Abandoned Towns

Ghost town record · Merced County, California

Merced Falls

Unincorporated community in California, United States.

Record

About Merced Falls

Merced Falls is an unincorporated community in Merced County, California, United States. It is located on the north bank of the Merced River, 6 miles (9.7 km) east of Snelling, at an elevation of 348 feet .

This is a site record: what public sources say about Merced Falls, 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 Merced Falls is

USGS topographic map around Merced Falls
USGS topographic map, The National Map (public domain). The pin marks the coordinates in the record; old townsites are often a little off.

Historic maps

15 historic USGS maps cover Merced Falls

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.

Directions

Getting there

Google Maps directionsApple MapsOpenStreetMap

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 Merced Falls

Straight-line distance to other mapped sites in our California index.

Sources

Sources

  1. ghosttowns.com, "Merced Falls": county, roads, climate, best time to visit, remains.
  2. Wikipedia, "Merced Falls, California": coordinates and summary.
  3. Wikidata Q6818068.
  4. USGS GNIS 1659752.
  5. USGS 3D Elevation Program, elevation at the coordinates.
  6. USGS The National Map and Historical Topographic Map Collection (public domain).