When the sparkle wore off, lots of gold-crazy people just packed up & left towns behind—and many of these places are still around. They might be quiet, and they might be a little creepy, but they have so much real history that you can walk through. If you want to take a step back in time, you’ve come to the right place. Here are ten forgotten gold rush towns that you can visit today.
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Silver City, Idaho
Silver City isn’t exactly easy to get to, unless you’re okay with 25 miles of dirt road, but if you’re up for the drive, this old mining town is stuck in the mountains. It has no phone signal or chain stores, even though around 2,500 people lived here back in the 1860s. But now, the city only gets a handful of seasonal visitors & buildings with plenty of stories worth paying attention to.
Bodie, California
Walking into Bodie feels as though you’ve gone back to the 1880s, as the town’s just sitting there, frozen with its saloon & rusted-out wagons all still standing. At one point, it had more bars than churches, but people bailed once the mines dried up—today, it has become part of a state historic park. Some of the buildings still have furniture and dishes in place, while the dentist’s office still has a creepy old chair.
Aurora, Nevada
Aurora was so busy in the 1860s that it had rival newspapers that hated each other, and you can still visit today in the no-man’s-land between California & Nevada. The place grew fast thanks to gold, yet collapsed just as quickly, becoming nothing but crumbling foundations & a lot of open sky today. Since the original buildings were made from brick, some ruins managed to hang on longer than you’d expect out there.
Coloma, California
Coloma began the entire Gold Rush back in 1848 when James Marshall spotted gold flakes near the sawmill, which turned the small town into chaos. But a few years later, the crowd moved on as they chased after the next big find. You can still walk around the original buildings, and the river’s still there, along with a replica of the old sawmill where it all started. Some of the old structures have been turned into museums.
Garnet, Montana
You’ll find the town of Garnet tucked in the Montana backwoods, and while this place became busy in the 1890s, it didn’t stay that way long. A fire wiped out part of the town, and by the time anyone thought about fixing things, the gold was pretty much gone—it’s now a ghost town. You’ll find cabins still stocked with wooden chairs & wallpaper peeling off the walls. In winter, the road gets so snowy that it’s only accessible by snowmobile or skis, while during the summer, volunteers open a small visitor center.
Cerro Gordo, California
Cerro Gordo is perched on a windy hill near Death Valley, and during its heyday, it pumped out a crazy amount of silver, making Los Angeles rich before L.A. was even a thing. People moved out once the profits dropped, and between the isolation & snow, nobody’s exactly racing to move back in. The town was bought in 2018 by Brent Underwood & Jon Bie, who are trying to turn it into a place for tourists.
Randsburg, California
Randsburg isn’t completely abandoned, as you might meet someone selling milkshakes or antiques, but it definitely feels more like a forgotten outpost than a modern town. It emerged in the Mojave Desert in 1895 when prospectors struck gold—today, you’ll see plenty of old mining gear lying around, just waiting to be used. The nearby hills are full of old mine shafts, most of them sealed up, and every September, the town hosts “Old West Days” with costumed people & a parade.
St. Elmo, Colorado
St. Elmo is a town surrounded by pines & mountains, but once upon a time, it had general stores and a train rolling through. Unfortunately, people bailed when the mining stopped, and if you visit in summer, you might catch a few chipmunks who clearly run the place now. The town also has a wooden boardwalk and a few storefronts, along with an old schoolhouse & post office.
Atlanta, Idaho
Atlanta is one of those towns you probably didn’t know existed unless you’ve looked at a map really closely, and back in the 1860s, miners built cabins & mills in the forest here, hoping for big returns. However, the winters were brutal, and a fire in 1900 didn’t make things better—the town never really bounced back from this. Some people still live nearby during the warmer months, and weekend visitors continue to stay at the old hotel lodges.
Forest City, California
Forest City was once packed with miners chasing gold on the Bald Mountain claim, along with schools & shops—until a fire in 1865 turned most of it to ash. Rather than rebuilding, people scattered, and these days, you can still see the remains in the Sierra Nevada. Some of the cabins are half-standing, and there’s still an old cemetery tucked behind the trees. However, the town is so well hidden that you may need to put in a bit of work to find it.
Disclaimer: This list is solely the author’s opinion based on research and publicly available information.
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