Abandoned Towns

State hub · Arizona

Ghost towns in Arizona

Arizona's ghost towns are mostly mining camps: gold and silver strikes in the Bradshaw and Black Mountains, copper towns in the southeast, plus stage stations, Army posts, Colorado River steamboat landings and Route 66 stops left behind by the interstate. They cluster in two areas, the mountains of west-central Arizona between Kingman and Prescott, and the southeastern corner from Tucson to the Mexican border.

What survives varies a lot. A few camps became living towns, like Jerome and Tombstone. Some kept dozens of buildings because they stayed in private hands, like Ruby and Vulture City. Most are now foundations, mine dumps and a cemetery, worn down by the desert and by vandals.

397Sites indexed
15Counties
227Mapped
130Town guides
Mohave CountySanta Cruz CountyCoconino CountyLa Paz CountyGila CountyPima CountyGreenlee CountyPinal CountyNavajo CountyYuma CountyMaricopa CountyGraham CountyCochise CountyApache CountyYavapai CountyMohaveSanta CruzCoconinoLa PazGilaPimaGreenleePinalNavajoYumaMaricopaGrahamCochiseApacheYavapaiPhoenixTucsonFlagstaffYumaKingmanPrescottNogalesSierra VistaTombstoneJeromeOatmanTwo GunsCrown KingChlorideVulture CityRubyHelvetiaCopper CreekDos CabezasGoldfieldLowellNothing
Town guideOther sitesCity
Select a dot to see the site. 227 of 397 sites have reliable coordinates so far.

Town guides

130 full Arizona town guides

Our complete guides, most-read first: history, what's left, current access, photos, maps and directions.

A tour stagecoach pulled by two white horses on Allen Street in Tombstone, past storefronts with covered boardwalksGuide

Tombstone

31.71, -110.07

Cochise County

Arizona's richest silver district and the scene of the 1881 gunfight near the O.K. Corral. The mines flooded and the census count fell to 646 by…

Living townSilver mining
Bisbee seen from the south: houses and buildings spread over the slopes of the Mule MountainsGuide

Bisbee

31.45, -109.93

Cochise County

One of the West's great copper camps, with about 9,000 people by 1910 and the county seat since 1929. The mines closed in 1975, and the town lived on…

Living townCopper mining
Jerome's houses and larger buildings spread across the green slope of Cleopatra Hill under a cloudy skyGuide

Jerome

34.75, -112.11

Yavapai County

A copper town on Cleopatra Hill that held more than 10,000 people in the 1920s and fewer than 100 after the mines closed. It never emptied…

Living townCopper mining
A burro walks down the middle of Oatman's Main Street between wooden storefronts and parked carsGuide

Oatman

35.03, -114.38

Mohave County

A gold camp that boomed after 1915, lost Route 66 in 1952 and came back as a tourist town. About 100 people live here, and wild burros still walk…

Living townGold miningRoute 66
The Exit 230 Two Guns sign beside I-40, with the long stone walls of the old zoo in the brush under a grey skyGuide

Two Guns

35.12, -111.09

Coconino County

A Route 66 trading post, zoo and gas station on the rim of Canyon Diablo, built up in the 1920s and burned out in 1971. The ruins sit on private land…

Ruins · 2026 reportsRailroad and roadRoute 66
Vintage cars parked along Erie Street in front of brick storefronts with old signsGuide

Lowell

31.43, -109.89

Cochise County

A copper town of more than 6,000 people that the Lavender Pit swallowed in the 1950s. One block of Erie Street survives, lined with old storefronts…

Part of BisbeeCopper mining
Tortilla Flat's weathered wooden country store and saloon under rocky hills, with a motorcycle parked out frontGuide

Tortilla Flat

33.53, -111.39

Maricopa County

A freight camp from the building of Roosevelt Dam that has hung on for more than a century. Six people live here, and the saloon, store and…

Open dailyRailroad and road
Nothing in 2010: a cream double-decker bus parked under the red NOTHING sign beside a small yellow store, on a wide dirt lotGuide

Nothing

34.48, -113.34

Mohave County

A gas-and-snacks stop founded in 1977 on the long empty stretch of US 93, with a name that made it famous and never more than nine people. It emptied…

Private · seen from roadRailroad and road
Contention CityGuide

Contention City

31.77, -110.20

Cochise County

A mill town that crushed Tombstone's silver ore for less than a decade and gave its name to the climax of 3:10 to Yuma. Mill foundations and a few…

Public land · hike inSilver mining
Crown King's Main Street in falling snow, with the two-story saloon and off-road vehicles parked out frontGuide

Crown King

34.21, -112.34

Yavapai County

A gold camp in the pines at the top of the Bradshaw Mountains, reached by a railroad grade turned dirt road. The mines closed in the 1950s, but a…

Living villageGold mining
Pinal around 1880: a mill shed with tall smokestacks and stacked cordwood in front of the town's houses, with mountains behindGuide

Pinal

33.28, -111.14

Pinal County

The mill town of the Silver King mine, on Queen Creek below Picket Post Mountain. It emptied after 1889. A hiking trail now runs down its old Main…

Open on footSilver mining
Yarnell's old Texaco station on AZ 89, with a tall Texaco sign, vintage pumps, an old pickup and a stone-walled shopGuide

Yarnell

34.22, -112.75

Yavapai County

An 1870s gold camp at the top of the Weaver Mountains grade that never emptied. About 570 people live here today, in a town rebuilt after the 2013…

Living townGold mining
All 130 guides, A to Z

Watch

Arizona's ghost towns in 30 seconds

396 indexed sites across 15 counties, and three you can visit: Goldfield, open daily, Vulture City from mid-October to mid-May, and Jerome, a living town on Cleopatra Hill.

Photos via Wikimedia Commons: Lepley (CC BY 2.0), Marine 69-71 (CC BY-SA 4.0), Nancy J. Price (CC BY-SA 3.0), dbking (CC BY 2.0). Map: US Census Bureau. Original music; narration by Google Gemini text-to-speech, with captions.

Where to start

Arizona's best-known ghost towns

Open attractions, living towns and true ruins, with their current status.

RubyGuide

Ruby

31.46, -111.24

Santa Cruz County

Lead, zinc and silver camp near the border with two dozen buildings left. Closed to the public since June 2024.

Closed
Vulture CityGuide

Vulture City

33.82, -112.83

Maricopa County

Camp of Arizona's most productive gold mine, near Wickenburg. Self-guided visits from mid-October to mid-May.

Open seasonally
USGS topographic map around CerbatGuide

Cerbat

35.30, -114.14

Mohave County

Early Mohave County seat in the Cerbat Mountains north of Kingman. Legends of America reported in 2023 that the townsite is private and the owner discourages visitors; don't go without permission.

Private
Two GunsGuide

Two Guns

35.12, -111.09

Coconino County

Route 66 roadside stop at Canyon Diablo, east of Flagstaff, now in ruins on private land. Visitors still walked the ruins in 2026, but we found no word from the owner on visitors.

Ruins · 2026 reports
GoldfieldGuide

Goldfield

33.46, -111.49

Pinal County

1890s gold camp below the Superstition Mountains, rebuilt as a tourist town.

Open daily
JeromeGuide

Jerome

34.75, -112.11

Yavapai County

Copper town on Cleopatra Hill. Over 10,000 people in the 1920s, 464 at the 2020 census.

Living town
TombstoneGuide

Tombstone

31.74, -110.09

Cochise County

Silver boomtown of the 1880s and home of the O.K. Corral.

Living town
OatmanGuide

Oatman

35.03, -114.38

Mohave County

Gold camp on old Route 66 that grew past 3,500 people within a year of its 1915 strike.

Living town
ChlorideGuide

Chloride

35.41, -114.20

Mohave County

Silver camp considered Arizona's oldest continuously inhabited mining town.

Living town
Crown KingGuide

Crown King

34.21, -112.34

Yavapai County

Gold camp high in the Bradshaw Mountains, 28 miles west of I-17.

Living village
HelvetiaGuide

Helvetia

31.86, -110.79

Pima County

Copper camp settled in 1891. Parts of the site are fenced for mining, per a March 2026 article, which says the cemetery can still be reached.

Ruins · fenced · 2026 report
HackberryGuide

Hackberry

35.36, -113.74

Mohave County

Former mining camp on Route 66, 28 miles northeast of Kingman.

Living town
Dos CabezasGuide

Dos Cabezas

32.18, -109.61

Cochise County

Mining town at 5,082 feet in the Dos Cabezas Mountains. A dozen or so buildings stood in May 2022, three of them fit to live in.

Ruins · 2022 report
PearceGuide

Pearce

31.91, -109.82

Cochise County

Gold camp in the Sulphur Springs Valley, now part of Pearce–Sunsites.

Living community
CleatorGuide

Cleator

34.28, -112.23

Yavapai County

Small Bradshaw Mountains community once called Turkey Creek. The whole town was sold in January 2022 and is private; the bar is open to visitors.

Private · bar open
Copper CreekGuide

Copper Creek

32.75, -110.48

Pinal County

Copper camp in a canyon of the Galiuro Mountains. A visitor after the 2012 floods walked up to the Sibley Mansion ruins, but an older travel guide says the main ruins are on a closed private ranch; ask the BLM Safford Field Office before you go.

Ruins · 2013 report

Near a city

Ghost towns near Phoenix, Tucson and Flagstaff

Driving distance and time from downtown, routed over OpenStreetMap roads. Dirt roads are usually slower than the estimate.

Near Phoenix drive

  1. Goldfield41 mi54 min
  2. Cleator65 mi1 h 35 min
  3. Vulture City72 mi1 h 42 min
  4. Crown King79 mi2 h 07 min
  5. Jerome110 mi2 h 10 min

Near Tucson drive

  1. Helvetia35 mi1 h 14 min
  2. Tombstone69 mi1 h 26 min
  3. Pearce84 mi1 h 43 min
  4. Dos Cabezas98 mi1 h 48 min
  5. Ruby72 mi2 h 13 min

Near Flagstaff drive

  1. Two Guns34 mi37 min
  2. Jerome75 mi1 h 30 min
  3. Cleator107 mi2 h 12 min
  4. Hackberry138 mi2 h 48 min
  5. Chloride169 mi3 h 04 min

Directory

All 397 Arizona sites

Every town, camp and settlement in our Arizona index, with its county. A ◦ marks sites already on the map.

397 sites

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Plan a trip

Visiting Arizona's ghost towns

01

Go in the cool season

October to April suits the low desert. Summer heat below about 4,000 feet is dangerous, and July–September monsoon storms flood washes and dirt roads. High camps like Crown King and Jerome are pleasant in summer.

02

Know whose land it is

Many sites are private or sit on mining claims. Recreation on Arizona State Trust land needs a permit from the State Land Department. Respect closures and posted fences.

03

Stay out of mine openings

Arizona has many thousands of abandoned mine openings. Shafts can be hundreds of feet deep, with rotten timbers and bad air. Look from outside.

04

Carry more water than you need

Plan on a gallon per person per day, a full tank and an offline map. Cell coverage is patchy or absent at many sites.

FAQ

Common questions

How many ghost towns are in Arizona?

Counts run from about 275 to well over 300, depending on whether you include small camps, stage stations and forts. Our index lists 397 sites across all 15 counties. Yavapai County has the most, with 91.

What is the best-preserved ghost town in Arizona?

Vulture City and Ruby have the most standing buildings. Both are former mining camps on private land. Ruby closed to the public on June 3, 2024. Vulture City is open for self-guided visits in its cool-season months.

Which ghost towns are closest to Phoenix?

Goldfield is under an hour east of downtown. Cleator and Vulture City are about an hour and a half to an hour and three-quarters away, and Crown King about two hours, the last stretch on a slow mountain road.

Can I visit any ghost town I find?

No. Many sit on private property, active mining claims or State Trust land, which needs a recreation permit. Check the status line on each town page, and treat locked gates and posted signs as closed.

When is the best time to visit?

October to April for the deserts. Mountain camps above about 5,000 feet are good from late spring to fall. Avoid dirt roads during and just after monsoon storms in July, August and September.

Sources

  1. Coordinates: Wikipedia articles for each site, accepted only where the article is the site's own and the point falls inside the state.
  2. Drive times: OSRM routing on © OpenStreetMap contributors data (ODbL), October 2026.
  3. Town summaries: the Wikipedia article for each town, October 2026.
  4. Arizona Highways, "Ruby, AZ 85621": editor's note on the closure of Ruby to the public in June 2024.
  5. Legends of America, "Ghosts of the Cerbat Mountain Range", updated October 2026: its 2023 note that the Cerbat townsite is private and the owner discourages visitors.
  6. Campendium listing (newest review November 1, 2025) and Tripadvisor reviews to October 2026: Two Guns is private land, in ruins.
  7. Destination4x4, "Helvetia Arizona", March 4, 2026: parts of Helvetia fenced for mining, the cemetery still reachable.
  8. KOLD News 13, February 2, 2022: the sale of Cleator. Cleator Bar & Yacht Club, as of October 2026: open to visitors, with posted hours.
  9. AZ Backcountry Adventures, "The Old Mine Ruins of Copper Creek", online by July 3, 2013 (Internet Archive): a visit after the 2012 floods, an unsigned gate, the walk to the Sibley Mansion. The American Southwest, "Copper Creek Ghost Town", on the page since at least December 2008: the main ruins inside a private ranch and closed.
  10. Jim Witkowski, "Adobe Ruin Picture of the Week", May 2022: a dozen or so buildings at Dos Cabezas, three fit to live in.
  11. Site index: ghosttowns.com Arizona lists and Wikipedia, October 2026. County outlines: US Census via us-atlas (public domain).

Photo credits

  1. Tombstone: Packbj, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
  2. Bisbee: Nicholas Hartmann, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
  3. Jerome: dbking from Washington, DC, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0
  4. Oatman: Dariusz Jemielniak, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
  5. Two Guns: G. Edward Johnson, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0
  6. Lowell: Al_HikesAZ, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
  7. Tortilla Flat: Beyond My Ken, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
  8. Nothing: Skarori, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
  9. Contention City: BLMArizona, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain
  10. Crown King: Wiwad, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0
  11. Pinal: Unknown photographer, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain
  12. Yarnell: Matt Kieffer from London, United Kingdom, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0
  13. Arivaca: The Old Pueblo, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
  14. Chloride: Graeme Churchard from Bristol (51.473110 -2.625987), UK, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0
  15. Vulture City: Andwhatsnext, aka Nancy J Price, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
  16. Cleator: Nic Lindh, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
  17. Paradise: gailhampshire from Cradley, Malvern, U.K, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0
  18. Pearce: GJHochmuth, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
  19. Ehrenberg: Marine 69-71, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
  20. Charleston: C. S. Fly, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain
  21. Congress: Erwin Baer, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain
  22. Ruby: Alan Stark, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0
  23. Bumble Bee: LunchboxLarry, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0
  24. Cochise: The Old Pueblo, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
  25. Hackberry: G. Edward Johnson, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0
  26. Agua Caliente: Marine 69-71, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
  27. Twin Arrows: G. Edward Johnson, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0
  28. Fairbank: The Old Pueblo, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
  29. White Hills: United States Department of the Interior, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain
  30. La Paz: Jstuby, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain
  31. Ray: Unknown author, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain
  32. Allah: Matthew.kowal, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0
  33. Lochiel: The Old Pueblo, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
  34. Christmas: Ammodramus, Wikimedia Commons, CC0
  35. Big Bug: National Weather Service - Flagstaff, AZ, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain
  36. Tip Top: Unknown author, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain
  37. Gleeson: The Old Pueblo, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
  38. Swansea: BLMArizona, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain
  39. Helvetia: $1LENCE D00600D, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
  40. Sunflower: Matthew.kowal, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
  41. Harshaw: The Old Pueblo, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
  42. Stanton: Unknown, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain
  43. Adamsville: Goldmoney10, Wikimedia Commons, CC0
  44. Sasco: $1LENCE D00600D, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
  45. Silver King: Unknown photographer, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain
  46. Maricopa Wells: Carlo Gentile, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain
  47. Courtland: StellarD, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
  48. Klondyke: Bureau of Land Management, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain
  49. Sonora: Unknown author, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain
  50. Aubrey Landing: CWanamaker, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0
  51. Duquesne: The Old Pueblo, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
  52. Alamo Crossing: duroc2006, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0
  53. Copper Creek: Lepley from Tucson, USA, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0
  54. Kentucky Camp: The Old Pueblo, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
  55. Cerro Colorado: John Ross Browne, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain
  56. Total Wreck: USGS, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain
  57. American Flag: Ammodramus, Wikimedia Commons, CC0
  58. Clemenceau: Finetooth, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
  59. Washington Camp: USGS, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain
  60. Weaver: Plazak, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
  61. Signal: Tempe101, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
  62. Walker: Benjamin Cody, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
  63. Redington: Bill Morrow from Tucson, AZ, US, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0
  64. Tuweep: brewbooks from near Seattle, USA, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0
  65. Dos Cabezas: Marine 69-71, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
  66. Cochran: Sonoransteve, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
  67. Cordes: Mimi Cummins from Canada, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0
  68. Continental: $1LENCE D00600D, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
  69. Sunnyside: Cindy Devin, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0
  70. Katherine: Kevin.Daniels, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0
  71. Salero: The Old Pueblo, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
  72. Wagoner: Unknown author, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain
  73. Catoctin: Qwert üpoiuz, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
  74. Greaterville: USGS, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain
  75. Silverbell: Unknown, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain
  76. Polhamus Landing: Alan Stark from Goodyear, AZ, United States, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0
  77. Castle Dome: USGS, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain
  78. Fort Bowie: Old Gray Dog, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
  79. Fort Mohave: Timothy H. O'Sullivan, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain
  80. Goldfield: Marine 69-71, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
  81. Goldroad: G. Edward Johnson, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0
  82. Hardyville: grekit, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
  83. Millville: Unknown author, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain
  84. Mineral Park: Doc Searls from Santa Barbara, USA, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0
  85. Mowry: USGS, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain
  86. Ruby: PhilipC at Flickr, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0
  87. Two Guns: Mingo Hagen from Amsterdam, Netherlands, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0
  88. Goldfield: Marine 69-71, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
  89. Jerome: Seasider53, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0
  90. Tombstone: Gillfoto, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
  91. Oatman: Pretzelpaws [1], Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
  92. Chloride: Jpatokal at wts wikivoyage, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
  93. Crown King: Wiwad, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0
  94. Helvetia: USGS, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain
  95. Hackberry: Marine 69-71, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
  96. Dos Cabezas: Marine 69-71, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
  97. Pearce: PhillipC at Flickr, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0
  98. Cleator: Nic Lindh, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
  99. Copper Creek: Lepley from Tucson, USA, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0