brenda3gfg

Looking to take my children ages 17, 11, and 8 to a ghost town while in the Yosemite or SFO area. Any recommendations on which is the best...tips to seeing/touring...?

elnap29

What month? The absolute best is BODIE, which is on the eastern side of the Sierras. You would drive Tioga Pass to Hwy 395 near Mono Lake. (Check a map). But if there is too much snow, Tioga Pass will be closed. There are some little ones, largely unknown, just off Hwy 49 that I like but may not be interesting enough for your kids. Columbia is a "living" ghost town (although barely living and also commercialized) just outside of Sonora, so that one would be easy to visit when you exit the park. My daughter loved panning for gold there when she was 8 or 9, and they have "living history days" - although I'm not sure when that occurs.

Suzie

Based on some of your other posts you will be in CA in June. This year the snow in Yosemite's upper elevations is huge (150%+ of normal) and it's unknown how the plowing of Tioga Pass will go. It';s possible that the road between Yosemite and the eastern Sirra where Bodie is located will not be open. You'll have to keep your eye on the plowing:


http://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/tioga.htm

Placename

Bodie is at 8379 ft elevation. It probably has at least 5 feet of snow at this time, maybe more. The road in is not paved the entire way in, so that mud is a problem when the snowpack melts.

If you are visiting in late June, we would hope that Tioga Pass is open and the road to Bodie has dried up. If you are visiting in early June, I'm afraid it won't be accessible.

It's really worth seeing if the conditions are good. You can get an excellent perspective on what lengths people had to go to to make money in those times. Fascinating place.

tomfuller

Downieville is at a lower elevation so there should be less snow. http://museumca.org/goldrush/dist-downieville.html

elnap29

Hornitos is the one I was thinking of (off Hwy 49; you'd have to take some back roads to get down to Hwy 99 on your way to SF), but it is pretty tiny. The original building for Ghiradelli Chocolate Store is there. But most likely kids would find Columbia more interesting. I love the Downieville area, but it is way way north - a long drive.

Really, Bodie is the most fascinating ghost town to see - it's well-preserved, really big, and yet only 5% of the original town remains! When people left Bodie, they left their furniture and dishes behind, because it was too expensive to haul things out. You can see an old gas station and stores with the goods still on the shelves. I was intrigued by the items they used to line the interior walls to keep out the cold. My students were fascinated by photos of the various outhouses, including double and triple seaters (sort of a Papa Bear, Mama Bear, Baby Bear style). Bodie is a state park with a great museum and tours of the stamp mill. The cemetery is fascinating also.

One caution: Bodie is in a high desert area and it can be very hot there and there is NO SHADE. Wear hats and sunscreen and bring lots of water. I hope Tioga Pass will be open so you can visit this unique spot.

brenda3gfg

Wow! Thanks everyone! I really hope the Tioga Pass is open...we really want to go to Bodie after hearing all the wonderful things about it! I want to know even more...got my curiosity going!

Michael

Columbia Historic State park is a better bet than Bodie with the children, even if touristy. Bodie is no more than a couple of hours of visit, and it is a long way from the center of Yosemite--2.5 hours according to Google.

janisj

Downieville isn't a ghost town. Plus SF to Downieville is easily a 4.5 hour drive each way. There are LOTS of other small goldrush towns w/ more to see a lot closer than Downieville.

It is a fairly safe bet Tioga pass won't be open (unless we get a major heat wave) - there was new snow last night and another storm or two are expected. This is a very heavy snow year

Columbia isn't a ghost town either -- but it would be an easier drive and have more for the kids to see plus you could actually get a meal. But even Columbia is about 2.5 hours from SF. Will you be staying in Yosemite? If so, Columbia is a little under 2 hours from Yosemite Valley.

Bodie is wonderful IF Tioga Pass is open -- But it is about 2.5-3 hours from Yosemite Valley.

sf7307

A description of historic Columbia:

Today, the state-preserved historic park and a National Historic Landmark preserve the original, gold-rush-town flavor of the town. The historic district features dozens of restore buildings that now feature shops, restaurants and two hotels. Key buildings include the Wells Fargo Express office, built in 1858, the City Hotel, which was established in 1856, the first public high school building, one of the oldest in California, and many more. A stroll along the tree lined Main Street, which is blocked to automobile traffic; visitors can view an old-time pharmacy, newspaper office, and a working blacksmith shop. Tourists can also ride a 100 year-old stagecoach, pan for gold, or tour an active gold mine.

My kids really enjoyed our visit to Columbia when they were around the ages of your two younger ones, although it's not a ghost town in the sense that it's still a "live" community.

elnap29

Columbia has long been considered a "living" ghost town. A few people live within the park's boundaries. There are people living outside the boundaries of the park. There are actual businesses inside many of the old buildings. Be sure to have the house-made sassafras (root beer) at the Jack Douglas Saloon! My daughter loved staying at the City Hotel in Columbia and going to Living History Days there when she was 9.

Columbia is sort of on your way back to SF if you leave Yosemite by the entrance/exit that goes through Groveland (can't think of the name of it right now). On your California map, look for Sonora. That is the town you head for, then follow the signs to Columbia to the north, just a few miles outside Sonora (maybe a 10 min. drive).

boom_boom

Also in the Sierra foothill between the Valley and Yosemite is the "modern" ghost town of LeGrand. Think it is closer to Merced than Modesto. Was abandoned in the 1930s. County made it an "official" ghost town back in the '70s.

MonicaRichards

Kids love Columbia, although I think it's better termed an "olden days town" than a ghost town because it's more frozen in time. They have stagecoach rides and it's also fun to walk to the cemetery and old school.

brenda3gfg

Any updates on Bodie via the Tiago Pass?

janisj

Glacier Point rd opened today. But still no estimate for Tioga Pass (it is snowing up there as I type this)

happytrailstoyou

I think Bodie would be fascinating to you and your children.

Columbia is colorful, historic, and interesting; however, as others have said, it is not a ghost town. This site can be visited in conjunction with a drive up Historic Highway 49: http://www.historichwy49.com

HTTY

janisj

"I think Bodie would be fascinating to you and your children. "

Yes - Bodie would be. However you can't get there . . . (unless maybe the trip is at the very end of June - I don't think you've ever told us your actual dates)

Plus not sure you'd technically even be allowed to drive into Bodie in a rental car - the road is not paved.

brenda3gfg

We are going to be in Yosemite June 16-18.If Bodie is not possible what do you recommend? Never thought of restrictions on the rental car...interesting.

janisj

read back through the thread -- there were several recommendations -- Columbia, etc.

utahtea

Well, I went looking in my Ghost Towns of the West book and Hornitos is mentioned as probably the town with the most to see. http://www.ghosttowns.com/states/ca/hornitos.html I can't remember if we've stopped there, but we've been all over the area. This would be easy to do on the way either to or from Yosemite by entering or exiting the park on Hwy 140.

If that's to far out of the way, you might try finding something here http://www.ghosttowns.com/states/ca/ca.html

Utahtea