Record
About Mariposa
Mariposa is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in and the county seat of Mariposa County, California, United States. The population was 1,526 at the 2020 census.
This is a site record: what public sources say about Mariposa, gathered in one place. We haven't written a full guide yet, so history, current access and photos are still to come. Treat the status as unknown until a guide confirms it.
Map
Where Mariposa is

Historic maps
8 historic USGS maps cover Mariposa
Topographic sheets from the USGS Historical Topographic Map Collection (public domain), oldest first. Older sheets often show the camp, mines and roads while the place was alive. The downloads are large map scans; USGS topoView shows them in the browser.
- 1912 Mariposa sheet, 1:125,000 · GeoTIFF download
- 1947 Mariposa sheet, 1:24,000 · GeoTIFF download
- 1947 Mariposa sheet, 1:62,500 · GeoTIFF download
- 1947 Mariposa sheet, 1:250,000 · GeoTIFF download
- 1948 Mariposa sheet, 1:250,000 · GeoTIFF download
- 1957 Mariposa sheet, 1:250,000 · GeoTIFF download
- 1963 Mariposa sheet, 1:250,000 · GeoTIFF download
- 1980 Shaver Lake sheet, 1:100,000 · GeoTIFF download
Directions
Getting there
Before you go
- Many ghost town sites are on private land, active mining claims or tribal land. Check land status and ask permission.
- Roads to old townsites are often unmaintained dirt. Map apps may route over closed or impassable tracks.
- Removing artifacts from public land is illegal under federal and most state laws.
Nearby
Other sites near Mariposa
Straight-line distance to other mapped sites in our California index.
- Mormon Bar1.9 mi SE · Mariposa
- Agua Fria3.0 mi W · Mariposa
- Mount Ophir5.8 mi W · Mariposa
- Hites Cove12.5 mi NE · Mariposa
- Bagby12.7 mi NW · Mariposa
- Indian Gulch13.0 mi W · Mariposa
- Hornitos15.0 mi W · Mariposa
- Grub Gulch15.4 mi SE · Madera
Sources
Sources
- ghosttowns.com, "Mariposa": county, roads, climate, best time to visit, remains.
- Wikipedia, "Mariposa, California": coordinates and summary.
- Wikidata Q2396842.
- USGS GNIS 1659063.
- USGS 3D Elevation Program, elevation at the coordinates.
- USGS The National Map and Historical Topographic Map Collection (public domain).