Abandoned Towns

Ghost town record · Sierra County, California

Sierra City

Census-designated place in California, United States.

Record

About Sierra City

Sierra City is a census-designated place in Sierra County, California, United States. The elevation of Sierra City is 4,147 feet (1,264 m), and the town is situated in the canyon of the North Yuba River on California State Route 49, twelve miles northeast of the county seat of Sierra County, Downieville.

This is a site record: what public sources say about Sierra City, 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 Sierra City is

USGS topographic map around Sierra City
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

11 historic USGS maps cover Sierra City

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 Sierra City

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

Sources

Sources

  1. ghosttowns.com, "Sierra City": county, roads, climate, best time to visit, remains.
  2. Wikipedia, "Sierra City, California": coordinates and summary.
  3. Wikidata Q6645107.
  4. USGS GNIS 2583139.
  5. USGS 3D Elevation Program, elevation at the coordinates.
  6. USGS The National Map and Historical Topographic Map Collection (public domain).