We went to Cerro Gordo Ghost Town and had a fabulous day! The history, the people (Steven, Greg and of course, Brent) and the views made our day great. Yes, the drive up the road was a bit rough and we were glad to have our 3500, but absolutely didn't let that stop us from going. This was on our list to go and visit for a long time. Glad we went and we'll be back! One, because we love it and two, to support Brent. Thank Cerro Gordo team for a fabulous day. Dawn & Rob Your Fulltime RV Supporters read more

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This young man that is restoring this old ghost is a remarkable man. Great job of spreading the wealth of knowledge. His Youtube coverage is enviable. read more

What a great trip! When you watch some of the YouTube videos about the trek to get to town, it does not do it justice. To imagine how they built this town well over 100 years ago, it blows your mind. The views, the history, and the staff made it worth it. Brent is in person exactly how you see him in videos. I will definitely make the trip again with my son. Can't wait to see the American Hotel when it is completed. I want to be the first to stay! read more

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Fabulous adventure not for the meek! Fascinating site, beautiful views, interesting history. All this after a very rough, narrow, steep 8 mile road. With a high clearance, FWD vehicle, well worth the trip. I want to again! read more

The visual clarity of challenges, obstacles and personal travel around the mines created an amazing video of his property!

It was a white knuckled drive up to the top for me in my Honda CRV AWD. All the way up all I could think about was how the heck I would get back down! It was a cool site and I was wondering how it was connected to Saline Valley. The guys gave me good advice how to go down: drive in low gear at no more than 10 mph. Going up was the hardest part. They were right. It was an adventure! read more

Cerro Gordo Mines - Historical Tours Near Me

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Ghost town with a lethal legacy... The road towards the abandoned mine was rough... 8 miles of it, unpaved and at times you have to give way to an oncoming car whoever has room to spare with no safety. Yikes! It was quite a trek... did I say "car"... no, you can't drive a 4-banger up there, you'll damage your car from the rocky road. You need a truck or a 4x4 or a Rubicon! We encountered steep incline and winding dirt road with hairpin turns and vertical drops. So scary! It was a bit nerve-wracking and required a great deal of focus. Prior to making that rocky trek to the mines there is a sign at the entrance, read it. There is a phone number listed, call that number and ask to see if you can visit the property. Cerro Gordo is privately owned and all visitors must check in. This mining town is located in the Owens Valley near Lone Pine CA. Unfortunately, there were no tours offered at the time we went. We were free to walk around the grounds but we can't go inside the buildings and structures. Cool place to visit to see a living history of a former 19th-century silver mining town. There is an air of mystery in the property. Since we were not able to take a tour I read up a lot about the Cerro Gordo. There is one resident caretaker, Brent Underwood, he bought the property for $1.4 million and plans to restore the town and transform it into a tourist destination. The old mine looks over Owens Valley and the now dry Owens Lake on the east side of the Sierra mountains. The views of Owens Valley was G-O-R-G-E-O-U-S! Our crazy drive up to the mines were rewarded by a pict and stunning views. Sorry for all the photos... i couldn't get enough of the scenery. Cerro Gordo was featured in the season 19 episode of Ghost Adventures titled "Cerro Gordo Ghost Town", which aired in 2019 on the Travel Channel. Review #2121 read more

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Definitely a once in a lifetime experience for me because I probably wouldn't ever drive that road again. But so worth the white knuckling drive once you get to the top! It was dry conditions when we went but snow at the top and even some very light snowfall. I took my Kia Sportage up and while doable, it took everything we had. Don't be like me - take a 4WD vehicle, jeep, etc. the worst part is the last mile up which is full of sheer drops and hairpin turns (even had to back up on one to let someone pass). The drive itself is spectacularly beautiful which different topography, rock formations, microbiomes, etc. The actual town of Cerro Gordo is a testament to human ingenuity and perseverance. It's a step back in time and the volunteers we spoke with were very friendly and informative. The rebuilt American Hotel has the outer structure done. Lots of cool buildings, artifacts, historical items, goats, chickens. Walk up the hill in back to look out over the "backside" of the mountain range. Also, incredible views of Mt. Whitney and Owen's Lake. Bonus: drive through Keeler once you're back down the hill to see a cool collection of old rusty cars lining the tiny streets. read more

This ghost town was one of my targeted place I wanted to visit off the northwestern part of Death Valley national park just outside of it and eight miles from the town of Keeled up the mountain. The trek going up was something else, the view is spectacular and not for the weak because the road is not pave and some parts you're right the edge of a cliff. Not for the faint of heart. In addition, is very rough I paved road, some parts have large lose rocks. You can't make it up the mountain with a car that's for sure. I was lucky enough trouble rent a 4x wheel drive and even that was pretty brutal. Anyway, when we (me and my wife) got to the to the town, the place was being restore or maintained and we were allowed to walk around but can't go in buildings . I believe you can book a mine tour with the owner, but at this time they close. There were people (I'm assuming custodians) that keeps the place secured. It's pretty spectacular area to go and fun to drive up and down that scary , one lane road that goes for both way traffic. I'm looking forward to come back and book a tour with sometime in the future when all this Covid protocol ease a little. read more

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stumbled on this on our trip to Yosemite. Just a small sign on the side of the road. Ended up being the best thing we did this vacation

THE ROAD UP AND DOWN CERRO GORDO: Dirt/Gravel road. SUV or high'ish clearance vehicle recommended (think Subaru). 2WD (4x2) is OK if the road is dry; 4WD would be a must in wet or snow conditions. Yes, it's doable in a car if 1) you don't mind a few scratches or bottoming out 2) you aren't fully loaded with people or supplies and 3) you have good tires. There are two slightly scary areas where the road is next to a sheer cliff for about 0.2 miles and only one car can pass at a time and there are safety cones to remind you of the edge. There are a few slightly steep sections where with 2WD you have to give it some gas to have momentum going up, otherwise you might get stuck or slip a bit. A few potholes here and there, but nothing gigantic or alarming; overall I must say the road was actually REALLY good for being a dirt/gravel road. Elevation at the start is 3600' and ends around 9200' over 8 miles. CRITICAL DRIVING TIPS: Tire psi and tires.. 25-30psi will give you better grip and a better ride quality (but air up to your car specs once you come down, that's not ideal psi for highway driving). Your tires also need to be decent, don't come with bald tires or tires with no thread or some crappy brand; way too risky. You don't need off-road tires or new tires, just something decent to great. Brakes... on the way down, you might be riding or pressing your brake 75% of the time. You must have decent brakes. If you have worn out brakes or experience brake fade in normal driving, don't risk it. Gear...on the way down, use your lowest gear (usually L in your shift lever) which slows down your car with engine RPM as you come down to reduce your brake pressure. Shift back to D once you are near the bottom. Overheating... you will be crawling at 2-10mph on the way up. Make sure to refill your radiator fluid (when the engine is cold and before making the drive). Your engine and tranny will be slightly stressed on the way up and your radiator is their best friend. Turn OFF your AC to reduce the chance of overheating. Supplies...bring your own water, snacks, etc. They don't sell them up there as of now (November 2021). Make sure to donate in the General Store to keep this place alive and help Brent out! Bottom line... if your car is not in decent to excellent shape, bring a better vehicle. Everyone is right, this place is amazing and even more amazing is Brent and his team of volunteers; the love, time, and effort they put in this town is unquantifiable. It really takes an army to keep this place livable. read more

incredible experience highly recommend you visitand take a tour of the property and its history!

Had a great tour today by Johnny. It was very interesting and he was full of knowledge. Glad we decided to add the tour. We would have missed out if we just drove through read more

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Gorgeous drive up the mountains with epic views from several stopping points. The drive passes a few abandoned mine shafts along the way. The caretaker is a working miner and knows a ton of history and present day intrigue of the area. It's a great way to spend a few hours - pack a picnic! read more

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Okay, the drive out here is gnarly. Really, rocky, really narrow, really windy dirt road about 9 miles up to the ghost town. We read somewhere that a 4wd isn't necessary. I would totally disagree. While you may be able to technically make it without one, I would never subject any car I owned that wasn't 4wd to the trip. There is a caretaker, Robert, on site and no entrance fee but a tip is welcome (although he didn't request one, we gave him money for his time and knowledge). We spent about an hour with Robert that told us stories and shared all of his knowledge from living there decades. The history in this place is amazing and it's really cool that you can rent a bunk for over night exploring, BUT there is no running water on site so you might get a room and breakfast but no shower! Definitely a unique experience if you can take the drive! read more

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A unique piece of California history. We were greeted by Roxie and given a tour of the town and various buildings. Roxie was very warm and provided a thorough history of the area. She went out of her way to welcome us. The unpaved road from Keeler was a bit rough in parts and steep, but we made it up in our sienna mini van. I recommend a high clearance vehicle or 4-wheel drive to definitely make the travel a lot easier. Thank you Roxie for a great visit! read more

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Cerro Gordo, the "comstock of Los Angeles", is an important historical site, southern Cal's best preserved ghost town, and a really fun place to visit! We called up Mike Patterson, the owner, and scheduled a visit for the following day. We made the adventurous 45 minute drive up the dirt road to the top of the mountain, where Mike was waiting for us. He immediately brought us into his "museum" - a former mining building - where he keeps all the historical treasures that he has unearthed here at Cerro Gordo. There were pistols, knives, bullets, beer bottles and "jars", poison bottles, coins...everything and anything that a town would need. He pointed out where the bordello was located, and showed us a bottle of French perfume (circa 1860) that he found there. Later we moved over to the hotel - the oldest remaining hotel in California east of the sierras. This place is really amazing. He served us some of his homemade rootbeer, and brought us out to the porch for some more stories, which we enjoyed while looking at the fantastic view of Mt. Whitney and Owens Lake. Mike is a great storyteller - he doesn't waffle and is always aware of your attention span. We weren't bored at all, and couldn't believe when we checked our watches and saw that we'd been listening to him for two and a half hours! Mike let us go wander around the property and take some pictures for a while, then we headed back down the road. This is one of those hidden gems of California - make sure to check it out! read more

This place is cool. The road up starts at approx 3600 ft and you climb to almost 8700 in the shirt 9 mile trip. It is a graded gravel road. Easy in a 4x4. Moderate in 4x2. Definitely worth the trek up. Check out the old hotel, see the cool artifacts and say hi to the curator that lives on sight. Very nice place to sit have a lunch and imagine life in 1871. read more

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Went up for work related reasons but would definitely take an off road trip up to the old mining town with my family. I love old Wild West history and this place has plenty of it. Great views of the sierras as well read more

Stopped here to capture some photos with my camera buddies and we were very impressed. The property manager Robert gave us a very informative tour of the mine and then turned us loose to roam. A lot of history here! read more

Cerro Gordo Mines - This hidden treasure is great! - Historical Tours Near Me

I just had my 50th birthday celebration here, and it was an event to remember. One of the funnest things I've ever done in my life! Robert is a gem. A wonderful man with so much knowledge. This is no Taj Mahal. The bunkhouse is grimy, the way it should be! If you're fussy, only do a day trip. And please tip Robert well. He alone, is keeping this place alive..... read more

I heard about this place from a friend who is into off roading. Had lunch at the Ranch Cafe in Olancha and then headed to Cerro Gordo. The dirt road is about 9 miles up hill but a pretty easy drive as you can see you gain alot of elevation. At about 9000 feet of elevation you come to the Ghost town, it is so cool. We parked and there was not a soul in sight. After a few minutes a gentleman on a quad rode up and was very nice. He gave us a tour of the area and told us about the buildings and the ore. A snake had snuck in one of the buildings as we were checking it out. I really liked the Hotel with the old stove .....I love this stuff. Sorry I didn't get his name but he was awesome. I will definitely be back this place was so cool. I guess you can rent out the bunk house and stay up here as long as you don't mind the stories of it being haunted. :0 FYI.....no running water up here. Old school frontier style outhouses so be prepared for that. :) Also....this place is a privately owned ghost town so make a donation please to keep this place up and running. read more

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Awesome place to walk through and see how the miners did it. Great staff, beautiful area and there is an amazing hike above the mines.