The Undead Ghost Town

Visiting the Living Ghost Town of Randsburg

Every Halloween, the worlds of the living and the dead blur together. In the “living ghost town” of Randsburg, that condition is permanent. This strange gold-rush town near the El Paso Mountains in Kern County popped up in 1895. More than 3,500 people lived here in its thriving—and stereotypically lawless—early years. More than 20 bars lined its streets, prostitution thrived, and shootings and stabbings were common. The boom faded long ago, though enough gold and silver mining opportunities persisted to keep the town alive. Now fewer than 70 residents remain.

Many original structures also remain. Derelict miners’ cabins dot the barren hills. At night, a haunting wind howls through the more ramshackle wooden shanties, rattling their corrugated metal siding and roofs. A collapsed mine shaft exists nearby. It’s not hard to imagine the undead finding refuge in Randsburg as they did in the 1989 comedy horror flick Chopper Chicks in Zombietown, with Billy Bob Thornton in an early role.

On the living side, many cabins have been renovated into homes of rustic charm. The town has a couple of inns and a handful of shops—most only open weekends—on its quintessentially western main street, Butte Avenue. Don’t miss the General Store. Open since the 1930s, it serves breakfast and lunch and has a vintage soda fountain over a hundred years old. Try the famous Black Bart, a banana split with ice cream and hot fudge. Or quaff a boilermaker down the street at The Joint, a bar operating since the 1950s.

Don’t forget the dead of Randsburg. At the community cemetery in nearby Johannesburg, you can see memorial stones of unusual and tragic local figures, including Emily Davidson—shot dead on Butte Avenue by her husband in 1897—and William Burro Schmidt, an eccentric miner who once dug a tunnel to nowhere.

STAY: The Cottage Hotel, formerly known as Goats Sky Ranch, has enchanting rooms, a private cottage, and desert gardens.

From Los Angeles, take CA-14 north about 17 miles beyond Mojave. At Cantil, turn right onto Redrock Randsburg Rd. Follow it for roughly 20 miles to reach Randsburg. Dog-friendly!

Trending Stories NorCal

View all Stories
  1. Field of Light at Sensorio in Paso Robles

    Light This Way

    Hidden in the bucolic hills of Paso Robles lies one of the greatest light shows on earth. The lighted art exhibition, Sensorio, is as if the rainbow magic of the aurora borealis was plucked from the sky and planted in the fields.

    View
  2. Bikers and walkers on the Bay Area Ridge Trail with the Golden Gate Bridge behind them

    National Park City Walk

    See San Francisco the way locals do by hiking the Presidio, a national park right in the city! Wooded trails, secluded beaches, and epic views of the Golden Gate Bridge feature on this 5.5-mile out-and-back on the Bay Area Ridge Trail. It’s a lovely slice of the City by the Bay.

    View
  3. Bucks Up!

    Come on in, the water is beautiful. Whether you like swimming, kayaking, stand-up paddling, or heading out on a bigger boat, Bucks Lake is a high mountain haven that’s easy to access, blissfully uncrowded, and surrounded by sandy beaches, picnic areas, pines, and aspens.

    View
  4. Surfboards and tents for shade are set up on the beach at Cull Canyon Regional Recreation Area in the Swim Lagoon Area

    Switchbacks and Swimming Holes

    Hike hard, play hard! This 7-mile out-and-back in Cull Canyon Regional Recreation Area is a great workout with payoff vistas and a relaxing post-hike picnic and dip in the water.

    View

Trending Stories SoCal

View all Stories
  1. Bear Hug

    This 5.5-mile loop through Coyote Lake-Harvey Bear Ranch County Park explores one of the newest segments of the acclaimed Bay Area Ridge Trail, one redolent with trees ranging from madrone and manzanita to buckeye and blue elderberry (with a bubbly post-hike bonus).

    View
  2. Two kayakers on Upper Klamath Basin on tour with Sky Lakes Wilderness Adventures

    Zen & the Art of Kayaking

    It’s the most meditative and relaxing experience you’ll ever have on a kayak. Yes, you read that right, a Zen experience on a kayak. It all happens in beautiful Klamath County when you head out on a guided tour with Sky Lakes Wilderness Adventures.

    View
  3. A Rose in the Pines

    A crackling fire, a bottle of wine, a bubbling Jacuzzi tub with a waterfall … now the big question: Marvin Gaye tunes or not? In the morning (ahem) it's breakfast in bed and a leis

    View
  4. Alex Villicana, Villicana Winery and Re:Find Distillery

    Locals' Feature: Alex Villicana

    Tech booms, AI revolutions, okay that’s all fine, but you wanna know what else is really cool? Being a pioneer in a world-famous industry that—in Paso Robles—remains solidly down to earth. When Alex Villicana established Villicana Winery in 1993, he clearly had grape expectations...

    View