Lookout City Ghost Town

Inyo County, California36.2458, -117.4347

Can you visit?

Public land, open access

Ridgecrest Field Office · Open to visitors

Nearest town
33 miSearles Valley, CA
Mild months
Mar–Nov6 of 12
Elevation
3,580 ft1,091 m
Illustration of a desert landscape
Illustration of the landscape type, not a picture of Lookout City. No free-licensed photo yet.

Lookout City is a former settlement in Inyo County, California, listed among the ghost towns of California. It lies at about 3,580 feet above sea level.

On the map

20 mi40 miSearles ValleyLone PineLookout City
  • BLM
  • National Park Service
  • City, county
  • Military, DOE
  • Private or unlisted

Star: Lookout City. 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 33 miles south in a straight line. The nearest city over 50,000 is Porterville, CA, 90 miles away.

Ghost towns nearby

  1. Darwin8.9 mi west
  2. Coso13 mi west
  3. Reilly17 mi south
  4. Ballarat18 mi southeast
  5. Skidoo21 mi northeast
  6. Panamint City21 mi southeast
  7. Cerro Gordo28 mi northwest
  8. Cerro Gordo Mines28 mi northwest

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

Who owns the land

BLM land: Ridgecrest Field Office

PAD-US places this spot on Ridgecrest Field Office, land managed by the Bureau of Land Management. PAD-US marks it as open to the public. Park rules, fees and seasonal closures can still apply.

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), 30 miles away. About 6.1 inches of precipitation a year.

Facts

LocationInyo County, California
Coordinates36.24583, -117.43472
Elevation3,580 ft (1,091 m)
Also known asLookout City, California
SourcesWikidata Q6675473 · Wikipedia article

Questions

Where is Lookout City ghost town?

In Inyo County, California, at 36.2458, -117.4347. The closest town with more than 1,000 people is Searles Valley, CA, about 33 miles south in a straight line. The nearest city over 50,000 is Porterville, CA, 90 miles away.

Can you visit Lookout City?

Public land, open access. PAD-US places this spot on Ridgecrest Field Office, land managed by the Bureau of Land Management. PAD-US marks it as open to the public. Park rules, fees and seasonal closures can still apply.

When is the best time to visit Lookout City?

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 Lookout City?

Yes. Darwin (8.9 mi), Coso (13 mi), Reilly (17 mi), Ballarat (18 mi).

More ghost towns in California

All 240 ghost towns in California · Ghost towns near Barstow