Coso Ghost Town

Inyo County, California36.1778, -117.6460

Can you visit?

Closed federal land

Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake · No public entry

Nearest town
31 miSearles Valley, CA
Mild months
Mar–Nov6 of 12
Next ghost town
6.9 miDarwin
Illustration of a desert landscape
Illustration of the landscape type, not a picture of Coso. No free-licensed photo yet.

Coso is an abandoned town in Inyo County, California.

On the map

20 mi40 miRidgecrestChina Lake AcresSearles ValleyLone PineCoso
  • BLM
  • National Park Service
  • City, county
  • Military, DOE
  • Private or unlisted

Star: Coso. Dots: other ghost towns within 40 miles, colored by land manager. Squares: towns over 1,000 people. Rings are straight-line distance. Live map: © OpenFreeMap, OpenMapTiles, OpenStreetMap contributors.

The closest town with more than 1,000 people is Searles Valley, CA, about 31 miles southeast in a straight line. The nearest city over 50,000 is Porterville, CA, 78 miles away.

Ghost towns nearby

  1. Darwin6.9 mi northeast
  2. Lookout City13 mi east
  3. Haiwee19 mi west
  4. Dunmovin19 mi west
  5. Reilly19 mi southeast
  6. Little Lake22 mi southwest
  7. Narka22 mi southwest
  8. Sodan22 mi southwest

Distances are straight lines. Roads to ruins are often dirt, and a 20-mile hop can take an hour.

Who owns the land

Military or DOE land: Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake

This spot falls inside Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake, land held by the U.S. Department of Defense. Sites like this are usually closed to the public.

The point is the town location from Wikidata, and the land record is from PAD-US 3.0 (USGS). Ruins can spread past that point, and land changes hands faster than the database. How we read PAD-US.

Weather by month

0°20°40°60°80°100°5127Jan5530Feb6234Mar6939Apr7847May8956Jun9462Jul9361Aug8654Sep7443Oct6033Nov5026DecJan: 1.2 inFeb: 1.5 inMar: 0.8 inApr: 0.2 inMay: 0.2 inJun: 0.1 inJul: 0.2 inAug: 0.1 inSep: 0.2 inOct: 0.3 inNov: 0.3 inDec: 1.0 inrain
Mild month (average high 55–88°F, low above 28°F) 32°F, freezing Rain and snow water, inches

Mild months here run March to May, September to November, judging by NOAA normals from Haiwee. June to September bring 10 or more days at 90°F and up.

NOAA 1991–2020 normals from the Haiwee station (USC00043710), 17 miles away. About 6.1 inches of precipitation a year.

Facts

LocationInyo County, California
Coordinates36.17780, -117.64600
Also known asCoso, CA
SourcesWikidata Q5174658 · Wikipedia article

Questions

Where is Coso ghost town?

In Inyo County, California, at 36.1778, -117.6460. The closest town with more than 1,000 people is Searles Valley, CA, about 31 miles southeast in a straight line. The nearest city over 50,000 is Porterville, CA, 78 miles away.

Can you visit Coso?

Closed federal land. This spot falls inside Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake, land held by the U.S. Department of Defense. Sites like this are usually closed to the public.

When is the best time to visit Coso?

Mild months here run March to May, September to November, judging by NOAA normals from Haiwee. June to September bring 10 or more days at 90°F and up.

Are there other ghost towns near Coso?

Yes. Darwin (6.9 mi), Lookout City (13 mi), Haiwee (19 mi), Dunmovin (19 mi).

More ghost towns in California

All 240 ghost towns in California · Ghost towns near Bakersfield · Ghost towns near Barstow