can you visit bodie california

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Bodie State Historic Park

Ghost town of the wild west.

Visiting Bodie is the most authentic way to see the real-life setting of the California gold rush. From 1877 to 1882, Bodie was a bustling town with close to 8,000 residents and produced more than $38 million in gold and silver. Today, with the gold mining days of California are a distinct memory, there are almost 200 abandoned wooden buildings in a state of "arrested decay" to photograph and explore. Peek in the windows of the church, schoolhouse, barbershop and saloon, where bottles, desks and other relics remain.

While Bodie is open year-round, the roads to the Park will close with snow. Before visiting, please visit the Bodie State Historic Park's website , check SR 270 conditions on the Caltrans Road Information website or call our office at 800-845-7922.

And, swing by the Bodie Foundation's Bodie Mercantile store in Bridgeport, CA  for Park information, as well as to shop for unique gifts, souvenirs, and more - with proceeds funding stabilization projects in the ghost town!

Good to Know

Bodie State Historic Park is open 9am-6pm in summer (May 15th - Oct 31st) and 9am-3pm in the winter (Nov 1st - May 14th), and is best explored in warm weather in spring, summer and fall. Peak season is Memorial Day through Labor Day. 

There is a nominal entrance fee  of $8 for adults, $5 for children ages 4 to 17. Three and under are free. Credit card is accepted only at the entrance kiosk, although cash is preferred. If no one is present at the kiosk, please place cash or check in the self pay envelope located in the parking lot. 

Be sure to pack water and light snacks, as there are no services at the Park (restrooms are available). We also recommend bringing sunscreen, hat, and a jacket or layers (even in summer)! Bodie is located at a high elevation - 8,375 feet - and weather can be more extreme. There is also limited cell service.   

For more information, please call  Bodie State Historic Park at (760) 616-5040. 

How to get to Bodie

Bodie State Historic Park  of California is located in the Eastern Sierra in Mono County, close to Bridgeport, June Lake, Lee Vining, Mono Lake and the east entrance to Yosemite National Park. It is located in a remote area accessed by State Route 270, seven miles south-east of  Bridgeport .

From Hwy. 395 take State Route 270 east for 10 miles to the end of the pavement. Continue three miles on an unsurfaced road. Although these last three miles can at times be rough and reduced speeds are necessary, the road is suitable for most vehicles types.

And while the park is open year-round, SR 270 will close with snow. Please check weather and road conditions prior to visiting, and have plenty of gas. 

Driving precautions: In winter, many four wheel drive vehicles with chains get stuck each year in powdery snow. In spring, mud can be a problem. Local towing services, when available, can be costly. When the park is snowbound in winter (approximately November through May), it is accessible only by snowmobiles, cross country skis, or snowshoes. Sub-zero temperatures, strong winds and white-out conditions are common. Snowmobiles must stay on designated roads in the Bodie Hills.

Best Time to Visit Bodie

Bodie is one of the best day trips in Mono County. For visitors staying in  Mammoth Lakes ,  Bridgeport ,  Yosemite ,  June Lake  or  Crowley Lake , Bodie takes about an hour to reach. It’s a fascinating alternative to today’s theme parks and something every one should see with their own eyes! 

Bodie Foundation Events, Tours, and More

Enhance your visit with a tour - highly recommended!

Friends of Bodie Day  is held annually every August.  

Free History Talks  are offered daily.

Tickets for Stamp Mill tours are available from Memorial Day through Labor Day (no reservations required). Tickets are available at the museum. 

Photography Workshops  are offered throughout the year. 

Private Tours of the Town, Stamp Mill, Cemetery, Twilight Tours, and Mining District  are also available with advance reservations. Please see BodieFoundation.org for more information, and email [email protected] for advance reservations. 

Bodie Ghost Walks are offered three nights each summer - and sell out quickly! The park will be open to the public afterhours until 10pm during each Ghost Walk evening. A presale is offered to Boudie Foundation Members, then open to the general public, typically in March. Keep an eye on the Bodie Foundation website for more information and dates. 

By participating in these tours and Friends of Bodie Day, you’re helping the Bodie Foundation provide a constant stream of funding to keep the buildings in Bodie standing. Ask park staff or visit the website to become a member.

The Bodie Foundation is a 501(c)3  non-profit corporation dedicated to the preservation, interpretation, and public enjoyment of Bodie State Historic Park, Mono Lake Tufa State Natural Reserve, and Grover Hot Springs State Park. 

For more information: BodieFoundation.org 760-932-7574 [email protected]

The Bodie Foundation also operated the Bodie Mercantile store in Bridgeport, CA , offering Park information, as well as to shop for unique gifts, souvenirs, and more with proceeds funding stabilization projects in the ghost town. 

Bodie Hotels 

There are no lodging facilities at Bodie, but there is a variety of motels, cabins, hotels and resorts within 20-30 miles in the towns of Bridgeport and Lee Vining. Search lodging here .

Souvenirs? Only at the Gift Shop.

Bodie visitors will want to leave every nail, rock, and stick exactly as they see it. Everything in Bodie is part of the historic scene and is fully protected.  NOTHING   may be collected or removed from the park . Metal detectors are not allowed.

Bodie info:

(760) 616-5040

Bodie Links:

Bodie Foundation Bodie State Historic Park Bodie Brochure  with history, park information, and town map. 

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How to Visit Bodie, California’s Most Authentic Ghost Town

Last Modified: August 23, 2023 //  by  Anda //   30 Comments

Welcome to Bodie, California’s most authentic ghost town! Located in the hills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, not too far from the incredible Mono Lake, Bodie is a beautiful reminder of the Wild West. But what you see today is a mere shadow of what was once a thriving gold-mining town in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, in Mono County.

Table of Contents

A Brief History of Bodie

Bodie – a gold-mining town with a bad reputation, how did bodie become a ghost town, what to expect in bodie ghost town, how to reach bodie ghost town, best time to visit bodie.

In 1861 a mill was established here and the town began to grow. It started with about 20 miners. Due to other strikes in the area Bodie’s development started very slowly, but it eventually boomed. 

By 1879 Bodie was a thriving, bustling place, containing some 600 to 800 buildings and a population of about 10,000 people. But with the growth of the population also grew the town’s bad reputation for wickedness and bad men.

The town of Bodie was named after Waterman S. Bodey who discovered gold here in 1859. It’s not certain how the spelling of the town’s name came about. Some sources attribute it to an illiterate sign painter. Others claim the spelling was deliberately changed by the citizens to ensure proper pronunciation.

Bodie was considered one of the most violent and lawless towns in the Wild West . Killings, staged robberies and street fights occurred almost every day. At some point there were about 65 saloons in town, numerous brothels, gambling halls and opium dens.  

The story goes that one little girl, whose family was taking her to the infamous town, wrote in her diary: “Goodbye God, I’m going to Bodie.” The phrase became known throughout the West. Bodie had a bad climate reputation too: melting hot summers and savage winters, with winds that can sweep across the valley at close to 100 miles per hour.

Bodie’s downfall was caused by a series of unfortunate events. The first one was a big earthquake that struck, causing severe damages to the main vein of the mine. The investors decided it would be too much trouble and cost to relocate it. Then, in 1892 a disastrous fire destroyed much of the town, followed by another devastating one several years later.

Although some mining continued, Bodie was already dying. Its citizens were leaving. The town’s decline was also accelerated by the Prohibition and the Depression. By the 1950s all the mining ceased and Bodie became a ghost town. In 1962, after years of neglect, the Ghost Town of Bodie became a California Historic Site.

They say that although over $75million in gold was taken from Bodie Butte, there is still as much gold left in the ground as it was taken out. However, water invaded the tunnels and shafts and the cost of mining would exceed the gold’s present day value. So for now, the gold will probably stay where it is.

Today there are only 168 remaining structures in Bodie. Nonetheless, the town is one of the most authentic gold-mining towns of the Old West. In contrast with other ghost towns like Calico , or Jerome , which are more commercialized, Bodie looks really abandoned and isolated. It’s like an open-air museum where you see authentic structures from 160 years ago.

Strolling through the quiet, dusty streets gives you a peek into the heart and soul of this town that was once bustling with life. The abandoned buildings and old furnishings stirred your imagination. You can almost envision those whose lives played out here over a century ago.

There are no commercial facilities at Bodie, or within 14 miles of the Historic Park. So if you are planning a visit you should bring your own food and water.

Restrooms are located in the parking lot and the picnic area. There is no smoking allowed in the park, except in the parking lot. Certain areas in the park are uncertain and thus closed to the public.

Bodie State Park sits on the California/Nevada border of U.S. Highway 395, about 135 miles south of Reno. South Lake Tahoe is only about an hour away.

Reaching Bodie from the Highway 395 is quite difficult. The 270 Road leading to town is actually a dusty and bumpy dirt road. With so difficult access, it’s surprising that over 200,000 people come to visit Bodie every year.

Bodie ghost town make a great California getaway

The ghost town of Bodie is technically open year round. The hours of operation are: 9:00am to 4:00pm from November 1 to May 14, and 9:00am to 6:00pm from May 15 to October 31.

Bodie sits on a high altitude plateau, so weather-wise you can count on dry, hot summers and long, cold winters, filled with snow. In fact, Bodie is one of the coldest spots in the country.

If you plan to visit Bodie in winter, you have to be aware that the road that takes you to town is not plowed. Even if you drive a 4-wheel car, I recommend you check the road conditions before making the trip. The best time to visit is from from spring to fall.

We visited the town in mid winter, when very few visitors were around. However, the place is quite vast so I can’t imagine it’s ever too crowded.

Costs are : $8 per adult, $5 children for 4 – 17; children 3 and under are free. Only cash or checks are accepted at the park entrance station.

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Anda is an award winning travel writer, avid globetrotter and passionate photographer. She is the voice behind "Travel Notes & Beyond," a collection of stories and travel impressions from her wanderings around the world. When she is not busy writing, traveling, or editing photographs, you can find her hiking in the foothills behind her house together with her husband and their dog.

Reader Interactions

November 16, 2021 at 7:01 pm

My ex’s great great great uncle was a sheriff at Bodie and i know the history about what happen to the people there

November 17, 2021 at 4:53 pm

It must be very interesting to people who eye-witnessed of what happened in Bodie.

Lyn aka The Travelling Lindfields

August 23, 2017 at 3:53 am

I have to laugh at your description of the ‘dusty’ road in to Bodie. It wasn’t dusty when we visited. It snowed the night before and we only just got through. I remember David talking on the phone to my brother (in Australia) asking, in jest, where all the heat and tumbleweeds that he had described to us were. He visited Bodie in the heat of summer and we were there in autumn. The several feet of snow on the ground was such a contrast to his hot and dusty experience .

Anda Galffy

August 23, 2017 at 10:54 am

I can imagine how difficult the road to Bodie must have been in a few feet of snow. I think it was very brave of you to attempt it in winter. That road is not serviced and if you get stuck there you may not even have phone reception to call for help.

Jim ~ ReflectionsEnroute

August 20, 2017 at 10:09 am

I’m surprised, and happy, that this hasn’t been commercialized. When I hear of ghost towns in California, I always think of Columbia which was an old ghost town that has been over-commercialized. I will certainly make my way to Bodie at some point in time. Thanks for linking in to

August 20, 2017 at 7:51 pm

I’ve never heard of a ghost town named “Columbia” in California, Jim. You made me really curious. I believe the one you are referring to is Calico. That one has really been commercialized.

August 19, 2017 at 11:34 am

This is a true ghost town. amazing to think this could exist today, Nice find!

Rhonda Albom

August 19, 2017 at 4:25 am

I like the sepia tone photos of Bodie. Thanks for the interesting history on this mining town. I’ve visited ghost towns but not this one.

Connie Reed

April 6, 2015 at 6:38 am

Bodie is on my itinerary for a trip I’m taking next month. Thanks for the preview of what I’ll see. I’m looking forward to it.

Sarah Ebner

February 19, 2015 at 4:55 am

Incredible story. We went to gold rush country some years ago and I found it absolutely fascinating – all these ghost towns had such a palpable sense of history about them.

Elaine J. Masters

February 16, 2015 at 3:05 pm

So evocative and what exquisite pictures. There’s nothing like visiting a ghost town and you found a real gem.

Packing my Suitcase

February 16, 2015 at 2:54 am

Wow Anda, your photos are stunning! Happy to have found your blog! Happy travels and have a great week. Allane

Mary {The World Is A Book}

February 15, 2015 at 9:44 pm

I have wanted to go to Bodie for a long time. It looks so interesting and all this history and information you provided is great. What a neat little town to visit.

February 15, 2015 at 7:01 pm

What a coincidence; my father-in-law was just talking about Bodie a few days ago. He has been there twice. As a long-time California resident he has seen his share of ghost towns and said this is the most authentic of all. Apparently the historical society has established a policy to keep Bodie exactly the way it was found and not do any restoration.

February 16, 2015 at 12:54 am

You are right, Linda. Bodie is being kept in a “state of arrested decay”

bettyl - NZ

February 15, 2015 at 2:49 pm

I love places like this. Your sepia editing makes it so much more realistic. I just found you and will be linking up sometimes soon 🙂

February 15, 2015 at 6:23 pm

Hope to see you here every week-end, Betty.

Suze the Luxury Columnist

February 15, 2015 at 5:12 am

I find these ghost towns like Bodie fascinating, we don’t have anything similar in the UK

February 15, 2015 at 6:18 pm

The reason the Wild West Ghost Towns are so fascinating is exactly because you can’t find them anywhere else, Suze. But don’t worry, you have other fascinating things in the UK that we don’t have here.

February 15, 2015 at 12:17 am

So interesting!! Ghost towns always strike me as ‘something typical for the US’ as it makes me think of westerns 😉 Ha,how about that stereotype! I have seem some ghost towns when I was in Nevada, impressive! Thanx for the link party!!

February 15, 2015 at 6:21 pm

You are welcome, Esther. Thanks for linking up.

February 14, 2015 at 1:29 pm

After winding up my road trip around the ghost towns of the Mojave I began reading a lot about Bodie. What an incredible piece of wild west history.

February 14, 2015 at 12:10 pm

Fascinating story, thank you for sharing! Was it eerie visiting it, to see an entire town with no one around?

February 14, 2015 at 10:56 am

I visited Bodie the second time after 2o years, and found it unchanged, except the presence of security vehicles and people. I think there still is gold there, and that is what they are there for, not the visitor’s safety! The views of the Sierras on the drive back to the highway are magnificent, and the place is a gold mine if just for the amount of stuff left over, witness of human struggle 150 years ago! Much has changed for the better!

February 14, 2015 at 6:27 am

I love old ghost towns! You’ve captured Bodie perfectly in your article and black & white pictures.

Marisol@TravelingSolemates

February 14, 2015 at 4:35 am

Hi Anda, very very interesting post. I heard about Bodie but didn’t learn about it in so much details until now. It sounds like a modern day Sodom and Gomorrah. It’s a true Ghost town indeed. It’s amazing to see the state they were left at and that they’re still intact. If I didn’t read your narratives, I would think this is a movie set. Your photos are beautiful – they capture the loneliness and the ghostly atmosphere of Bodie.

Steve Oliver

February 14, 2015 at 3:34 am

hi Anda, these are such great pictures! And a very interesting story.

How long is the dirt road into Bodie? Do you need a truck to drive it?

Thank you for hosting #TheWeeklyPostcard.

February 14, 2015 at 11:23 pm

The dirt road is about 13 miles. We had a 4-wheel drive truck, but if there is no snow you can manage with any car.

Lyn @thetravellinglindfields

February 13, 2015 at 9:37 pm

We visited Bodie years ago with our two boys. My brother had been there previously and told us we just had to go to see and feel the heat and desolation. He described tumbleweeds blowing along the street pushed along by hot gusty winds. When we arrived there was about three feet of snow covering everything. The road in was only just passable. We loved it – it felt so much like the ‘wild west’ but the contrast with my brother’s description of heat and drought couldn’t have been stronger.

February 13, 2015 at 10:52 pm

Indeed, Lyn, the climate is very extreme: torrid summers in contrast with very harsh winters. We were lucky to get a very mild weather when we visited (although it was February). Those poor people living in Bodie … can you imagine?

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Visiting Bodie California Ghost Town: Everything You Need to Know

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Bodie California Ghost Town is a gold mining Wild West town that is frozen fascinatingly in time.

It is a 45-minute drive from the small town of Lee Vining and northeast of Yosemite National Park.

Bodie was a booming town during the gold rush and, in its heyday from 1877-1881, had a population of nearly 10,000 people.

The town was abandoned when the gold ran out, and in 1962 it became the Bodie State Historic Park. Ever since it has been preserved in a state of “arrested decay”.

It’s now possible to wander the deserted streets, which are much the same as they were over 50 years ago when the last residents left, often leaving their belongings behind.

Walking amongst the rusty iron machinery, past the old faded wooden buildings and peering through the saloon windows makes you feel as you’ve either stepped back in time or wandered onto a Hollywood film set.

Below, you will learn more about this stunning site, Bodie Ghost Town directions, where to stay, entrance fees and hours and some suggestions of things to do in and near Bodie Ghost Town.

At the bottom, you will find a Bodie California Map.

Video of Yosemite Highlights

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Bodie is easy to combine with Yosemite National Park. Check out this video for trip ideas.

Back to Contents

Entrance to Bodie Historic Park costs $8.00 per adult and $5.00 per child (ages 4 to 17). Infants 3 and under go free.

A Self Guided Tour Book is available for $3.00.

Please note that it is credit card only unless there is no one at the entrance kiosk, in which case you pay with cash in the self-pay envelope.

The park is open 9 am-6 pm (May-Oct) during the summer months.

Is Bodie Ghost Town Open in Winter?

Winter hours for Bodie Historic Park are from 9 am-3 pm (Nov-May).

However, even though Bodie is open all year round, I wouldn’t advise going in the winter. The Ghost Town sits on a high elevation (8375 feet), which means that the winter months can be unpredictable with severe weather and potentially treacherous road conditions.

Bodie has no commercial facilities purposefully to protect the ghost town atmosphere. So I recommend you bring your own food and water, especially during the summer.

There is a bookstore where you can book  daily tours and private tours .

Toilets are in the parking lot, and there is a picnic area.

Please note that everything in Bodie is fully protected. It is not permitted   to remove anything from the park. In fact, the Bodie Ghost Town curse is that bad luck will fall to those who take even a rock!

See Bodie State Historic Park for more visitor information.

Bodie Ghost Town Directions

To get from Yosemite to Bodie Ghost Town, follow Highway 395 east for 13 miles, then Highway 270 east for 13 miles.

The last three miles of the drive are on a rough, bumpy, gravel track surrounded by bleak mountains, adding to the remote feel of the abandoned gold-mining ghost town.

It’s hard to imagine getting here by horse and buggy as Bodie’s residents once did.

Combined with Mono Lake , I highly recommend adding an extra night to visit the ghost town of Bodie while visiting Yosemite National Park in summer.

Visiting Bodie State Park California Distance/ Times

• Yosemite Tioga Pass entrance/ exit – Bodie Ghost Town:  44.1 miles (71 km)/ 1 hr
• Bodie Ghost Town – Mono Basin Scenic Area Visitor Center:  41.6 miles (67 km)/ 1 hr 18 min
• Bridgeport – Bodie Ghost Town: 46 miles (74 km)/ 2 hr
• San Francisco – Bodie Ghost Town (via Sacramento):  296 miles (477 km)/ 6 hr 28 min
• Sacramento – Bodie Ghost Town:  211 miles (340 km)/ 5 hr 11 min

There is a Bodie California map at the bottom of the post to give you an idea of the surrounding area.

We combined our trip to Bodie with a visit to Mono Lake , so we spent a night in the small town of Lee Vining which was a convenient base for both.

We stayed at  El Mono Motel , with its nicely furnished modern rooms, a small garden, and an onsite coffee shop. Rooms start from $84 per night.

You can also  search for accommodation in Lee Vining here . It makes a great base to explore the neighbouring Mammoth Lakes and the wider Eastern Sierra area.

Another great base would be Bridgeport, a charming town that is the gateway to Lake Tahoe and the surrounding region. Search Booking for accommodation in Bridgeport .

The history of Bodie is a fascinating tale.

During the California gold rush of the late 1800s, Waterman S. Bodey (AKA William Bodey) discovered gold in the nearby area.

The town sprung up not long afterwards and was subsequently named after him. Rumour has it that the misspelling was due to a sign painter.

Miners flocked here to make their fortune settling into the Bodie Hills, and Bodie became an instant boomtown with some massive gold strikes.

By 1880 the gold mines had spread, and the town’s population reached 10,000 people. Bodie’s main street reached over a mile in length at its peak.

With its gambling halls and opium dens, the mining town became known as the “most lawless, wildest and toughest mining camp the far west has ever known”.

This website has some great  archive newspaper articles  transporting you back in time through Bodie Ghost Town history.

Why Was Bodie California Abandoned?

The prosperity didn’t last long, and within the early 1880s, people started to leave when the gold ran out.

Further bad luck was visited upon the town by two major fires in 1892 and 1932 when most buildings burnt to the ground.

In the 1950s, the last of Bodie’s residents abandoned the town altogether, some literally leaving all of their belongings behind.

In 1962 Bodie was designated a National Historic Site and became a State Historic Park.

The Bodie Foundation now supports this California State Park with the mission of preserving the remaining buildings in a state of “arrested decay”.

You can learn more about Bodie Ghost Town history here.

Is Bodie California Haunted?

It is easy to see why Bodie feels haunted.

Dinner plates are still set on tables, and clothes are hung on bedroom walls.

There are bottles and glasses left in the saloons and general store and post office shelves stocked with goods.

Peek into the schoolhouse, and you can still see the lesson written out in chalk on the blackboard.

It is all very atmospheric.

Wander further out where cars rot in the meadows and rusting iron machinery is scattered around the town.

It’s like the whole place stands waiting for the residents to return.

No wonder today Bodie is known as one of the best-preserved ghost towns giving you a window into life in the Old West.

• Drive the scenic route to Bodie
• Grab a guide from the kiosk and explore the park at your leisure, or join a guided tour
• Photography – As you can imagine, the ghost town is a dream for any amateur photographer
• Go on a Ghost Walk
• See the stunning Tufa Towers at Mono Lake
• Hike around Mono Lake or to the rim of  Panum Crater
• Hire kayaks  at Navy Beach, south of Lee Vining
• Explore the nearby  Mammoth Lakes  and the wider Eastern Sierra region

Yes absolutely! Bodie is a fascinating place that takes you back in time and is well worth adding to your  Yosemite National Park itinerary . It’s one of the best ghost towns in California.

It’s also close to Mono Lake’s stunning tufa towers, another fantastic place to visit.

• The Best 3 Day Yosemite Itinerary for Summer
• Mono Lake in California: Visit the Stunning Tufa Towers Near Yosemite
• 15 Incredible Things to Do in Death Valley National Park – including another fascinating ghost town.
• 14 Best Hikes in Joshua Tree National Park, California
• Disneyland & California Adventure in One Day: An Itinerary for Adults
• Florence Ave Sebastopol: Visiting Unique Junk Art Sculptures

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20 Comments

I’ve been visiting Bodie since 1962. It’s difficult to remember that far back but I believe there were more buildings back then. Bodie is fascinating and worth the trip.

Reply ↓

I loved your article and pictures of Bodie, CA.!! I was there 50 years ago, and really enjoyed the pictures! Of course, it still looks the same, I guess I dont though! :( You must be a photographer because the pictures were really professional looking! Thank you! It really brought back memories!

It must be one of the few places in the world that hasn’t changed in 50 years! I’m glad you enjoyed your trip down memory lane :)

look like a haunted place..:)

What an awesome set of photos. I’ve heard of Bodie before, but actually seeing it in such detail through your pictures was fantastic! Great stuff, Erin.

Great writeup… your post really helped me in finalizing the visit to this ghost town of California… would try my hands & luck to get excellent photos like you. :-)

Excellent Photos, i would rather call it an abandoned Town rather then Ghost. Thanks for sharing!

I definitely agree that it looks like a movie set! Nice photos!

Great photos! I love finding old and odd sights like this!

Thanks for sharing

I visited Bodie recently. It brings rather weird and hard to describe feelings. Best enjoyed in quiet contemplation of course.

Creepy! It looks like a movie set. Weird how they charge you to visit though… does the money actually go towards maintaining it?

Yes it does. It’s a state park and hasn’t been commercialised. I think it’s fair enough as it’s important to protect it.

This place looks like a photographers dream. Were there major restrictions on how close you could get? Was there anyone enforcing them?

There are mostly no restrictions. Some buildings are close but others you are free to walk through. It is wonderful for photographers!

It’s such a strange feeling seeing bits of people’s lives just hanging in time… “Arrested decay” really captures that sensation, as do your gorgeous photos!! It’s impossible not to get sucked in by the atemporality of the place..

Fantastic photos! Bummed out we skipped Bodie when we visited that part of the world last year – the usual too much to see and not enough time… We only heard about it in June Lake, and folks seemed really enthusiastic. Need to go back and check it out :) Good luck!

A good excuse to go back to the area!

I loved Bodie and it definitely felt eerie, especially when looking through the windows. I kept expecting to see a ghost. It is definitely the best ghost town that I have ever been to

It definitely exceeded our expectations, especially for a place I hadn’t heard of previously.

Wow … California seems to have some of America’s best ghost towns … thanks for the tour!

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Bodie, California: Must-Read Tips for Visiting the Ghost Town

Bodie, California: today, one of the most famous ghost towns in the US, but back in the day, one of the most active boomtowns in the American West.

It’s a town frozen in time, now known as Bodie State Park after being bought by the state of California, and visitors to this unique place will discover the secrets and strife of the people who lived here during the California Gold Rush.

Wander through Bonanza Street to find dilapidated buildings with a ton of stories to tell, or peer into the Bodie jail and imagine the criminals who must have been housed here in the wild days of the California mines.

Bodie the ghost town is a far cry from what it was when it reached its highest population of around 8,000 (now it’s just home to a couple of park rangers who look after it), but it’s one of the most unique things to do in California and truly a memorable day trip from nearby Yosemite .

And the photos you can get will really put your California Instagram captions to work!

Where is Bodie, California?

Bodie is on the eastern slopes of the Sierra Nevada mountains (ie, in the middle of nowhere), 7 miles south of Bridgeport.

Address: Highway 270, Bridgeport CA 93517

The Boom Town History of Bodie, California

Bodie, California was once an incredibly active mining town on the eastern slopes of the Sierra Nevada.

In 1859, a man named W.S Bodey from New York (remember: back in the Gold rush days, people would come from far and wide!) discovered gold in the area.

This set off a flurry of activity and newcomers to the area, and while he didn’t live to see the town being built, it was named “Bodie” after him.

For decades, mining in the area grew, but it wasn’t quite the boom that would happen in 1875 when a body of gold ore was discovered in Bodie.

And what happens when you say “there’s gold here!”?

Well, everyone comes running!

Bodie’s boomtown days began in 1875 and continued until the late 1800s.

The population likely reached around 8,000 people, most of them miners and merchants.

In addition, some men brought their families and women and children made up an important part of Bodie (you can see the old schoolhouse today).

The reputation of the area wasn’t something to be proud of, as it got a name for attracting rougher crowds and men with few morals.

Saloons with drinks a plenty and opium dens thrived, and while some found gold and other precious minerals, others were lost to shootouts, violence, and the incredibly difficult weather conditions.

So basically, it was like one long party with a lot of really rich and really poor people living together in the mountains.

Surprised it didn’t last!

Why is Bodie California Abandoned?

The answer is simple.

As fast as it boomed, the town’s population began to decline once the boom year were over and many mines were unsuccessful.

There was no point in people sticking out the harsh conditions, fires, and general rowdiness of the town when they didn’t have anything to show for it.

Mining continued until 1942, but the population was dwindling fast.

James S. Cain was the last major landowner in Bodie, and his family hired people to protect the town from vandals, but it had stopped functioning as a working, thriving, town.

Instead, it was now a ghost town, and over the years the dust has only increased on the household items, schoolbooks, clothing, and storefronts that were simply frozen in time when people up and left.

Unlike Pioneertown , which is a Hollywood version of a Western town, Bodie is a real ghost town.

Today, it’s visited by curious modern-day sightseers who want to catch a glimpse of old mines and shootout corners, but in the late 1800s, it was a rough and tumble boomtown where thousands of men and some women and children worked tirelessly in the mines in hope of striking it rich.

What to See in Bodie

Bodie is left in a state of “arrested decay,” meaning that park rangers will stabilize the structures and conserve the artifacts, but will never fix anything in the town to a standard that it wasn’t when it became a state park.

This means that everything that you find really was left like that, or decayed in the harsh winters over time, and you can get right up close to many windows and inside homes to discover all that their owners left.

When you first get to Bodie there is a basic parking lot and some restrooms (but no cafes or anything like that), as well as a sign that gives you the history of Bodie.

If you don’t have the self-guided map, you simply walk around through all of the town (well, what’s left of it – about 5% of the original town still stands).

If you do have the self-guided map (we recommend it), you can learn more about each stop along the way.

For instance, you’ll come across a Methodist Church, Bodie’s only church that’s still standing (the others burned).

There are plenty of homes, like the J.S Cain Residence, which was home to the family that eventually sold Bodie to California State Parks in 1962.

Check out the red barn, the morgue, and the old barbershop.

The Miners Union Hall is now a museum, the only one in Bodie, and it served as a meeting place for the miners and hosted everything from parties to school recitals.

At one point you can stand in the spot of a shootout and then see where he was hung (yes, there were no rules in the Wild West!).

Check out the schoolhouse and other artifacts left inside some of the homes, including dishes covered in dust, reading glasses, and schoolbooks.

Much of what you’ll find will be ruins.

Bodie had a problem with fires, with two big ones burning in 1892 and then again in 1932.

You can see the Firehouse that still stands.

Then, there’s the mill, an ominous looking structure that is off limits to visitors due to the area being unsafe to walk through.

This was the Standard Mill, and it was the most successful of the 30 mining companies operating out of Bodie.

Here, the gold ore was discovered in 1875, setting off the rush to the town.

Bodie State Park FAQs

How to get to bodie.

The only way to get to Bodie is to drive, and you aren’t going to want to bring your most precious car because the unpaved road can do a number on it!

You’ll find it off of Highway 395.

Take State Road 270 east, about 10 miles, and then you’ll hit the final 3 miles which is essentially just a curvy, unpaved road.

Make sure to fill up on gas before you take the turn onto 270, as there are no services along the way and getting stuck would be an unwelcome part of your trip to California.

Gas is expensive in the area (even more so than in the rest of California), but don’t do what we did and have to pray to the Bodie gods that we should have enough gas to get back to the highway safely!

How Much Does it Cost to Get Into Bodie?

Bodie costs $8 per adult and $5 for children, and there is a small charge if you want the self-guided map that tells you about each individual dwelling.

Bodie Opening Days and Hours

Bodie is open all year-round, with opening hours from May to October being 9am to 6pm, and the rest of the year from 9am to 3pm.

How Long to Spend in Bodie

Bodie is a fantastic day trip, and while there are a lot of buildings to see, it can be done in a couple of hours because most are not open to go inside.

We spent about 2 hours there, but you could do it in 1 if you wanted to just stop by on a road trip.

Equally, you could spend an entire afternoon or morning there if you wanted to take your time, but you wouldn’t need the entire day.

When Should You Visit Bodie?

Bodie is so far off the beaten path that it’s best visited in the late Spring, summer, or early Fall months.

The weather at other points in the year can be unpredictable and incredibly cold, and you don’t want to be snowed in on a day’s visit unless you have snowmobiles or snowshoes.

Does Anyone Still Live in Bodie, California

The only people who live in Bodie today are a couple of park rangers who tend to the place and accept the entrance fees.

Bodie is no longer a working town (which you’ll soon see when you see how many buildings are basically on the ground!)

What to Pack for a Day Trip to Bodie

There are no stores, gas stations, or services of any kind in Bodie except for some bathrooms, and it’s in such a high altitude that the weather can change very quickly.

We arrived in the sun and were taking off our sweaters (in October), but by the time we left around 3pm, the sky had turned, the wind had whipped up, and we had never been colder!

Make sure to pack these essentials for a trip to Bodie:

• Portable phone charger – not only is there not really any cell service in Bodie, but of course there’s nowhere to charge things. Make sure you have a portable phone charger like this one just for emergencies and future GPS use once you leave Bodie.
• Reusable water bottle – fill up a reusable water bottle and take it with you to stay hydrated (I love filtration ones like these )
• Sturdy shoes – this is a ghost town and sturdy footwear is the best idea to make sure you’re staying safe, not tripping over any debris, and generally prepared for time in the Sierra Nevadas
• Sunscreen – in the summer months, the elevation means that you’re going to experience sunburn even faster than you do at sea level, so lather on that sunscreen (I love this reef safe brand )

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Bodie, California: The Best Ghost Town in the West

Betsy Malloy Photography

Bodie, California, is perhaps one of the best-preserved ghost towns in the western United States. It was once home to more than 10,000 gold-seekers. The wild, wide-open gold mining town was so bad that some thought even God had forsaken it.

Today, it has almost 200 structures still standing. The town is preserved in a state of "arrested decay," which means they don't repair anything. They don't let anything collapse, either. Bodie appeals to most everyone who shows up there, but especially to those who enjoy stories of the Gold Rush and Old West.

Bodie, California Review

Bodie ghost town became a California state park in 1962. During California's fiscal crisis, Friends of Bodie pitched in to keep it open. We applaud their initiative and if you do, too, you can donate at their website .

So much of old Bodie remains that it's easy to imagine the rest, with houses and businesses lining the streets. The church, a residence, and a few other buildings are usually open to the public, as is the museum. Occasionally, costumed docents walk the streets, adding to the atmosphere. Free tours can take you inside the old ore-processing stamp mill. Others take you around town to learn more about its history.

We've been in bunches of ghost towns all over the west and Bodie is - by a large margin - the most fun. They don't have fake gunfights on the main street or musical shows in the saloon. Instead, this is the place to get the best idea of how a gold rush town might have looked. And even better: within limits, you're free to wander around at your pace.

If you're a photographer, bring plenty of media and plan to stay a long time.

Be Prepared

You'll likely end up spending more time in Bodie than you expected. The elevation makes it dry, and you'll get thirsty. You can buy bottled water at the museum, but no food is available.

Bodie is at 8,375 feet elevation. Because of its altitude and desert location, the air in Bodie, California is exceptionally dry, and sunburn risk is high.

What You Need to Know About Going

The state park is open daily, but hours vary by season. Bodie is accessible only by over-snow vehicles in winter. The park charges an entrance fee. If

If you want to take a tour, head for the museum right away when you arrive to sign up

Plan to spend several hours to all day, depending on whether you take any guided tours. During summer, Bodie is open longer than in winter. They give more tours, but it can get hot at mid-day. For the best photographs, stick around as late as you can.

Getting There

Don't pay too much attention to the official address. Bodie, California, is actually located 13 miles east of US 395 between Lee Vining and Bridgeport. The first 10 miles of road is paved and take about 15 minutes to drive. The last 3 miles of dirt road seem to be perpetually washboarded and can take 10 minutes or more to cross.

The drive to Bodie, California is not recommended for anyone with severe back or neck problems or any other condition that could be aggravated by the bumps. That isn't just one of those cheesy warnings that's required by law. Take it from someone who's driven it more than once.

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California’s Bodie Ghost Town: A Guide to the Relics and Wreckage

The Bodie ghost town is a remarkable open air museum and a perfect representation of California’s boom and bust gold rush. This guide to Bodie State Park will give you some history on the town (and its unsavory reputation), answer your questions about how to visit, and give you plenty of eye candy that will make you want to go now.

The History of Bodie Ghost Town

The town of Bodie was named after Waterman S. Body who in 1859, discovered small amounts of gold in the hills north of California’s Mono Lake. Body himself perished when he attempted to return to the area. However, the gold was indeed there and in the 1870’s, the Bunker Hill Mine hit a big strike of gold and silver ore. Over the next 25 years, nearly 10,000 pounds of ore were extracted from the area.

Hopeful folks flocked to Bodie and by 1879, the town’s population had swelled to ~9,000 people. Along with the 30 gold mines dotted along the hillside were also businesses designed to help the gold miners part with their hard earned cash. 60 saloons, dance halls, gambling halls and opium dens along with three breweries opened to provide essential services for the miners.

Given that sort of business profile, it’s no wonder that Bodie developed a reputation for lawlessness. The litany of Bodie’s shenanigans reads like a screen play for a spaghetti western with the gunfights, stage coach hold-ups and street fights. That said, the town also had several churches, a school and a newspaper.

By 1882, the boom was flickering out and the town’s population began to decline. By 1886 the town was down to 1,500 people. A disastrous fire in 1892 did some serious damage and another in 1932 put a stake in it.

By 1962, the ghost town of Bodie was designated both a State Historic Park and also a National Historic Landmark. The decision was made to “preserve” Bodie, but not to “restore” it. This means that the buildings and their contents have been left in situ, and nature is taking its course. And this is what makes the area so worth visiting. Bodie’s ghost town isn’t some sort of cute attraction where you can pretend that you are a gold miner. It’s a dusty, decrepit look at the ghosts who still inhabit the town.

Bodie Ghost Town FAQ

Is bodie open to the public.

Yes. Bodie ghost town part of the California State Parks system and is open to the public. The park is open most days. Winter hours are 9am-4pm and summer hours are 9am-6pm. During the winter, if the road into the park is snowy, the park (and the road) will be closed.

How Much Does it Cost to Visit Bodie State Park?

Bodie State Historic park charges by the person to visit. It costs $8 per adult and $5 per child. Children under 3 are free. This is one of the few state parks that doesn’t accept the annual California Explorer hang tag pass, but it does take the Historian Pass. Use our guide to figure out which annual state park pass is right for you.

Is Bodie Worth Visiting?

Absolutely. Even though Bodie was abandoned, doesn’t mean that it’s not interesting. California’s riches were built upon mining and the town was part of that boom. It’s one the most well preserved ghost towns in California. Poking around the site is fun and peeking into the windows of the buildings will give you an evocative sense of what like was like during the gold rush.

Is the Road to Bodie Paved?

All but the last three miles is paved. The remaining dirt road is reasonably well-graded and even a low slung car or RV can do it, if taken slow.

How Do You Get to Bodie?

The main road into Bodie is located off of Highway 395 in the Eastern Sierras. The turn off is between Bridgeport and Lee Vining. The road into the park is 13 miles long and as mentioned above, the last 3 miles are on dirt road.

If you have a higher clearance vehicle and have some experience with off-roading, you can also take a slower dirt backroad into the park which cuts through the lovely desert landscape. From Lee Vining, you can take Highway 167 (Pole Line Road) to Goat Ranch Cutoff and then Cottonwood Canyon Road. From Bridgeport you take Aurora Canyon Road to Bodie Masonic Road. Be aware that the Masonic road is particularly temperamental after storms. Even the gentler Cottonwood Canyon road can sometimes be done in a normal car and other times requires higher clearance.

You should call ahead to the state park to ask about road conditions before setting out because weather can have a dramatic effect on the drivability of these roads. Their phone is (760) 616-5040. Exercise wise judgment and don’t drive the backroads you aren’t familiar with driving on rough roads. Bring a GPS app like Gaia.

How Far is Bodie from Mammoth Lakes, Bridgeport and Lee Vining?

– Mammoth Lakes is 68 miles and takes 1.5 hours. – Bridgeport is 24 miles and takes 55 minutes. – Lee Vining is 36 miles and takes 1 hr 5 minutes.

When is the Best Time to Visit Bodie?

The most temperate time to visit Bodie is April-October. Spring and fall temperature highs are usually 50-60′ and summer highs hit 77′. The park sits at 8.,379′, so it will always be much cooler than the valley floor of the 395 corridor. The park does get snow, making the road unpassable at times during the winter.

What Else is There to Do Near Bodie?

The entire Highway 395 corridor is chock a block with historic sites, lovely alpine lakes, hiking and funky geology. Plan your entire trip using our insanely thorough road trip itinerary for 395 .You can also check out our guide for Convict Lake , which is located just south of June Lake. We also have a list of 16 cool things to do near Bishop , which includes some interesting cultural and historic sites (plus hikes!).

Read More : Get the full downlow on all CA parks with our complete California State Parks list (with map).

What to see in Bodie State Historic Park

Bodie ghost town is roughly twelve square blocks of buildings in various states of decay. The adjacent mining operation can be viewed from behind fencing, but it’s not safe to walk around in that area. Be sure to also check out the cemetery, which is just southeast of the main site.

If you want a lot of specific detail about the buildings, buy the walking tour brochure from the state parks kiosk.

There are a series of structures in the main downtown drag. The image above is of the Swazey hotel (which probably doubled as a brothel).

The pink brick building is the post office and the wooden structure beside it is the old Saloon.

This is the interior of the old firehouse, which unfortunately didn’t quite get the job done when fire came through in 1892.

Here’s the old carriage barn on the downtown drag.

Wagon building and shed on the northern edge of town near the mine.

Be sure to get off the main drag and spend some time in the southern and eastern reaches of the park. For instance, the pic above is from the Dolan house. It sits on a bit of a rise, which will give you a wide-angle view of the whole town.

This is the Moyle house on the southern edge of town.

If you think the crooked, decrepit building exteriors are pretty ghostly, wait until you peek in the windows. Bodie was a pretty rough and ready town and the morgue (pictured above), was kept pretty busy.

Here’s the rooming house. Not quite five star, but also not too different from a mouse-infested RV that I once Airbnbed in Slab City .

Here is the general store– it’s in somewhat better condition than the morgue or the rooming house.

This shot epitomizes the loneliness of ghost towns, but also their endurance. This one remaining piece of intact furniture stands stalwart against the ravages of rot and rodents.

(This article contains affiliate links. This means that if you choose to purchase, I’ll make a small commission.)

Where to Stay When Visiting Bodie

Camping near bodie.

There is no camping on site at Bodie State Park. However, most the land surrounding Bodie ghost town is BLM land. You are allowed to do disbursed camping on BLM land as long as you are self sufficient and you are off the main road. There are several large pull-outs off the main road which would be suitable for RV boondocking. There are private RV campgrounds in and around both Lee Vining and Bridgeport. There are also many US Forest Campgrounds dotted along the western side of 395, such as Lundy Canyon, Virginia Creek and Lower Twin Lakes.

Hotels, Motels and AirBnbs Near Bodie

There is a small amount of Airbnb inventory in the area, but if you are just passing through, a hotel/motel would probably be easier and cheaper.

For hotels and motels, check this listing on Booking.com or look at reviews on Trip Advisor . If you want something a bit funky, you can rent a night in a covered wagon at the Virginia Creek Settlement motel .

Read More : Be sure to check out this guide for the ten best ghost towns in California . It includes some cool suggestions for Northern California, the 395 corridor, Barstow and Death Valley. You may also want to visit Malakoff Diggins State Historic park , which preserves gold rush history near Nevada City.

What to Bring on your Bodie State Park Visit

Bodie is a ghost town, which means that the only businesses in town are boarded up and full of dust. You’ll need to bring everything that you’ll need for the day. So, pack a lunch, some water and snacks. You should also make sure that you aren’t low on gas. The mobile signals are also pretty sketchy out there, so you may want to cache any maps in advance.

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8 thoughts on “California’s Bodie Ghost Town: A Guide to the Relics and Wreckage”

Went to Bodie few years back, we spent hours there,great articles, really liked part on getting there on the back roads. and the off road camping ,Saw those roads when we where there, but was uncertain if we could drive them.

we visited Bodie in 1962 with our 6 month old son…..No one was there it was wide open..the roads were unpaved, rocks ,dirt….we put him in the stroller and walked around…we had the whole town to ourselves……Really great to see the old wild west….With no upkeep Bodie will wither away in the elements….SO SAD NOT TO HELP PRESERVE IT…..WE LIVE IN THE FRESNO AREA….

Bodie ghost town is in same condition as it was in 1962. Dry conditions preserve the bldgs

Bodie is maintained in a state of arrested decay. That means that things are repaired as needed. New roofs appear from time to time, for instance. Rangers live there all year around. The Cain house is one that is occupied, there are others as well. You can follow the efforts to maintain Bodie here –

https://www.bodiefoundation.org/current-projects/

Thanks for sharing the resource.

Yup….took a visit there about 10years ago…..being from England, was a fascinating visit as to how life was like in the “Wild West” …..stayed at Lee Vining…then on through Death Valley…then on to Vegas.

My great grandparents lived in Bodie…I just read a letter he wrote her stamped Bodie 1937. William Hyland I’ve often wondered if Lil Bill was related. Thank you for a GREAT article. My Grandmother was raised there and we visited often.

Have been a volunteer docent there, having just completed my 27th year. A couple of things to consider doing are: (1) take the mill tour (sign up in the museum – extra charge) and learn how the gold and silver were extracted from the ore they were imbedded in and (2) buy a cemetery brochure (in the museum) and visit some of the folks interred in one of 3 cemeteries. Visit the “Little Angel of Bodie” – Evelyn Meyers. Her tragic story is in the museum on a small plaque just inside the door. Her tombstone is white marble with an angel on top of it.

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Bodie State Historic Park: California’s Best Ghost Town

The ghost town of Bodie is one of California’s most historic and well-preserved ghost towns. It is one of those spots that you have to experience for yourself as there is so much to see and so much history to take in. I will tell you the main details and how to get there, but pretty much this post will be photography documenting what I saw there and a huge recommendation to go and check it out. Here is all the information on Bodie and let me know what you think in the comments.

• Cost: $10 to enter (as of 2018)
• Hours: Summer hours 9 am – 6 pm (March 18th to October 31st), Winter hours 9 am to 4 pm (November 1st to March 17th)
• Information as of 2018

Here is a video I made of my last trip to Bodie.

Getting There

While traveling up Highway 395, north of Tioga Pass, you will want to look for Highway 270, which is your exit for the long winding road to Bodie. This road continues to climb for 15 minutes before it becomes a two-lane dirt road for the remaining 3 miles. This road is easily passable with a two-wheel drive car during most of the year, but when there is a good rain, you may want to call and ask how the road is. 

Once you get to the top of the dirt road, the town of Bodie will come into view, and you will arrive at the small pay station that will collect your money. I recommend investing in the history guide that they have there for a couple of bucks as it is a fun walking map that you can take as you explore the city. After being ushered to the parking lot, you will start your exploration.

History was taken from here :

Bodie State Historic Park is a genuine California gold-mining ghost town. Visitors can walk down the deserted streets of a city that once had a population of nearly 10,000 people. The town is named for Waterman S. Body (William Bodey), who had discovered small amounts of gold in hills north of Mono Lake. In 1875, a mine cave-in revealed pay dirt, which led to purchasing of the mine by the Standard Company in 1877. People flocked to Bodie and transformed it from a town of a few dozens to a boomtown. Designated as a National Historic Site and a State Historic Park in 1962, the remains of Bodie are being preserved in a state of “arrested decay.” Today this once thriving mining camp is visited by tourists, howling winds, and an occasional ghost.

This wonderful ghost town is an example of why it is fantastic to have a service like CA State Parks protecting an area like this. I have never seen a ghost town as well-preserved as Bodie, down to mattresses and beds still in buildings, and jars and cans sitting in windowsills. It appears as if the residents have only been gone for a decade or so and not for over a century. Here are some of my favorite spots:

I loved the old church that you see right as you are walking into town. I am sure this was a place both loved and hated back in the heyday of Bodie crime. It is well-preserved and still has the pews inside.

You can walk right up to the door and peer into the building through the fence as well. Being able to look inside buildings is one of the things I loved about Bodie, it gives you an excellent opportunity to see some of the artifacts that have been left behind.

The Post Office and Museum

Right on the main downtown street sits the old post office and saloon, which is now a museum/visitor center for all of the unique stuff they found while searching Bodie. Everything from bank ledgers to old photographs are on display here, and the facade of the building from the outside is beautiful to see.

The Stamp Mill

Across the park from the museum sits the old stamp mill on the hillside. Unfortunately, you cannot get too close to the stamp mill without taking an official tour. 

I got a chance to take a tour of the stamp mill on my last trip to Bodie, and I recommend the tour as it is a lot of fun and a great spot to explore.

The tour took about an hour, and it went all through the inside of the stamp mill.

Of course, with a town of this size, there are quite a few houses. Some are in a state of disregard, while others are well-preserved. Some you can even go into, while others you just have to look at from outside.

Each one has its charm though, and I recommend exploring everything you can. Here is what an interior of one of the houses looks like.

The Old Machinery

Right near the parking lot is a collection of old machinery that was used in the mining operations of Bodie. Some of it is massive, and I had no idea what any of it did. It reminded me of the gears you can see on top of Echo Mountain in Southern California, which I enjoyed photographing as well.

The Bank Vault

I loved seeing this unique spot where the bank vault is, it was the only part remaining of the old bank on the outskirts of town. It says something about the craftsmanship to have the entire building gone but the vault is sitting there as if it was never even touched. 

The Graveyard

On the outskirts of the park, there is also a graveyard with a lot of ancient graves. It is somewhat of a walk to get to, but it is worth it to see the old cemetery.

A Few More Photos

As if the above was not enough, check out the rest of these photos that show you why you need to visit this awesome spot. 

All in all, Bodie is a fantastic historical attraction in California and one that I highly recommend you visit. It is worth the cost to help them continue to preserve this beautiful ghost town for future generations, and I would love to hear what your favorite spot is in the comments below. I look forward to going back and spending more time exploring here in the future. Side note – if you are heading south and looking for a food spot, you can do worse than stopping at Whoa Nellie Deli for some fish tacos.

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Home > Road Trip Itineraries > West Coast > California Road Trip Itineraries > Northern California Road Trip > Bodie Ghost Town: Unveiling an Old West’s Hidden Gem

Bodie Ghost Town: Unveiling an Old West’s Hidden Gem

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If you’ve always been fascinated by the Old West , the cowboys, and Sergio Leone’s movies, then you should definitely go to Bodie , the ghost town par excellence , the most authentic and well-preserved Western town you will ever visit.

Things to do in Bodie Ghost Town

Some historical information, where is bodie and how do you get there, best time to visit bodie, where to stay in bodie, photo gallery.

Bodie, California… “a small town frozen in time”… This is how the town is described on the official website and no description could be more fitting. Bodie was abandoned in the days of the Old West and, despite having suffered the damage caused by the inevitable passage of time, is now well preserved.

As soon as you enter the Old West town , you will be surrounded by typical, perfectly preserved wooden houses, as well as saloons, shops, private homes, the sheriff’s house, a small Methodist church, the mine on the other side of the hill, and much more.

Visiting Bodie is definitely the most impressive experience of the Old West. In some cases, you can even enter and walk around the houses, venture into the rooms among the furniture and utensils of the time. So this is not a reconstruction, but a real town (a ghost town!) that is a valuable historical testimony to the legendary Far West .

Bodie was founded by William S. Bodey, who discovered a gold mine nearby in 1859. Since then, the city expanded as a hub for miners, but soon gangsters, prostitutes, thieves, and gamblers gathered there. The town became populated with saloons (65) and brothels, and became a very dangerous place to live. People were murdered on a daily basis.

The peak of the town was in 1880, when the population reached 10,000 inhabitants. Today, there are about one hundred preserved buildings.

Bodie is in California, east of the Sierra Nevada , and is part of Mono County, best known for the beautiful Mono Lake (we talked about it in this itinerary ). To reach the town, you’ll have to take the US-395 , the major road that connects the Mojave Desert to the Canadian border.

Once you arrive in Mono County you will have to take State Route 270, a rather short road, which ends just as you arrive in Bodie . The final part of the route is on a dirt road and is a bit bumpy, nothing dramatic anyway.

Make sure you have enough gas. Before entering the heart of the Far West, remember that there are no gas stations in the ghost town (and it seems natural…). So, if you are running low on gas, refuel at Lee Vining or Bridgeport (depending on which direction you’re coming from).

Here is the route that awaits you!

While getting to Bodie is quite easy, it’s not as simple to plan an itinerary, as it is always subject to change depending on staff availability or weather conditions (call to be sure).

In general, however, the ghost town is open from the end of May to September from 9:00 am to 6:00 pm and during the rest of the year from 9:00 am to 4:00  pm (check the official website of California state parks in case the times change over time). In the winter, Bodie is often covered in snow and you need to plan accordingly to visit it. In this western jewel, there is also a museum that is open between May and October.

Hotels in the area

If you follow the classic route to travel through this area (you usually cross Yosemite via the Tioga Road down to Death Valley along the Eastern Sierra ), my advice is to look for accommodations in Mammoth Lakes .

List of accommodations in Mammoth Lakes

I’ll conclude this article with some pictures of Bodie. See you next time!

Warning: Operating hours can change and closures for extraordinary events can occur, so we strongly suggest to check the venues official websites.

lorenzo puliti

I am fascinated by the wonders of the world I never tire of going in search of them.

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Everything You Need to Know About Visiting the Bodie, California Ghost Town

It’s a long bleak road to Bodie, a ghost town left abandoned in the arid high desert plains of the California Eastern Sierras. If you are thinking of visiting the Bodie, California ghost town, it is an easy day trip from Mammoth Lakes on the Scenic Highway 395 North and from Yosemite on Highway 120.

The lonely 13-mile stretch of dirt road to Bodie clings to the edge of the dreary desert ridge, as you climb to 8,375 feet. The landscape is dry, and barren and feels hostile. There is not a tree in sight. One little girl, who headed to the town with her parents in the late 1800s, wrote in her diary: “Goodbye God, I’m going to Bodie”. The phrase became renowned throughout the West.

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Wild West Ghost Town of Bodie

Bodie appears out of this bleakness and hangs on a hillside in stark contrast against the sagebrush backdrop. The abandoned weather-beaten wooden buildings include churches, shops and saloons and create an impressive sight as you round the last corner of the dirt road. Preserved gold mine shafts are dotted around the edge of the town and tell the story of a very different Bodie that once prospered in the late 1800s.

If you love the history of the West , you will love a day spent in the wild west ghost town of Bodie . Gold was discovered in Bodie in 1859, and in a short ten-year time span, Bodie grew to be a bustling town of bordellos, bad men, wickedness, opium dens and wild saloons.

Everyone came in search of gold after the rich discovery at Virginia City and soon enough Bodie became a bustling town of 10,000 residents in the middle of nowhere. In its heyday, the town hauled in over 100 million dollars from the gold and silver mine operations.

Visiting the Bodie, California Ghost Town

The once gun-slinging town of Bodie, is now an unrestored State Historic Park and the beauty and uniqueness of the town is that is has been left in its original condition. Nothing has been touched or altered.

You are free to wander around the weathered buildings, many in good condition, some falling down, and others in a state of disrepair. The dirt streets are laid bare and the churches, residential houses and numerous buildings are still standing, as they were left.

The town’s 65 saloons and numerous gambling houses saw a lot of action. Killings, robberies and stage holdups occurred regularly. The mill area is hazardous and is closed to the public, but many fine buildings still remain, including the old Methodist Church. The last service was held here in 1932.

Spend the day exploring over 60 houses, barns, banks, union halls, stores, warehouses, a graveyard and a barbershop. The town jail, which posted bail at $5, is on the corner of Bonanza Street, also known as “Virgin Alley”. As it is an unrestored town you have to watch for broken glass, splinters, discarded rusty tins, nails and other hazardous debris strewn about the place. Nothing has been cleaned up.

The schoolhouse, built in 1879 is worth a look. Dust is piled thick on the frayed yellowed, tattered books, which lay on the desks. Mrs. Belle Moore was Bodie’s first schoolteacher however her first teaching post was not at the school that stands today. A juvenile bad boy burnt that one down!

Old furnishings left disheveled and in tatters, historic layers of dust, old jackets thrown over chairs decaying into their interwoven threads of history, left as they were over 140 years ago, take you back in time that is somehow mesmerizing, compelling, and hauntingly fascinating. The detail in an old broken potbelly stove and a wicker baby bassinette sitting next to a wire-wove bed springs petrified and frozen in time, create a feeling of nostalgia and wonder of how life was in Bodie.

Bodie was a foreboding place. In the long winter months temperatures dropped as low as minus 20 degrees and conditions were harsh. High winds regularly swept across the valley at close to 100 miles per hour.

The park is open year-round however it’s always worth calling the lone ranger who guards the town and mans the Bodie Park Office to check on visiting hours. In the winter months, access is only by snowshoe, skis or snowmobile.

The town of Bodie is maintained in a state of “arrested decay”. It is a genuine ghost town and if you have a love of history and the wild west, then wandering the streets and going inside the houses, buildings and churches will take you back to a place in time when life reeled out of control over money, fights, and pride.

The history can be “felt” in the lonely streets and decrepit buildings that still stand in its original condition today. The silent graveyard speaks of a time gone by. “And now my comrades all are gone; naught remains to toast. They have left me here in my misery, like some poor wandering ghost.”

Points of Interest

• Walk time – 1-3 hours for a self-guided walking tour of town
• Available for purchase – official guide including a map and building descriptions
• Bodie Museum – exhibits of memorabilia

Where to Eat near Bodie

Lee Vining – 32 miles South of Bodie on Highway 395

In keeping with the authentic experience of visiting Bodie, there are no food or drink facilities. Pack some drinks and picnic food if you plan to stay all day. There is a very good general store at Lee Vining, which sells homemade soups, salads, fresh sandwiches and deli items.

Lunch Stop – June Lake – 62 miles South of Bodie, Highway 158

Tiger Bar and Café serves good burgers, and hearty food and is well priced. It’s a classic western bar and if you check YELP, which is a mobile phone App, you can read current reviews. Do not ask for Jason, the popular waiter who gets numerous rave reviews.

Our waitress told us “He don’t work here no more. He got a promotion and works on the ski fields at Mammoth. He is big-time now. But you gotta’ meet Truck. He is the barman over yonder. He makes a wicked-spicy Bloody Mary”. I tried it and it was indeed very good.

Bodie State Historic Park Info

The park is open year-round. (Check the official website to confirm park closures and information)

Summer months – 9.00am to 6.00pm

Winter months – 9.00am to 3.00pm

Directions to Bodie State Historic Park

Bodie State Historic Park Address: CA-270, Bridgeport, CA 93517

From Mammoth Lakes, California it is 60 miles. Take Highway 395 North and turn off on Highway 270.

From Yosemite , California it is 43 miles. Please note that Tioga Road (Highway 120 through the park, from Crane Flat to Tioga Pass) is usually closed from November through late May or early June. Please check before

Bodie’s Elevation: 8,375 feet.

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Ghost Town of Bodie – Bodie State Park

Just to the east of Yosemite National park and north of Mono Lake is a town that time forgot. Bodie was a booming gold mining town before the mines played out. When the miners left they often just abandoned their houses and today Bodie is a California State Park that preserves what is left of the town in a state of “arrested decay”. Welcome to the ghost town of Bodie, California.

Bodie History

Getting to bodie, bodie video, when to go to bodie, what to bring to bodie, night tours.

• Where to stay

Gold was discovered in California in 1849 near Sacramento but 10 years later most of the gold in that region had been mined so prospectors started searching elsewhere in California. In 1859, William S. Bodey discovered gold nearby Bodie which is on the other side of the majestic Sierra Nevada Mountains from Sacramento. The town of Bodie bears his name, sort of, but he never lived there because he died in the winter of 1859 in a blizzard. It is not clear why the spelling of Bodey got changed to Bodie.  Some blame a bad sign painter.

It was two years later that the Bunker Hill Mine started. Bodie grew slowly. It started with 20 miners but grew to over 5,000 by 1878. Mining continued in Bodie until well after WW I although much of the town (95%) was destroyed by a fire in 1932. By the 1950s Bodie was a ghost town. It became a state park in 1962.

The most common way to get to Bodie is through Yosemite National Park using California 120 / Tioga Road through Tuolumne Meadows and over the Tioga Pass. Tioga pass does close in the winter when Bodie has to be accessed via US 395 which runs from north to south just east of the Sierras.

Bodie is on Bodie Road which is labeled California 270 but don’t be confused to think this is a highway. The road is 13 miles of bumpy road that turns into a dirt road 3 miles before it gets to the park.

There are no services in Bodie except restrooms.

What You Will See in Bodie

It took a while for Bodie to have success with mining. Gold was discovered there around the same time as the Comstock lode was discovered in Virginia City and silver was discovered in Aurora, both of which are nearby in Nevada.

The first two mines went bankrupt but the Standard Company finally found a profitable vein of gold in 1879. Eventually, there were as many as 20 different mines in Bodie.

There is still mine equipment scattered throughout the town. For an extra $6 per person, you can take a 50-minute tour of the Stamp Mill. Get your tickets at the museum. A stamp mill pounds rocks into much smaller rocks with very large industrial hammers. Tours are offered Memorial Day weekend to Labor Day weekend  11:00 am, 1:00 pm, and 3:00 pm as staffing permits.

I said that the town was held in a state of “arrested decay”. What that means is that the state park service will keep the buildings from falling down but they will not fix the place up and they certainly won’t do any dusting. You can peek into private homes where the table was left set for dinner but there is now a layer of dust covering every surface.

Since the homes in Bodie were abandoned in the 1930s or 1940s you can get an idea of what life was like in that era. Can you imagine using this fancy washing machine?

There is still at least one saloon in town that you can look into but in its heyday, Bodie was a wild mining town. By 1880 Bodie had 2,000 different buildings and 65 of those were saloons. That was half the buildings on its main street. It also had 3 breweries at the time. That doesn’t count all the gambling halls, all the opium dens, or all the houses of ill repute.

I love to peek into old stores and there are a few in Bodie that are still stocked with dry goods. See how many brands you actually recognize, like Folgers Coffee.

As the get rich quick single minors moved on from Bodie moved on in the early 1880s the town became less violent and more family-friendly. Bodie got its first church, the Methodist Church, in 1882 and it still stands.

You can peak into the schoolhouse and see the lessons ready to be taught under a thick layer of dust.

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…although let’s hope you are not driving away in this horse-drawn herse that was left in town.

Visit Bodie, California with this episode of the Amateur Traveler video podcast . This video shows the old gold mining ghost town of Bodie. Bodie was founded in 1861 and largely abandoned by 1932. The town is kept in a state of arrested decay. It is not restored nor is it allowed to continue to disintegrate.

Bodie is open year-round. It is easier to get to Bodie in late spring, summer and fall. The roads will be mud in rainy weather and chains and 4 wheel drive are recommended for a winter visit. I have visited in late Spring and early Fall and recommend both. Bodie receives 200,000 visitors a year, most of which come in the summer.

Because of its altitude always pack a hat, jacket, and sunscreen. Bodie will be cold, at least in the morning, as the temperature drops below freezing at night over 300 days a year.

Pack food if you will be at the park through lunchtime as there is no place to get food at the park. Also, bring a water bottle.

Make sure you have gas before you drive to Bodies as no gas is sold in the park.

Most importantly, bring a camera. Bodie is a photographer’s paradise. If you are attracted by the lure of cool old stuff this is your place. see More Bodie State Park Photos

Other Things to Know about Bodie

Bodie State Park prohibited the use of drones.

Bodie has ghost tours or night tours a few nights a year. Check the state park webpage for availability.

Dogs are permitted in the park but must be on a leash at all times. Dogs are not allowed on the Stamp Mill tour or in the Museum.

Restrooms are available with flush toilets by the parking lot and in the picnic area

Where to Stay

The nearest hotels to Bodie are in Bridgeport. Bodie is also not that far from Mammoth Lakes and can be a good day trip from there.

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by Chris Christensen

| @chris2x | facebook

4 Responses to “Ghost Town of Bodie – Bodie State Park”

Ryan K Biddulph

Fascinating Chris. What a wilderness surrounding it too, eh?

Chris Christensen

Yes, Mono Lake is worth a stop and right next to it.

During this Covid lockdown Ive been going through my father-in-laws old chests/boxes weve kept in storage since his passing in 1989. I found a box of Gold/Silver claims, dated 1937- 1940’s, quite tattered but legible, that he had taken in 1960’s while walking around the town of Bodie! Signed by Stanley coffin, Dorothy Coffin, Mary McDonell to name a few..What do you think I should do with these documents? Thoughts?

Melissa, I have no idea. Take pictures of for sure. Were you wondering if they had any value?

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Tags: bodie , ghost town , state park

This site is owned by Chris Christensen who has lived in California for over 50 years.

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Common Questions

Here are some common questions and answers about Bodie and this website.

Are you a ranger, or do you work at Bodie? Why have you created this web site?

What’s the weather like right now, what are the road conditions like right now, how can i get in touch with the park, what are the park hours during the year, i was wondering what the fees are, and is there camping in bodie, what caused the town to be abandoned, is there any way to gain access to more of the buildings, do you have other reference materials on bodie, has part of the stamp mill been reopened for guided tours, what should i take for a day trip to bodie.

My name is Dave Tavres . I first ran across Bodie during a high school camping trip many years ago. I’ve tried to create a web site that people can use to find out more about Bodie and hopefully carry on some of the history of the past. I don’t know how or why, but Bodie has captured my heart. I plan on keeping this site up and adding to it for as long as I stay in the field of computers and have time to do so.

If for some reason you’d like to contact me regarding Bodie, you can reach me by email, mail or phone:

David Tavres 26511 Merienda #5 Laguna Hills, CA 92656

Contact Dave

Check these sites for information on road conditions:

• www.dot.ca.gov/hq/roadinfo/us395 - Information on Highway 395
• www.dot.ca.gov/hq/roadinfo/ - General California highway information
• www.wunderground.com/US/CA/Bridgeport.html - Weather Underground's Bridgeport, California forecast
• Bodie State Historic Park P.O. Box 515 Bridgeport, CA 93517 (760) 647-6445 Send email to The Bodie Foundation
• Rangers are in the park all year and the park hours arestrictly enforced. The museum/bookstore is open from May to October. The park is generally open from Memorial Day to Labor Day from 8:00a to 6:00p. The remainder of the year the hours aregenerally10:00a to 3:00p.
• Summer hours 9am-6pm (April 15th to October 31st)
• Winter hours 9am to 4pm (November 1st to April 14th
• OR AS POSTED

Technically, Bodie State Historic Park is open year-round. But, with the elevation (8,375') most people don't have vehicles that can make it through the snow, and most people aren't equipped or trained to traverse the weather.

The 10 miles of paved road usually doesn't get plowed in the winter, and the remaining 3 miles of unpaved road often has a closed gate because of the danger.

If you have vehicles (snow mobiles / Sno-Cats) and are experienced with winter mountain off-roading, OR if you can snow-show the 3 miles into (and out of) the Park, visitors are welcome. (I know it doesn't SOUND 'welcoming', but the Park is open.)

• Ages 18+: $8 per person
• 17 to 4: $5
• 3 and under are free
• Dogs may accompany visitors into the town site, but dogs must be on a leash at all times.
• Over the years the mines dwindled and the cost to extract the ore increased to the point that mining companies couldn't afford the overall cost of operations.
• The general public may not enter the buildings, however, there are sometimes photography workshops that have permits to enter the buildings with a guide. Check the calendar of events
• There are a number of books on Bodie and the area. Check the Bodie.com store .
• There are guided tours through part of the mill a few times each day during the summer months, as well as holiday weekends. Other than summer, the weather is too inclement and the building can be dangerous.
• Even during the summer months Bodie can get very cold, very quickly. Be sure to bring a sweatshirt or some kind of windbreaker.
• Carry a bottle of water; since the elevation is so high, people tend to get out of breath easier, and hiking around Bodie can tire you out. Water can replenish your strength.

Published on October 25, 2021

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An Unforgettable Wild-West Experience: Bodie Ghost Town

If you’re thinking of visiting Bodie Ghost Town, you are in for a treat! The town is one of the best-preserved, historic towns from the era of the wild, wild west. Whether you’re visiting nearby Mono Lake for a look at the tufa or exploring the world-famous Yosemite National Park, a day trip to Bodie State Historic Park is worth adding to your itinerary.

I visited Bodie as part of a paid partnership project with Globus Journeys . Globus offers a new type of group tour – Choice Touring – which has been designed to give participants the advantages of a group tour while still allowing for individual independence and flexibility. Our 9-day tour, California Dream’: Northern California by Design , started and ended in San Francisco. In between, we visited Sausalito, Sonoma, Sacramento, Lake Taho, Mammoth Lakes, and Yosemite National Park, with multiple days in some locations.

It was a win all the way around as I had the chance to visit places that I might not have tackled on my own – I never seem to be organized enough to make National Park reservations far enough in advance. Globus took care of all the transportation, hotels, entrance fees, and luggage. After 33 years as a flight attendant, I can’t tell you how nice it is to have someone pick up and deliver my bags to my room as I head off to do my own thing.

So let’s learn more about the legendary ghost town of Bodie, California, and what remains of Bodie today.

The History of Bodie Ghost Town

Bodie was founded towards the end of the California Gold Rush in 1859, by S.W. Bodie, whom the town is named after. Bodie and his prospector friends had found gold, but sadly Bodie died in a blizzard that November and never got to see the wealth the town would eventually create. 

It wasn’t until 1876 that people started to notice Bodie, or should I say, notice its wealth in gold. By 1879, the population grew to somewhere between 7,000-10,000 people, all wanting to get a piece of that golden cookie. It’s said that the town of Bodie brought in over $100 million to Mono county, which in those days, was quite a pretty penny. It’s not too shabby by today’s standards either.

But as all good things come to an end, so did the popularity of Bodie. As mining opportunities started to pop up all over the States, the unmarried “get rich quick: miners started to leave the town for greener pastures. And like stones in an avalanche, once one rolls others will follow. 

By 1910, only 698 stubborn residents remained in Bodie. As more and more workers left, profits in gold decreased and the homes and businesses started to be abandoned. The Bodie Newspaper was the first to go, then the railway station, and then eventually everything else followed. The post office was closed in 1942. The once-thriving mining camp was on its way to becoming a deserted town.

In a futile effort to resurrect the town, in 1914 James S. Cain bought up everything, including the mines. However, too many workers had left and it was not enough to save Bodie. The once vibrant main street, general store, and dance halls went quiet, and Bodie’s population continued to dwindle. By 1915, the mining town was officially declared an abandoned ghost town. By 1946, there were only three residents left, one of whom was a caretaker hired by the Cain family to look after what remained of the town.

But it’s not all sad news for Bodie. It was recognized as a National Historic Landmark in 1961 and officially became Bodie State Historic Park , a part of the California State Park system.

Although many buildings have been lost over the years due to two great fires, vandalism, and generally battling against the high elevation and extreme weather, there are still 110 buildings left in Bodie. The town has been preserved in a state of arrested decay, which in simple terms, means that there is no attempt made to improve or rehabilitate the site, only steps taken to keep it from deteriorating further. California Department of Parks manages the site which now highlights abandoned buildings and deserted streets of a town that once thrived after the discovery of small amounts of gold.

Bodie has made many TV and movie appearances over the years, including the iconic Swing Out, Sweet Land documentary featuring John Wayne. Most notably though, is the movie Hell’s Heroes , a tale of three bandits as they outrun the law. This movie was filmed in 1930 before the second great fire, which is why most people can’t even tell that the set of that movie is actually Bodie.

Who is the “Bad Man” From Bodie?

Bodie was a rough-and-tumble kind of place. If you’ve watched a classic western movie, you’ll be familiar with saloon fights and brawls, gunfights, and gambling swindles. Robberies were common, and bandits roamed the surrounding hills. Main Street divided the good side of town from the bad, the affluent families from the opium dens and redlight district.

From this environment, emerged the references to the “bad man from Bodie.” Mark Twain referenced it. It appeared in newspapers and countless stories about the town. While a great deal of vagueness surrounds the individual so named, he was tagged with the brutal murder of a man called William P. Renowden. 

Some say the story is a myth , others say it’s true. We will let you decide.

The Bodie Curse

It is said that anyone who removes a piece of the town, either a rock, stone, piece of wood, etc., will suffer the wrath of the Bodie Curse.

Apparently, once a week, staff receive anonymous letters of apology with a return of items. So, if you believe in that kind of thing, remember to take only photographs and leave only footprints lest the curse of Bodie follow you. No one needs bad luck.

What You Will See at Bodie State Historic Park

What will you see in this genuine California gold-mining ghost town?

There’s plenty to discover. Take time to peer into the windows. The buildings look like residents went out the door one day and never returned. And that’s exactly what happened. It was usually too expensive to pack up the furniture and household goods when it was time to move on, so people walked out the door and left everything behind. At times it felt like I was wandering around a western movie set. Except this was real.

I’ve listed the best-preserved sights, in chronological order (oldest to newest), below.

• D. V. Cain’s house. This was the house of the son of J.S. Cain and is one of the oldest and best-preserved houses in the town. (1873)
• Bodie Jail. Built at a cost of just $800, the jail measures just 14 x 18 feet. It’s said that that only one prisoner has ever escaped. (1877)
• Miners Union Hall (Museum). The hall was used as a place for local minors to congregate or hold parties and events. Today it is the town’s museum and houses artifacts that once belonged to residents of Bodie. You’ll find fancy dresses and accessories, a funeral coach, and all sorts of bits from everyday Bodie life. Allow plenty of time to look at all the displays; I found them fascinating. This stamp mill processed ore from the Standard Mine Check for availability. (1878)
• The DeChambeau Hotel. This is one of the few brick buildings in Bodie and was first used as a post office, before becoming a hotel. After closing its doors as a hotel, it reopened as a bar and cafe. It is said to be one of the last businesses to operate in the town. (1879)
• The Boone Store & Warehouse. The town’s grocery store. (1879)
• The schoolhouse. Originally built as lodging, the schoolhouse is one of the better-looking structures in the park. The original building burnt down after a student accidentally started a fire. Or, maybe it wasn’t quite so accidental as the young boy was quite the rapscallion. (1879, rebuilt after a fire)
• The Methodist Church. This is one of the first buildings you will see as you enter the park. (1882)
• Lottie and Eli Johl’s House. The home of the well-to-do family that invested well in the mines, saloons, and other properties around town. After they left, their home became the post office. (1883. post office in 1932)
• The Bodie Bank. The bank was owned by J.S. Cain, who ended up owning most of the town. The bank was severely damaged by the second great fire in 1932. (1890)
• Horace Swasey’s Hotel. This incredible structure (incredible because it’s still standing) was once a casino and hotel. (1894)
• The fire station. As you can imagine in a town with primarily wooden buildings, fires happen. There used to be four fire stations in Bodie but now there is only one remaining. (Rebuilt in the 1930s)
• Standard Mill. The mill is one of the first in the town. Due to its age, the mill is not safe for visitors to explore on their own – you must book a tour to see it. Check on availability and book a tour from the Museum.
• Hoover House. Theodore Hoover, brother of President Herbert Hoover, lived in Bodie for three years with his wife. During his time in Bodie, he managed the Standard Mill but was soon offered a job elsewhere.
• J. S. Cain House. J.S. Cain moved to Bodie when he was 25 years old and became one of the richest and most influential members of the Bodie community. No trip to Bodie would be complete without taking a stop by his modest lodgings.

How to Get to Bodie

Full credit to Globus for my trip to Bodie as it was one of the choices I made on our itinerary. I had never heard of Bodie before the trip, but the combination of gold mines, mining companies, a national historic site, and a genuine gold-mining ghost town had me enthusiastic. I could have navigated to Bodie on my own, but I’m glad I didn’t have to with all the narrow roads through the Bodie hills. Not my idea of a fun drive when I can be enjoying the scenery instead.

To get to Bodie, follow US Route 395. Just south of Bridgeport, turn onto California State Route 270. This is the main route to Bodie State Historic Park. SR 270 is mostly paved, but the last three miles are on a dusty unsurfaced road. Drive slowly and carefully.

Tips for Visiting Bodie State Historic Park

Whether you’re on an organized tour or visiting on your own, there are practical things to keep in mind when visiting Bodie. On a tour, you may have some backup but “be prepared” is still solid advice.

You may not have phone service en route to Bodie. I found that I had it about half the time, and the bus wi-fi wasn’t always able to connect. Download maps for use offline, or pick up one of those old-fashioned paper ones, to complement existing signage.

You can wander Bodie on your own or join a ranger-led tour. Three hours is what I’d suggest to explore the park, take a peek into some of the buildings, and spend some time browsing in the museum.

Wear strong UV-protective sunscreen and bring water. The town lacks a lot of shade and can be very hot during the summer months. I visited in mid-late September and it was quite warm. I had lots of water, thank goodness, and I’d recommend stocking up on extra to bring along.

There is a small picnic area if you want to bring along your own food. There are no restaurants or food vending on site.

Wear appropriate footwear. The ground is very dry, dusty, and sometimes rocky, so sturdy shoes will let you comfortably explore more of the area.

Dogs are permitted if on a leash.

FAQs about Bodie Ghost Town

Is it safe to visit the Ghost Town of Bodie?

As far as bandits and thieves go, they are long gone, and Bodie is no longer a lawless town. Bodie is safe to visit, but visitors must take precautions against the weather. Located at 8,379 feet above sea level on the eastern slope of the Sierra Nevada mountains, Bodie can be extremely hot and dry during the day. The terrain is uneven and bumpy, so use care when exploring.

Does anyone live in Bodie State Historic Park?

There are only a handful of residents that live in or nearby the Bodie Ghost Town, including resident state park rangers. There is no lodging available in Bodie, but it’s an easy day trip from nearby Mammoth Lakes .

Are there ghosts in Bodie?

The term ghost town refers to a desert town with no or few remaining residents. However, it’s claimed that at least one ghost walks the streets of Bodie. Paranormalists say haunted locations include the John S. Cain House, the cemetery, and the mine where the occasional ghost has been detected.

What are the Opening Hours and Admission Fees for Bodie State Historic Park?

Bodie is open seasonally. Summer hours are 9 am – 6 pm. At the time of writing, admission is $8 for adults, $5 for children, free for infants. A self-guided tour book is $3.

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How to have the ultimate road trip to Bodie, a ghost town in California

Where is the ghost town of bodie, why is it called bodie, can you drive to bodie, a ghost town in california, how long is the road to bodie in california.

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Knowing is everything, bodie – the most fascinating ghost town you’ll ever visit.

Story Highlights

• Rise and Fall of Bodie
• Bodie's Decline
• Standard Mine
• The End of Bodie
• Exploring Bodie State Park

Bodie Museum

• Stamp Mill Tour
• Why Leave The Stuff?

The Bodie Curse

Bodie gold mining ghost town.

The most fascinating ghost town I’ve ever visited is Bodie, an historic gold mining town in southern California that once had a bustling population of between 7,000 and 8,000.

Wandering through any abandoned town is eerily interesting, but what makes Bodie fascinating is that the people who lived here didn’t just abandon their town, they abandoned their possessions! What you see in Bodie today aren’t just empty dilapidated buildings, but decaying homes and businesses still full of furniture of all sorts, kitchens with pots and pans and dishes, and living rooms with pictures still hanging on the walls.

The rise and the fall of Bodie didn’t happen all at once. But why did the residents just leave all their stuff behind?

The Rise and Fall of Bodie

The story of Bodie starts back in 1859 when W.S. Bodey and his prospector pals discovered gold in a placer mine site they were working – placer mining is washing the gold ore from the gravel by panning, washing or dredging.

The Bodey team was supposed to keep the claim a secret but apparently Bodey himself didn’t do so. The word got out after his fateful supply trip to Monoville some 25 miles away. The town’s namesake never ended up reaping any rewards from the find – he died in a blizzard on the way back to the digs.

A first view of Bodie on the path from the parking lot

Gold mining didn’t really take off here until the mid-1870’s when a huge strike of gold and silver ore was discovered in a mine cave-in by what was to become the Standard Mining Company.

The rush was ON!  By 1877 Bodie was a real wild west boom town!

Bodie homes, buildings…and outhouses!

Stores, saloons, hotels, and dancehalls sprang up as Bodie’s population exploded with all types of people pouring into the town to make their fortune. Bodie’s reputation as a lawless town began.

A good week was one without a killing.

Swasey (Swazey) Hotel: Nevada rancher Horace Swasey bought the hotel in 1894. It was also a clothing store and casino

Wheaton & Luhrs: A store built by George Wheaton and Nicholas Luhrs in the early 1880’s

Wheaton & Luhrs: After a stint as a Land Office and then offices for the Hydroelectric company, in the late 1920’s the building became a hotel/boarding house.

Bodie’s Decline

Bodie’s boom only lasted a few years.

By 1889 the rich mines were depleted and the disappointed people left town in droves to seek better fortune elsewhere, leaving only about 1500 people hanging in there with the few remaining mines.

Bodie in about 1890, Looking east to the Standard Mine on the hill above the Mill. By William Thompson, Virginia City, Nevada. – Heritage Auction Gallery, Public Domain, Link

The Standard Mine

For 30 more lean years the Standard Mine, in the hill above the Standard Mill, was one of the remaining mines that still supported a population of about 800.

Even with the introduction of the cyanide process to extract the ore AND electricity instead of wood-fueled steam power to run the machines in the gold mill, Bodie never again boomed. The deepest levels in the mine were never reopened.

Standard Consolidated Mining Company Stamp Mill

On June 23, 1932 the second major fire destroyed most of the nearly abandoned Bodie, leaving the structures we see today – just 10% of the original town.

The end finally came in 1942 when the last mine closed due to World War II and the War Production Board order that shut down all nonessential gold mines.

Exploring Bodie State Historic Park

Part of the California State Parks system since 1962, Bodie is preserved in a state of “arrested decay” – that means that the buildings’ roofs, windows and foundations aren’t restored, but merely repaired and stabilized. Everything else in the old mining town is just slowly deteriorating.

The Methodist Church

The first structure you come to on the path from the parking lot is the Methodist Church, built in 1882 and the only church still standing.

The Methodist Church interior

The Miller House

You can go up to and peek in the windows of all the homes, but one home you can enter is the Miller House. You’ll see furniture, pots and pans, dishes set on the table …all left behind with now a thick layer of dust. Like the owners just got up from the table and left.

The Miller House Kitchen

The Miller House Bedroom

Boone Store and Warehouse

Canned goods, equipment, tools… it boggles the mind that all this stuff was just abandoned.

Boone Store and Warehouse: Built in 1879 and one of several general stores in town

Ghostly reflections of a dressmaker’s form in the window of the Boone Store

Lottie and Eli Johl House

Next door to the Boone Store, the Johl House looks like any other from the dirt packed Main street – until you peek in the window! This evocative parlor complete with pictures on the wall will have your imagination spinning.

Lottie and Eli Johl House: The couple owned multiple houses and several saloons in Bodie.

Even with only 10% of the buildings remaining from the original town, it’s still a huge place to wander through. 50 of the structures are numbered with descriptions on the Park Brochure, available at the park entrance or the museum.

The extensive museum has all types of fascinating artifacts from abandoned homes, barns, warehouses and businesses in Bodie. As you peruse the plethora of stuff that was abandoned, you can only marvel – why did they leave all this stuff behind?

One of the museum’s items you won’t want to miss is the binder full of letters from visitors who’ve taken something from Bodie…only to return it.

Snowshoes for Horses; The Curse of Bodie Letters

The Stamp Mill Tour

The Standard Stamp Mill Tour was the the most fun, fascinating, and informative hour we spent in Bodie!

The history of the town, tales of the citizens and the wild west days of stagecoach robberies, are all part of the tour where we learned how gold and silver were extracted from the quartz rock.

Bodie Stamp Mill conveyor that transported the ore to the stamp machine

Standard Consolidated Mill Ore collection

A Stamp Mill gets its name from the heavy iron rods, known as stamps, that pound the quartz rock to break it up so the gold and silver could be extracted.

Standard Mill Ore Stamps

In it’s over 38 years of operation the Standard Mine, in the hill behind the mill, yielded more than $18 million!

Why Leave Their Stuff?

Bodie to State Line Toll rates; Public domain photo source: www.library.ca.gov California Hist. Room (CALIF) ; Picture Collection ; PHOTO: MONO COUNTY: BODIE

So, why DID the people just abandon all these items you see all over Bodie and in the museum? Money, or lack of it, is the answer.

When it was time to pack up and go and seek their fortune elsewhere, they had to lighten their load. And they had good reason to – according to our Stamp Mill guide, the road out of Bodie was a toll road and people had to pay a toll – based on the weight of their wagon!

Bodie to Aurora Toll Road

Both Bodie and Aurora Nevada were mining boomtowns, and starting in 1878, stagecoaches ran the route from Bodie to Aurora 3 times a day carrying passengers, mail…and gold. A perfect opportunity for a toll road!

So, what about the idea that the people had to pay a toll based on weight of their wagon? Yep, the main road out of town was to Aurora and there sure was a toll. How the toll collector might have actually weighed the wagons is a mystery to me.

I love visiting ghost towns, and Bodie was the most fascinating one I’ve ever explored.

But don’t take anything away from Bodie except photos or you risk the Bodie Curse! The museum has a binder full of letters sent back to Bodie, along with the artifact or even rock they spirited away.

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Skip The Heat In An Underrated California Town This Summer

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• Escape California's heat in the cooler town of Bodie, with average summer temps in the 70s.
• Explore Bodie's history, haunted sites, and preserved ghost town atmosphere.
• Be cautious of the alleged bad luck curse for those who take souvenirs from Bodie.

Summer is here, and the heat has hit California. With temperatures hitting the triple digits in some portions of the state, residents and visitors alike are looking for ways to stay as cool as possible. While some may try a road trip along the coast, others are looking for a place to get away and enjoy a bit of adventure. Little do many know that they can skip the heat in an underrated California town this summer and be wildly entertained while doing so.

California has a number of wonderful places to escape the soaring temperatures that hit the state from June through August, or even longer. A great option is to head to the mountains, where it is guaranteed to be cooler than the inland areas or valleys. One of the coolest regions is in the Sierra Nevada range, which offers plenty to explore with the option to be outside and enjoy nature's air conditioning. This is where one of the oldest towns in California can be found, where not only do the temperatures not reach scorching highs, but the town of Bodie is the coldest place in the Golden State as well.

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The United States has plenty of excellent and remote ghost towns, and they are ideal attractions for an adventurous road trip.

Bodie Is A Great Place To Skip The Heat This Summer

Summer temperatures in bodie do not get above 75f.

Bodie State Park , once known as one of the most wicked towns in the Wild West , is truly not only one of the most unusual places to visit in California , but one of the best places to skip the heat this summer. This is because Bodie is the coldest place in the state.

While this may not be a great thing during the winter when the temperatures are known to dip into the negative digits, on a day when there is no escaping the heat, Bodie sounds like paradise.

The average temperatures in Bodie , even during the hottest months, temperatures stay mild in the 70s. The average temperatures in Bodie are:

While it is possible for Bodie to have a few days in the 80s, they do not happen often. For those who want to be in the coldest place in California, this is it. But not only is the town chilly from the temperature, but because it is reportedly haunted as well.

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Some Of The Chill From Bodie Comes From It Being Haunted

Bodie is reportedly the most haunted town in california.

Bodie is allegedly the most haunted town in California. Like many other ghost towns worth visiting in the state , Bodie was once a prosperous mining town. With a population of 10,000 at its peak, Bodie was home to miners and families alike. There was a lot of gold in the hills, which was first discovered in the 1840s. But by the time 1892 rolled around, the town was a former shell of itself with most residents having moved out to find a life elsewhere.

However, some of those residents never left town . According to local lore and haunting tales that have come from America's deserted mining towns , there are spirits that range in age from a young girl to older residents of the town that show themselves to those who visit Bodie.

Be it silhouettes in the window to a three-year-old who makes her presence known, a ghost who does not like visitors in Cain House and puts a "weight" on them that has been explained as feeling like being suffocated and even lively festivities from the Mendocini House being heard from time to time.

There is even music that plays throughout the town where there is no electricity and cold spots felt when spirits are near.

There is even the legend that if visitors take anything from Bodie as a souvenir, they are destined to have bad luck. It does not matter if it is something significant taken from one of the remaining buildings or as simple as a rock, bad luck will occur.

This curse has been proven to be true by the number of people who have mailed back what they took from Bodie State Park along with apology letters. Those who like a good haunting will enjoy cooling off in Bodie in more ways than one.

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Bodie Is A Ghost Town With Much To Explore And Enjoy

Buildings from the 1850s, gold mines, and the cemetery in bodie can be explored while visiting.

The last resident of the town of Bodie left in 1962 . The buildings that stand today are in a state of "arrested decay." But given that the state has managed to maintain tens of buildings since purchasing them as a park shortly after the town was completely abandoned, it speaks to the craftmanship that went into the buildings when first constructed.

While visiting Bodie, many of the buildings can be explored so that residents can understand what life was like in the Sierra Nevadas during the gold rush. Some of the items in the homes and businesses are not replicas. They are the actual items that the owners left behind when they left Bodie for good.

Those buildings that cannot be explored, have windows that can be looked in to see what the furnishings were that people decided not to take with them when they started their new lives elsewhere.

Some of the top sights in Bodie to see include:

• JS Cain House
• Bodie Schoolhouse
• Methodist Church
• Bodie Morgue
• Bodie Saloon
• Standard Mine & Mill

Additionally, there is a cemetery where visitors can wander through and pay their respects to the dead. It is here that a little girl named Evelyn is known to make her presence to visitors near her white angel tombstone.

While the mines cannot be explored for safety reasons, the area where the gold came from that made Bodie so successful for a time can be seen. Whether there is still gold in the hills is unknown.

Bodie State Park is home to one of the best preserved ghost towns in the nation. Between the history, the hauntings, and the exploration that can be done in the town, as long you take nothing when you leave, coming to Bodie will be an experience to remember.

Have you ever been to Bodie? Tell us about your experience in the comments!

When is Joe Biden's ABC interview? How to watch president's sitdown with George Stephanopoulos

President Joe Biden's first television interview following the presidential debate will air Friday, as some call for him to step down as the Democratic candidate for president.

Biden will sit down with "Good Morning America" and "This Week" anchor George Stephanopoulos in Wisconsin on Friday for the interview, ABC News confirmed.

Biden has come under recent criticism and is facing pressure from Democrats following his disastrous debate performance against former President Donald Trump . His team previously attributed his raspy voice to a cold, but on Tuesday he blamed jet lag from recent travels overseas for his poor performance on stage.

Here's how to watch Biden's interview with ABC News.

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When is Biden's interview with ABC News? How to watch

Biden will sit down with Stephanopoulos for an interview that will air across ABC News platforms on Friday, July 5 at 8 p.m. EDT/7 p.m. CDT, the news outlet confirmed.

"A transcript of the unedited interview will be made available the same day, Friday, July 5," a press release from ABC News states.

A first look at the interview is scheduled to air on the Friday edition of "World News Tonight with David Muir," which begins at 6:30 p.m. EDT/5:30 p.m. CDT.

The interview is scheduled to air again Sunday on "This Week," which is hosted by Stephanopoulos, and showtimes vary by local listings.

Who is George Stephanopoulos?

George Stephanopoulos is the current anchor of the ABC News programs " Good Morning America " and "This Week."

He is a former Democratic Party advisor and served as the White House communications director and later a senior advisor for President Bill Clinton.

National Politics | Where to watch: Can you see President Biden’s…

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National politics | wayside fire causes richmond bart station closure, train delays, national politics, national politics | where to watch: can you see president biden’s make-or-break abc interview early on the west coast.

That interview is slated for broadcast on ABC stations at 8 p.m. Eastern and 8 p.m. Pacific time, which means it will be tape-delayed for West Coast viewers.

ALSO SEE: President Biden scrambles to save his reelection with trip to Wisconsin and network TV interview

But are there ways to see the interview early in the Pacific time zone?

There are options. ABC said it will be releasing a transcript of the interview, and major news organizations are likely to offer live coverage as soon as they receive that transcript — and while the Stephanopoulos-Biden conversation begins airing in the Eastern time zone.

Plus, ABC News offers various live-streamed feeds, which are worth checking on the West Coast:

• The ABC News Live video stream  is also available via the news organization’s apps for smartphones, tablets and devices that include Roku, Apple TV and Amazon Fire TV

• ABC News’ YouTube Channel

One way to get an early look at the Biden interview on the West Coast will be via highlights on ABC’s World News Tonight With David Muir, which airs at 3:30 p.m. Pacific time on KABC-TV Channel 7 in the Los Angeles media market.

Otherwise, the prime-time special featuring the entire interview will be broadcast on West Coast ABC stations at 8 p.m. Pacific time.

In case you miss it, the full interview will air again at 8 a.m. Sunday on This Week with George Stephanopoulos.

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Avoid the bacteria-tainted water at these Southern California beaches this holiday weekend

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A day at the beach is probably on the schedule for many Californians this week, especially with a heat wave baking the region on a long Fourth of July weekend.

But surfing, splashing or swimming at some of Southern California’s most popular beaches could result in severe illnesses due to high levels of bacteria in the water, officials say.

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health has issued ocean water use warnings for about a dozen beaches and multiple piers with bacterial levels that exceed health standards.

Here’s a list of beaches and piers in Malibu, Santa Monica, Long Beach and Orange County that are under advisory for high bacteria levels.

California has some of the most polluted beaches in the U.S., according to the Surfrider Foundation’s 2023 Clean Water Report.

The report identified 10 beaches from coast to coast that consistently measured high levels of bacteria, three of which are in California: Linda Mar Beach in Pacifica, San Luis Creek Mouth in San Luis Obispo and Imperial Beach in San Diego.

Imperial Beach has been closed for more than two years due to toxic water from the Tijuana River watershed. The ocean shoreline from the Tijuana Slough National Wildlife Refuge to the California-Mexico border is also closed due to cross-boundary flows.

Here’s a list of beaches in San Diego that are under advisory or closed for high bacteria levels.

Bacteria levels can increase when contaminated runoff enters the ocean after significant rainfall, or untreated sewage is released into the water. A multimillion-gallon sewage spill in Carson in 2022 closed down all beaches in Long Beach among others in Los Angeles County and Orange County.

Trash, pet waste and fecal contamination from sea birds and ocean mammals can also push the levels of harmful microorganisms in the ocean to potentially unsafe levels, said Becky Schlikerman Sernik, spokesperson for the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health.

The most common illness after swimming in polluted water is gastroenteritis, which typically occurs after swallowing bacteria-contaminated water, Sernik said. Symptoms include nausea, vomiting, stomachache, diarrhea, headache and fever, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency . Children, the elderly and people with weakened immune systems are most vulnerable to gastroenteritis.

The heat wave that has engulfed California will last through at least Tuesday of next week, with triple-digit temperatures expected in much of Northern and Central California, and highs of 85 to 95 degrees in Southern California’s inland coastal areas.

The National Weather Service has issued an excessive heat warning due to severe health risks.

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Commercial Driver’s Licenses

It takes special skills, training, and aptitude to safely operate large vehicles. We issue commercial driver’s licenses (CDLs) to ensure that drivers meet our high standards for operating commercial motor vehicles.

Commercial Driver’s License Renewal If you received your commercial driver’s license renewal notice and your license is not suspended or lost, you may qualify to renew using the Virtual Office .

Entry Level Driver Training (ELDT) CDL Applicants:

On February 7, 2022, the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) implemented federal Entry Level Driver Training (ELDT) requirements for commercial driver’s license (CDL) applicants. ELDT must be conducted by a registered training provider listed on the federal Training Provider Registry (TPR).

Successful completion of ELDT is required on or after February 7, 2022, for applicants who are:

• Obtaining an original CDL (Class A or B);
• Upgrading an existing Class B CDL to a Class A CDL; or
• Obtaining a School Bus (S), Passenger (P), or Hazardous Materials (H) endorsement 

In addition to the federal requirements, when applying for an original CDL (Class A or B) in California, the applicant must complete a minimum of 15 hours of behind-the-wheel training and submit a California Commercial Driver Behind The Wheel Training Certification (DL 1236) to the DMV as proof of completion prior to the issuance of their CDL.

For more information regarding ELDT, please visit  www.fmcsa.dot.gov .

For more information about the TPR, visit:  tpr.fmcsa.dot.gov .

Frequently asked questions regarding ELDT for applicants and training providers.

In California, you may be hired to drive a commercial motor vehicle (CMV) carrying cargo that originates and terminates within state lines if you are at least 18 years old, and to drive for interstate commerce or transport hazardous materials/waste if you’re 21 or older. In either scenario, you need to hold a CDL in order to drive a CMV.  What classifies as a CMV?

Getting ready to register a commercial motor vehicle that operates across state and regional borders? Check out the International Registration Plan (IRP) Handbook for the information you need.

If you have never had a commercial driver’s license (CDL), or you want to make a classification, endorsement, or restriction change that requires a skills test, you first need to get a CLP and hold it for at least 14 days. Here’s how you apply for a CLP:

• Get a standard California noncommercial Class C driver’s license (DL) (a temporary/interim DL is acceptable).
• Complete an online CDL Application .
• Submit a completed 10 Year History Record Check (DL 939) (if you have been issued a DL of any kind in another state or jurisdiction in the last 10 years). Submit a completed Medical Examination Report (MER) Form (MCSA 5875) and Medical Examiner’s Certificate (MEC) (MCSA 5876) (see the “Medical examination report” section below for more information).Provide proof of your social security number (SSN). It will be verified with the Social Security Administration while you are in the office. Verify your identity with an acceptable identity document . Your current name needs to match the name on the identity document (see the FAQs for more information). Present acceptable residency documents (if you have never had a California driver license or identification (DL/ID) card). Pay the nonrefundable application fee (application and fee valid for 12 months). Have your thumbprint scanned.
• Pass a vision exam.
• Have your photo taken.
• Pass the knowledge test(s) . You have three attempts to pass each of the required knowledge tests. If you fail the same test three times, your application is no longer valid and you need to reapply. To allow for sufficient testing time, we do not administer knowledge tests within 30 minutes of closing.
• If you want to apply for a REAL ID , you must also provide proof of your identity, social security number (SSN), and two proofs of residency from the list of acceptable REAL ID documents.

We will issue you a CLP after you pass the knowledge test(s).

If you do not meet all the requirements to get a CDL within 12 months of applying (including passing the knowledge test and skills test), the application will no longer be valid and you must reapply.

Rules and Restrictions

Here are the rules and restrictions for operating a CMV with a CLP:

• You must also obtain and carry a valid California DL.
• The CLP is valid for a maximum of 180 days from the date issued. It can be renewed for an additional 180 days if the expiration date is not more than one year from the initial application date.
• If you present limited term legal presence documents, your CLP may expire on the same date as your legal presence documents.
• Passenger (P)
• School Bus (S)
• You must be accompanied by a California CDL holder while operating a CMV. The license holder must possess the appropriate class of CDL and endorsements to operate the CMV.
• If you have an “N” endorsement, the tanks must be empty when you are driving the CMV. The tank must be purged if it previously contained a hazardous material.
• If you have a “P” or “S” endorsement, you cannot operate a CMV with passengers (other than federal/state auditors and inspectors, test examiners, other trainees, and the accompanying CDL holder).

Need more information? You can find more information in the California Commercial Driver’s Handbook .

After you hold a commercial learner’s permit (CLP) for 14 days, you can apply to take the skills test to earn your CDL. This 14 day waiting period also applies to classification upgrades and endorsement/restriction changes that require a skills test.

To apply for a CDL:

• Schedule a skills test appointment (skills tests are not given without an appointment). You may also call 1-800-777-0133 during the regular business hours (8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday, excluding holidays) to make an appointment.
• Bring the type of vehicle(s) for the class you want to drive.
• Pass the skills test, which includes a vehicle inspection, basic control skills test, and road test. If you fail any part of the skills test, all other testing will be postponed. You have three tries to pass the skills test. You must pay a retest fee each time you retake the skills test.

More information on the skills test can be found in the California Commercial Driver’s Handbook .

Certain applicants may qualify to have the skills test requirement waived:

• If you have a valid CDL from another state that is current or has been expired for less than two years, you can surrender that license (or proof thereof). The license must have equivalent classification, endorsements, and restrictions to the one you are applying for in California.
• You can submit a Certificate of Driving Skill (DL 170 ETP) if your employer is authorized to issue them. Both you and your employer must sign the form.
• If you have military driving experience, you can submit a completed Commercial Military Waiver (DL 965) . Learn more about the Troops to Trucks military waiver program .
• If you have a California CLP, and completed CDL training and passed the skills test in another state, you are not required to take the skills test in California. The skills test results will be sent to California DMV from the state where you were tested. You will need to go to a DMV Commercial Driving Test Office to finalize your application. Failing to return to a commercial DMV office may result in your application expiring.

After you pass your skills test, surrender your out-of-state CDL, or submit your certificate, we will issue an interim CDL that’s valid for 60 days. If you have not received your official CDL after 45 days, call us at 1-800-777-0133 to check the status.

In this Section

Cdl classes & certifications.

There are three commercial driver’s license classes and four self-certification types. Learn more about CDL classes and certifications

Medical Examinations & Eligibility

Commercial drivers, firefighters, and non-commercial drivers with Class A and Class B licenses are required to meet federal medical standards. Learn more about CDL medical requirements

TSA Background Check for HAZMAT Endorsement

In order to get a hazardous materials (HazMat) endorsement on your CDL, you need to undergo a Transportation Safety Administration (TSA) security threat assessment. Learn more about the TSA background check

Employer Testing Program

The Employer Testing Program (ETP) authorizes qualified commercial employers to administer the drive test to employees needing a CDL. Learn more about the program, the requirements, and how to apply. Learn more about the ETP

Sample CDL Knowledge Tests

Before you can get a CDL, you need to pass applicable knowledge tests demonstrating you understand the rules of the road and how to safely operate a commercial motor vehicle. These sample tests can help you prepare for your knowledge test. Practice with the sample tests

Related Resources

California Commercial Driver Handbook CDL testing and commercial learner’s permit standards Truck Drivers Driving Guide

What Classifies as a CMV?

A CMV is defined as a motor vehicle or combination of vehicles and trailers used for hire to transport passengers or property.

You can learn more by visiting the California Commercial Driver’s Handbook .

• A single vehicle with a gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of 26,001 pounds or more.
• A combination of vehicles with a gross combination weight rating (GCWR) of 26,001 pounds or more.
• A vehicle designed, used, or maintained for carrying more than ten passengers (including the driver).
• A vehicle towing another vehicle or trailer with a GVWR of 10,001 pounds or more.
• A vehicle transporting hazardous materials (requires placards).
• A vehicle transporting hazardous waste as defined in California Health and Safety Code §25115 and §25117.
• A vehicle towing a combination of two trailers or vehicle and trailer.
• A 3-axle vehicle weighing more than 6,000 pounds.

Need something else?

Employer pull notice (epn) program.

The EPN program allows companies to monitor the driving records of their drivers. 

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Learn how to change your name, address, or gender on your driver’s license or ID card.

REAL ID cards

Beginning May 7, 2025, you’ll need a federal compliant card such as a passport, military ID, or REAL ID to board a domestic flight or access some federal facilities.

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Maps show where California’s intensifying heat wave could be ‘dangerous and lethal’

The heat wave is poised to set hundreds of records, and it may be more than a week before it relents.

One of the most brutal heat waves in memory has spread over California. It is poised to set hundreds of records, and it may be more than a week before it relents. Inland areas will be hardest hit — particularly the deserts and valleys.

“It cannot be stressed enough that this is an exceptionally dangerous and lethal situation,” wrote the National Weather Service office in San Francisco. “It may not seem so if you live near the coast, but an event of this scale, magnitude, and longevity will likely rival anything we’ve seen in the last 18 years for inland areas.”

How bad is heat risk near you?

Temperatures surpassing 100 to 120 will be a daily occurrence over most of the state, while warm nighttime lows offer minimal relief. A powerful and abnormally persistent heat dome will kill off clouds and also keep cooler fog at bay. The heat will also fuel an escalating fire threat ; already, the Thompson Fire in Northern California has grown to over 3,000 acres and destroyed structures.

The dangerous heat is projected as far into the future as reliable forecasts are available. All-time records approaching 120 may be threatened as far north as Redding, while Death Valley could approach 130 degrees, which is the highest temperature reliably measured on the planet.

The Weather Service has warned that “numerous heat related fatalities and rolling blackouts” are possible.

The heat wave comes amid the hottest year on record so far for the planet. The last 13 months, including June , have set record highs. According to the science communications firm Climate Central, human-caused climate change has made this week’s heat wave in California at least five times as probable .

The maps that follow help illustrate the seriousness of the heat that lies ahead.

Heat warnings cover 70 percent of the state

More than 70 percent of California is under an excessive-heat warning. Some of the heat alerts issued by the Weather Service extend seven days into the future, which is an unprecedented duration, according to the San Francisco Chronicle .

Cities under excessive-heat warnings include Redding, Sacramento, Fresno, Bakersfield, Santa Barbara, Burbank and Palm Springs.

Heat advisories — for slightly less extreme conditions — are in place for Los Angeles, Santa Maria, San Francisco and other near-coastal cities along with portions of the Sierra Nevada. A few spots right at the coast are not included in any alerts.

Temperatures could climb above 130 degrees

The numbers are startling: Large portions of California will experience highs above 110 degrees over the next week. Some areas will surpass 120. Only areas at the immediate coast and in the higher mountain peaks will escape the triple digits.

Death Valley, which holds the record for the hottest temperature ever measured on the planet, has forecast highs of 126, 128, 130, 131, 131 and 133 over the next six days. Its world-record high temperature of 134 was set in 1913, although there are questions about the reliability of that measurement. In 2020 and 2021, it reached 130 degrees, the highest reliably observed temperature in modern records. Last summer, it hit 129.

Heat dome to near historic intensity

The heat dome responsible for these extreme temperatures is forecast to climb to near record strength and remain parked over California and the southwestern United States for seven to 10 days.

“This is the hottest synoptic pattern that we see,” wrote the Weather Service office in Las Vegas, where all-time highs may be reached.

The heat will not be confined to California but will also affect much of the Southwest and at times swell into the Pacific Northwest as well.

Studies have found that heat domes such as this are becoming larger and more intense because of human-caused climate change.

An onslaught of records

A torrent of record highs and warm lows is projected by the Weather Service. Hundreds of records will probably fall before the heat wave ends.

Calendar-day records will be most common, but some monthly and even all-time marks may be threatened. The number of records set will increase through Thursday and become most numerous between Friday and early next week.

Some of the all-time records in jeopardy include 121 in Palm Springs on Saturday, 118 in Redding on Saturday and 118 in Las Vegas on Monday.

Extreme heat could persist for 7 days

The federal government’s 0 to 4 HeatRisk index is predicted to reach Levels 3 and 4 — considered major and extreme — every day for at least the next week in the Central Valley and deserts.

At these levels, the risk of heat-related illnesses increases substantially, particularly for vulnerable groups such as outdoor workers, the homeless and older adults.

While major coastal cities will be mostly spared, areas just inland will experience multiple days of dangerous heat.

Jason Samenow contributed to this report.

More on extreme heat

Use our tracker to see your city’s extreme heat risk .

How to stay safe: It’s better to prepare for extreme heat before you’re in it. Here’s our guide to bracing for a heat wave , tips for staying cool even if you don’t have air conditioning , and what to know about animal safety during extreme heat . Traveling during a heat wave isn’t ideal, but here’s what to do if you are .

Understanding the science: Sprawling zones of high pressure called heat domes fuel heat waves. Here’s how they work . You can also read more about the link between weather disasters and climate change , and take a look at what extreme heat does to the human body .