WEBSITE:
Bodie State Park
Watch Cody LaPlante shred a ghost town
Friends of Bodie // 760.647.6465

Keywords: Chapels; Dance Floors; Desert; Flooring - Wood Floors; Hills; Mountains; Public Restrooms; Unpaved Roads

Site Condition: Bodie State Historic Park is a genuine California gold-mining ghost town. Visitors can walk down the deserted streets of a town 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 purchase of the mine by the Standard Company in 1877. People flocked to Bodie and transformed it from a town of a few dozen to a boomtown. Only a small part of the town survives, preserved in a state of "arrested decay." Interiors remain as they were left and stocked with goods. 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".

General Notes: updated 7.18.24 bd / 4.11.25 bd / 10.7.25 bd

Usage Restriction: Parks is responsible for the care and protection of cultural resources located on lands the agency manages, and investigation of these vulnerable resources requires compliance with state and federal environmental protection laws. Applications outside of well-defined academic research objectives will require cultural resource specialist approval and is subject to Parks’ discretion.” Open year around. 9 am to 6 pm in summer; 10 am to 3 pm in winter or as posted. Museum open daily during summer. The park is closed during periods of inclement weather. CLOSURE HOURS ARE STRICTLY ENFORCED FOR THE PROTECTION OF STRUCTURES AND ARTIFACTS.

Jurisdictions: CALIFORNIA FILM COMMISSION - CFC, MONO COUNTY / MAMMOTH FILM COMMISSION - FLICS

Within 30-Mile Studio Zone: N

State Property: Y

Closed/Vacant: N

Building Materials: Wood

Verified: 6/23/2025