businesses and mines had closed.

Today, only the ghostly remnants of its once-vibrant buildings still hang on — some are more intact than others. Take a stroll down the quiet, dusty streets, and you'll see a weathered general store, ruins of the old jail, and a roofless schoolhouse. Meanwhile, the Rhyolite train station looks as if a train could whistle through at any moment. You'll even find a derailed Union Station caboose hiding behind it.

One of the most photographed landmarks is the Cook Bank building, a crumbling yet majestic edifice towering over the abandoned town. Another unique building you'll encounter is the Tom Kelly Bottle House. Built in 1906, it was constructed from over 50,000 glass bottles and a simple wood trim. In 1924, Paramount Pictures restored parts of its exterior for the films "Wanderers in the Wasteland" and "The Air Mail," subsequently making it the town's best-preserved building.

Tucked into the mountainous tapestry surrounding the Death Valley National Park (a national park known to be haunted), Rhyolite sits about 120 miles northwest of Las Vegas, making it ideal for a quick day trip. You may want to avoid visiting the area in the summer for your own safety, but unlike more touristy ghost towns, at least you won't have to shell out a hefty admission price to wander around. Open daily from sunrise to sunset, you can explore Rhyolite free of charge. While no visitor center or guided tours are available in the area, you'll find historical markers around the town with information and pictures of how the buildings once appeared.

When you've finished your self-guided tour of Rhyolite, you can head to the nearby Goldwell Open Air Museum, just a three-minute drive away. Welcoming visitors 24/7 year-round, the sprawling sculpture park features art installations that include a ghostly interpretation of Leonardo DiVinci's "The Last Supper" painting, a 25-foot cinder block statue of a pink woman, and a giant steel penguin. Admission is free, and there is an on-site gift shop and visitor center that operates Wednesday through Saturday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.