Silver City Ghost Town - Exploring California's Rich Mining History
Hi friends! We’re wrapping up our October autumn adventures this week with another California ghost town, perfect for a fun Fall day trip. Hidden away in Bodfish, CA, Silver City Ghost Town is more than just a collection of old buildings; it's a living museum that captures the storied essence of the Old West and California's gold-mining past. Established in the 1970s by the Mills family and later restored by the Corlew family, this unique site boasts over twenty structures from Kern Valley’s historic mining camps. Today, Silver City provides an eerie yet enchanting journey back in time, inviting guests to explore its intriguing tales. Join me below as we head into the Southern Sierra Nevada Mountains for a perfect Halloween adventure.
Silver City Ghost Town in Bodfish, CA
Location
Silver City Ghost Town sits in the heart of Bodfish, CA, conveniently located a few blocks off Highway 178 near Lake Isabella and the Kern River. At only 45 minutes from Bakersfield and approximately 2 hours from Los Angeles, Silver City Ghost Town makes for a great family-friendly day trip. With its easy-to-access location, Silver City is a popular stop for travelers journeying through the scenic Kern Valley. However, the town’s remoteness adds a haunting charm to its ambiance—surrounded by mountains and desert, the ghost town feels perfectly placed as a relic of California’s bygone frontier era.
Silver City Ghost Town in the Kern Valley
My Photography Gear
I get so many questions about what equipment we use on our adventures, so below I’ve listed out our most used photo gear 😊
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Historic mining town structures at Silver City Ghost Town
History
Silver City Ghost Town reflects the history of California’s Gold Rush, which swept through Kern Valley in the mid-1800s. While gold was famously discovered in Northern California in 1848, it didn’t take long for prospectors to push south, hoping to strike it rich. By the 1850s, mining towns like Keyesville, Whiskey Flat, and Claraville had sprung up across the valley, each a bustling hub of miners, merchants, and fortune-seekers. The lure of gold and silver turned Kern Valley into a rough-and-tumble frontier, with camps and settlements sprouting up in remote, rugged areas.
However, as the gold deposits dwindled and the silver prices plummeted by the early 1900s, many of these towns were abandoned. Rather than let the history fade away, Dave and Arvilla Mills began rescuing these historic structures in the late 1960s, transporting buildings from decaying settlements around Kern Valley to a new home in Bodfish. This “composite town” preserves these pieces of the past, offering a glimpse into the lives of the miners who once worked these hills. Today, thanks to over 20,000 hours of restoration by the Corlew family, Silver City captures both the grit and spirit of the Gold Rush era through “arrested decay”—leaving the buildings as they were, without restoring them to a modern polish. Visitors can explore a place where history remains preserved, a window into a time when California's gold fever burned at its brightest.
Old jail at Silver City Ghost Town
Visiting Today
Operating as an outdoor museum, Silver City Ghost Town offers a unique, hands-on experience that takes visitors back to the 19th-century gold mining era. Open year-round, the ghost town hosts thousands of artifacts and historic displays, showcasing everything from a saloon to miners’ cabins. Self-guided tours allow guests to explore at their own pace, while information plaques and photographs bring the town’s rich history to life.
Notable Structures: Among the fascinating structures at Silver City, the Apalatea/Burlando House stands out as the oldest remaining structure in Kern Valley, containing both a saloon and a country store with artifacts from the era. The jailhouse, which once held infamous gunslinger Newt Walker, offers a chilling insight into Wild West justice. This old jail building is also open for visitors to walk in and explore...close the cell door behind you to experience what it was really like for the outlaws held here! The rustic church, with its weathered piano, Bible & coffin, is certainly an eerie sight to see...and the general store, complete with an old violin hanging on the deck & swaying in the breeze, adds to the ghost town’s allure. Visitors can immerse themselves in the rough-hewn, timeworn beauty of these buildings, each bearing the weathered charm of Kern Valley’s gold-mining history.
Apalatea/Burlando House at Silver City Ghost Town
Saloon at Silver City Ghost Town
Know Before You Go
• Open daily from 10 AM to 4 PM (5 PM on weekends), Silver City Ghost Town is available to visitors year-round, though hours shift seasonally.
• Tickets are $7 for adults and $4.50 for children ages 6-12, with all proceeds dedicated to ongoing restoration efforts.
• Due to unreliable GPS directions, travelers are advised to use a map or follow the town's coordinates (35.596986, -118.491306).
• For those interested in guided tours, they can be scheduled in advance, offering even more in-depth historical insights.
• Shawn Corlew will likely be the one sharing a brief history of the town prior to your self-guided tour. He is incredibly kind and a wealth of information.
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Silver City Ghost Town in Bodfish, CA
In Summary
Thanks so much for joining me this week in the Kern Valley. For a virtual visit of my Silver City Ghost Town adventure, make sure to watch my Behind the Blog video located at the top of this post, or watch it on YouTube here. Until next week, I hope you find adventure and encouragement wherever you go.
Church & Town Hall building at Silver City Ghost Town
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About Me
I’m Dawn Marie, a travel and lifestyle blogger based out of Southern California. With in-depth articles, travel guides, and reviews on hotels & products, I seek to share my journeys to help you plan for your own. My adventures take me all over California, the western United States, and around the globe...and every Monday I post new content here, including a comprehensive blog post and YouTube video.
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What are the best ghost towns in California? Bodie and Calico might be two of CA's official gold & silver mining ghost towns, but Silver City Ghost Town is one of the top historic spots to visit this year. Located in the Southern Sierra Nevada Mountains near the Kern River, Lake Isabella, and Sequoia National Forest, this top day trip destination is a short drive from Bakersfield & Los Angeles.