Cerro Gordo Ghost Town High Above the Owens Valley

In the Inyo Mountains high above the Owens Valley, Cerro Gordo Ghost Town, a once-booming mining town, sits abandoned and alone. It wasn’t always this way. Throughout the 1800s, Cerro Gordo (or the “Fat Hill”) was pumping out thousands of tons of high-grade silver, lead, and other metals. Pablos Flores made the first significant silver discovery near Buena Vista Peak. Not long after, hundreds of miners flooded into the area.

Mortimer Belshaw was a mining engineer credited with helping to establish many of the smelters, shops, and other businesses that sprouted up as word of the silver strike spread. He also built the first real road up the mountain. The rock that had to be cut through during its construction was yellow. Thus, the road became known as the Yellow Road.

It’s the same winding path that you will need to take today to access Cerro Gordo. On the drive up, spectacular views of Owens Lake and the Eastern Sierra Nevada mountains can be had.

As you approach the town, you’ll see the remnants of one of the smelters Belshaw built. Unfortunatley, the 1871 American Hotel burnt down in 2020. The town’s current owner is slowly rebuilding the hotel to current-day standards, including a sprinkler system to prevent fires.

It’s doubtful any mining town would survive long without a brothel, and Cerro Gordo stays true to tradition. She’s not in as fine a shape as she once was, but “Lola’s Palace of Pleasure” stills stands on its original site a century later. If only Lola could speak, the steamy stories she could no doubt tell!

The town’s saloon shared in the shenanigans that went on after work in the mines was done. There were more than 150 bullet holes on the floor of the building. Perhaps the one thing that Cerro Gordo lacked (but could have used) was a police station.

It’s worth stopping in at Mortimer Belshaw’s private residence. Its bright red paint is now worn and faded, but it’s believed to be the oldest building in the town. Everywhere you wander in Cerro Gordo, you’ll find mining relics and bits and pieces of the town’s past. Of course, you can look at and even touch some of what you find lying around, but removing anything from the property is strictly prohibited.

Is it impossible to resist the urge to take a piece of California history home with you? Be warned that stolen souvenirs could bring you bad luck. Some California ghost towns are believed to hold a curse over those trying to take a piece of the town’s past with them. A few caretakers have even received bits of plates and nails in the mail with anonymous notes asking that they be returned to their original resting place!

Anyone interested in early mining machinery and techniques will be fascinated by a visit to Cerro Gordo. Most of the mines were open pits and relatively primitive. But old mine ore cars, safes, and drilling equipment are still on the site. Inside the Union Mill building is a relatively well-preserved and sizable air compressor.

There are ghost towns to be found across America, and California is no exception. There are some excellent places to visit, once busy towns that eventually ended up on the wrong side of the boom and bust cycle. Why we are drawn to these remains something of a mystery. Nevertheless, visitors make their way to the deserted towns scattered across the deserts and hidden high in the California hills every year.

Getting to Cerro Gordo Ghost Town

The Cerro Gordo Ghost Town is privately owned, and you’ll need permission from the owner to access the property. Cerro Gordon road passes through the ghost town. Do not enter any buildings unless you have permission. The current owner of Cerro Gordo is Brent Underwood. You can subscribe to his YouTube channel for information on visiting the twon and the latest news on the rebuilding of the hotel.

If you plan a visit during the winter, keep in mind that the town is at an elevation of more than 8000 feet. Heavy snowfall is common, and a 4WD is recommended to get in and out of the town safely. Cerro Gordo is about eight miles up from Owens Valley town of Keeler, just about a ghost town with about 60 residents. We recommend you stop by Stinky Sock Hot Spring and see where the miners used to take their yearly baths and wash clothes.

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