Abandoned 
Overview
A mining supply town on the Similkameen
Mining drew prospectors to the Similkameen country while Washington was still a territory. Nighthawk developed as a supply point on relatively level ground beside the river, while many of the workings lay across it. A ferry and later rail service connected the settlement to a larger mining district.
The town was platted in 1903. Hotels, livery stables and freight businesses served equipment arriving by rail, including shipments bound for Loomis. As mining declined, so did the transport trade. Nighthawk kept some buildings and residents instead of vanishing completely.
Video
Nighthawk in 30 seconds
Nighthawk grew near the Canadian border in Washington. Historic photographs and maps are dated on screen; current access is summarized in the guide.
History
How Nighthawk grew and changed
- Prospectors work the surrounding mining district.
- Nighthawk is platted and a hotel is built.
- Rail freight makes the town a supply center for district mines.
- Mining and freight traffic have declined sharply.
On the ground
What remains at Nighthawk
State tourism identifies the hotel, schoolhouse, mining office and old mill as survivors. The remaining buildings are spread through a small community and its mining landscape. They should not be treated as museum exhibits or entered because they appear unused.
Before you go
Access and current conditions
Nighthawk is near the Similkameen River west of Oroville. We have not established current permission to visit individual buildings or mine properties. View only from places where you may legally stand, respect residents and posted boundaries, and do not enter abandoned workings.
Reading the maps
The town in its landscape
The early sheet labels Nighthawk on the Similkameen below the international boundary. Later sheets show the river roads and mine locations.
Historic maps
Nighthawk on USGS maps, 1906–1981
Crops from the USGS Historical Topographic Map Collection, centered on the townsite. Each sheet shows what surveyors mapped that year; compare them with today's topo and aerial on this page.
Maps & access
Location and access
Nighthawk is near the Similkameen River west of Oroville. We have not established current permission to visit individual buildings or mine properties. View only from places where you may legally stand, respect residents and posted boundaries, and do not enter abandoned workings.
Access and safety notes
- Nighthawk is near the Similkameen River west of Oroville. We have not established current permission to visit individual buildings or mine properties. View only from places where you may legally stand, respect residents and posted boundaries, and do not enter abandoned workings.
Photos
Have photos of Nighthawk?
We haven’t added photographs of Nighthawk yet. If you’ve visited, share your photos and a field report below.
Visitor reports
Been to Nighthawk?
Been there lately? Tell the next visitor what you found: whether you could get in, the state of the road and what's still standing. Photos are welcome. We read every report before it appears here.
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Nearby
Other sites near Nighthawk
Straight-line distance from the townsite to other mapped sites in our Washington index.
Sources
Sources and credits
- Nighthawk, Washington - Wikipedia: historical chronology, identity and location; read October 25, 2026.
- Nighthawk - Washington Ghost Town: historical fact sheet and town history; read October 25, 2026.
- Ghost Towns In Washington State | See Washington Ghost Towns: history, surviving features and visitor information; read October 25, 2026.
- Elevation at the mapped point: USGS 3D Elevation Program query, October 25, 2026. Historical topographic sheets: USGS Historical Topographic Map Collection (public domain).
- The Knarrly Viking, “PNT Episode 30 | Pasayten Wilderness Day 9 | Palmer Lake | Nighthawk”, YouTube, posted June 12, 2026: roadside town buildings at 7:44–9:10. No interior access or mine permission inferred.
Photo and map credits
- Area base map, topo and aerial imagery: USGS The National Map (public domain).
- Historic maps: USGS Historical Topographic Map Collection (public domain): Chopaka 1906, 1:125,000; Loomis 1956, 1:62,500; Nighthawk 1981, 1:24,000.