Introduction:
What? : The small town
of Beatty NV is located on the crossroads of Hwy. 95 and State Route 374.
Beatty offers easy access to Death Valley National Park with few motel options.
Just out of Beatty you will find the remaining of Rhyolite Ghost Town from the
early 1900 and explore the art at the nearby Goldwell Open Air Museum.
Where? : On U.S.
Highway 95, Beatty lies about 120 miles Northwest of LAs Vegas, and 90 miles
South of Tonopah.
Google Map Link
When? : The
recommended time to visit here is late fall, winter and early spring, summer is
just too hot.
This will help you plan your road trip to this area and your Death Valley visit:
- Death Valley
- Death Valley Road Trip
- The Road from Mojave to Lone Pine
- My Eastern Sierra blog directory
- Lone Pine to Death Valley - hwy 190
- Mojave Desert – Highway 127 from Death Valley to Baker
- Death Valley – Titus Canyon Drive
- Death Valley – Ibex Dunes and Saratoga Springs
- Death Valley – Striped Butte Valley 4x4 Drive
- Death Valley – Sidewinder Canyon
- Death Valley – Badwater
- Death Valley – Artist's Palette Drive
- Death Valley – Hiking Golden Canyon and Gower Gulch
- Death Valley – Zabriskie Point
- Death Valley – Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes
- Death Valley – Ubehebe Crater
Due note 1: Always have
enough water with you !
Due note 2: I came here to
see Rhyolite Ghost Town; I did not find interest things to do in Beatty
although I read that you can explore this old mining area with a lot of off-road trails. This is excellent place to get gas and resupply before driving to the
Death Valley.
Due note 3: There is very
little shade anywhere in Death Valley so use Sunscreen even in winter months.
Due note 4: There are no
facilities in Rhyolite, always bring enough water with you.
Due note 5: when visiting
or hiking at the Death Valley use several layers as clothing. You can start
your day with cold temperatures during early morning sunrise to a very hot midday
(even at fall, winter, and spring). At the afternoon it can warm but at sunset
temperature plumage and it can be near freezing.
My thoughts: I like my
short stop at Rhyolite Ghost Town. It was on my way back to the Death Valley.
The few art statues, the buttle house and the remaining buildings of Rhyolite.
The visit:
Established in
1905, Beatty NV became a center for the Bullfrog Mining District. Today, after
closing of the mines, this town offer motels and other road services to the passing
tourists.
https://www.beattynv.info/
I came here
mainly to visit the nearby Rhyolite Ghost Town and to drive from here to the
Death Valley National Park.
You should plan
for 1 hour visit that cover both Rhyolite Ghost Town and walk among the Goldwell
Open Air Museum statues.
Rhyolite Ghost Town:
Where: From Beatty,
Nevada, Take highway 374 West for 4 miles. Rhyolite Road is paved, and entrance
will be on your right. Additional 1.5 miles drive up the hill will bring you into
the center of the ruins.
This location
is access is by any car.
In 1904 the
gold-rush to this area started and several camps were set up in Bullfrog area, and
the city of Rhyolite was formed.
There were over
2000 mining claims Rhyolite townsite immediately boomed with population. Many buildings
were built including 3 stories tall, hotels, stores, a school for 250 children,
an ice plant, two electric plants, foundries, machine shops, restaurants, and
even a miner’s union hospital. In 1906 a miner built a Bottle House out of
50,000 beer and liquor bottles.
This boomtown declined
as rapidly as it came to life. The end started at the financial panic of 1907,
during the next few years mines start to get clos and banks and other supported
business failed. The power companies shut down the electricity powering
Rhyolite in 1914. This last move drove remaining residents out of town.
Today you can
find only several remnants of Rhyolite glory days. Along the main road for
most buildings only few walls are standing without much to see. The train depot
near the end of the road is one of the few buildings left in the town, and the
Bottle House on the left side of the road.
Although not
inside the Death Valley National Park I did find a NP web page about this
location:
https://www.nps.gov/deva/learn/historyculture/rhyolite-ghost-town.htm
Goldwell Open Air Museum:
Just when you
are driving up the hill into Rhyolite main road you will see on your left side
few statues in the open.
1984 Belgian
artist Albert Szukalski created his interpretation of The Last Supper
sculpture. Today, this outdoor sculpture garden is known as the Goldwell Open
Air Museum.
This is a
private open museum, and you are welcome to park your car and walk among the
statues.
This is a short
15-minute stop.
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