How to drive the unpaved road to Vanderbilt, a ghost town in Nevada
Vanderbilt is a mining ghost town at an elevation of 2,247 meters (7,372 ft) above sea level, located in Eureka County, in the US state of Nevada. Visiting the remains of the old settlement today offers a direct look into the region's mining past.
| Road facts: Vanderbilt Ghost Town | |
|---|---|
| Location | Eureka County, Nevada (USA) |
| Elevation | 2,247 m (7,372 ft) |
| Length | ~10 km (6.2 miles) |
| Surface | Unpaved (Secret Canyon Road) |
Where is Vanderbilt?
The town, also known as Geddes, is located south of Eureka, in the west-central part of Nevada. The site sits high on Prospect Mountain within the Secret Canyon area.
What’s the history of Vanderbilt?
Founded in 1870, Vanderbilt grew into a town of 150 residents, featuring a two-story hotel, four stores, three restaurants, two doctor’s offices, a butcher, a drugstore, and four saloons. Both gold and silver were mined here, employing more than 300 miners in the district during its peak. Today, only scant mill ruins mark the site. Today, there are more than 600 ghost towns throughout Nevada, which is more than the number of inhabited cities in the state.
Is the road to Vanderbilt unpaved?
The rough road to the town is completely unpaved and is called Secret Canyon Road. There are sections where the slope is steep and the ground is heavily eroded by rain. These washouts can cause the wheels to slip or easily strike the undercarriage of your car if you do not have enough ground clearance.
Can I drive my vehicle to Vanderbilt?
The road leading up Prospect Mountain follows the old remains of the Eastern California Railway. The surface is very bumpy and rough for average cars. While a high-clearance two-wheel drive vehicle can handle the lower sections of the dirt road, the final stretch to the townsite requires a four-wheel drive vehicle.
How long is the road to Vanderbilt?
Starting from the paved US-50 highway south of Eureka, the drive along the dirt road to the town is about 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) long. For those driving by, the only clear sign of the old mining operation is an ore bin perched high on the mountainside.