Best Ghost Towns Tours in Las Vegas

Having a great time in Las Vegas doesn't just mean visiting casinos, spas or seeing the Grand Canyon. There are other things to see and do in Las Vegas to enjoy your holiday. Among them are the ghost town tours around Las Vegas.

These towns used to be densely populated in the early 20th century and subsisted on the gold, silver, zinc and other minerals found in the mines. Many treasure hunters came to these towns and fought over these riches, which led to internal conflicts that claimed many lives. Today, very few people live in these towns and there are only abandoned buildings and curious objects worth seeing.

Goodsprings is a town located in Nevada, approximately 61 kilometres from Las Vegas. In this virtually abandoned town you can take a guided tour to explore its ghostly nooks and crannies. The tour has an average duration of 4 hours and costs about 150 €. Are you brave enough for this excursion? Let's try it!

This activity is one of the night tours you can do in Las Vegas. During the tour your guide will take you to the local cemetery. Here you will hear spooky stories about ghosts that the few locals have seen. To make this adventure even more exciting, the guides will provide you with ghost hunting equipment and explain how to use it.

Afterwards you will visit the Pioneer Saloon and Gallery, a famous and historic bar and restaurant where the ghost of a miner is said to appear. Here you will enjoy dinner, which is normally included in the tour package. Take the opportunity to hear more horror stories and continue ghost hunting in the area.

After dinner you will take the bus back to Las Vegas. I recommend that you speak to your guide so that you can be picked up at your hotel at the beginning of the tour and dropped off at the starting point.

Details of interest

• Price: around 150 €.
• Duration: approximately 4 hours.
• Means of transport: bus.
• Advantages of this option: as well as getting to know a ghost town, you can have some fun discovering paranormal activity at this abandoned site in Nevada.
• Disadvantages of this option: if you are too scared to talk about paranormal activity, then this is not the tour for you.

Fancy a comfortable ride through one of Las Vegas' most famous ghost towns? If so, the city of Nelson is waiting for you! Aboard a luxury bus you can take a journey of around three hours from Las Vegas to this city steeped in history. The whole experience costs an average of €200.

Originally this ghost town was named by the Spanish as El Dorado. This site is now home to the old Techatticup gold mine which has a sinister history. Many people came here in search of the precious gold and lost their lives in the attempt. Conflicts, fights and murders were common.

After unexpected floods, the town lost some of its appeal. However, over time it has become a tourist site and even a film set for movies such as 3000 Miles to Graceland. A crashed plane was used for the filming and is now an attraction for tourists and their cameras.

On your way through the city you can enjoy the history and fun facts that your professional guide will tell you. You will also be able to eat some snacks included in the cost of the tour and stay hydrated with the water bottles you will be given for the tour.

Details of interest

• Price: approximately 200 €.
• Duration: about 3 hours.
• Means of transport: luxury bus.
• Advantages of this option: it is a simple and interesting tour that takes only one morning to do.
• Disadvantages of this option: it only includes one destination and for some tourists it can be boring. If you are one of those tourists, I recommend looking for tours that include more things to do.

Searchlight and Nipton are two abandoned cities about 35,000 kilometres apart. Because of their proximity, it is worth visiting both on the same trip. In addition, Nipton is located in the state of California, so it is one of the destinations you can explore beyond Las Vegas. A tour to these locations can take 3-4 hours and cost around €200.

On your way to these cities your guide will take you to make a short stop at Primm Valley Resort & Casino in Primm, where you can see an exhibition of some of the belongings of Bonnie & Clyde, the famous lovers in crime, including their iconic car. Depending on your guide, you can spend some time gambling in the casino or just enjoy the exhibition.

The town of Nipton has around 20 inhabitants, while Searchlight has around 500. Walking through its abandoned streets you'll feel like you're in an old Wild West movie. Like other similar towns, both towns were created from mining, but now you can explore the town and photograph the dilapidated and abandoned buildings.

One of the iconic sites in Nipton, the first town you will visit, is the Nipton Hotel which offers eco-friendly cabins for tourists wishing to stay in this ghost town. Note that the town is located on the edge of the Mojave National Preserve, so you can see beautiful scenery.

Details of interest

• Price: approximately 200 €.
• Duration: about 4 hours.
• Means of transport: bus.
• Advantages of this option: with this type of tour you can see two cities in one trip to explore a little more.
• Disadvantages of this option: these cities do not offer a variety of activities. It is mostly a trip to explore and get to know a bit of the history of these places. If you are not interested in this type of plan, I recommend you to choose another type of tour.

Chloride is a former mining town with many abandoned buildings and houses. However, it has picturesque scenery ideal for a photo shoot that makes you feel like you've travelled back in time. These types of photo tours usually last 4 hours and cost €300. Are you up for the experience?

This Arizona town owes its name to the silver chloride that was once abundant. In the 1840s the city also had other treasures such as gold, zinc and lead. The town was prosperous for a time, until the late 1920s when it suffered a massive fire. Years later the silver was devalued and the mines closed, making it a ghost town.

On your way through here you will see quaint houses, the Sheriff's office, the post office, the jail, the cemetery, the church and the abandoned stables. At each of these sites you can stop for some well-deserved photos and selfies. You can also stop by Cyanide Springs, a small replica of what the town used to be. It's located in the middle of Chloride and is a great place for John Wayne fans.

Other things you'll want to photograph are the pieces of art made from recycled materials that are located in various parts of town. After you've taken all the pictures you want, I invite you to visit Yesterday's restaurant for a good burger. If you like to try new food in places like this, I recommend you to take a food tour in Las Vegas.

Interesting details

• Price: approximately 300 €.
• Duration: about 4 hours.
• Means of transport: bus.
• Advantages of this option: this type of tour is ideal as it leaves you with a special memory. Your guide will take you to special places so you can take the best pictures of your trip.
• Disadvantages of this option: Chloride is a city in Arizona, more than an hour's drive from Las Vegas. This means that the drive can take a while.

The main attraction of this type of tour is Death Valley National Park. However, on the way to this park your guide can take you to tour the remains of the ghost town of Rhyolite. The duration of these tours is about 10 hours, as both destinations are about 3 hours' drive apart. The average cost of these tours is €250.

As this is a long trip, the driver will take care of the logistics, while another guide will tell you about the history and geology of this park. On the way you will stop at the town of Rhyolite, one of the most photographed ghost towns. Take the time here to see the ruins of several buildings, the old saloon and abandoned houses.

This is one of the best national park tours from Las Vegas that you can do. You will be able to visit famous tourist attractions such as Hell's Gate and Area 51. If you want to visit this site with more time, I recommend an Area 51 Tour from Las Vegas. Other sites you'll see include the Badwater Basin and Artists Palette.

These tours usually include lunch, some snacks along the way and bottles of water. However, I recommend checking these details with your tour guide. This will help you prepare for the day's journey. At the end of the tour, the bus will take you back to the starting point, which is usually the hotel where you are staying.

Interesting details

• Price: around 250 €.
• Duration: approximately 10 hours.
• Means of transport: bus.
• Advantages of this option: with this type of tour you can see Death Valley and an abandoned city all in one trip. It is an ideal experience to do different things on your Las Vegas holiday.
• Disadvantages of this option: if you are only in Las Vegas for a few days, this may not be your best option as you will spend more than half of your day on this tour. Also, it is a long bus ride which not everyone enjoys.

Traveller tip
This type of tour tends to be very long in a desert area. Needless to say, it is a place with very harsh weather conditions if you are not used to the sun and heat. That's why I recommend you take sunscreen and stay hydrated.

On the tours to the ghost towns of the Wild West from Las Vegas you will encounter a desert road and high temperatures. Most of the towns look very similar to each other. This is because they all emerged during a time when mining was booming.

In each town the most common sites are a hotel, sheriff's office, saloon, post office, restaurant and shop. Today these sites are abandoned and rusting. You will also see abandoned cars or dilapidated train carriages.

Although it sounds a bit bad at first, it is actually an interesting experience to see the ruins of these towns. Some have even made the most of their location and have replicas of what their city was like in its heyday.

On the other hand, if you like to photograph nature, you will see many desert plants such as cacti along the way. If you're lucky you'll also see some animals like lizards and even snakes, so watch your step!

For this type of tour I always advise you to wear comfortable and breathable clothing. This will allow you to stay cool during the day. Also, your shoes should be comfortable and heat resistant.

Sunscreen is something you can't forget. Before setting off, apply some to your skin and take it with you to touch it up on the way. Although many of these tours include water bottles for the trek, it is always good to bring your own water bottle.

Finally, I advise you to bring a professional camera or a mobile phone with a good camera. This will allow you to take good pictures day or night in the ghost towns of Nevada and Arizona.