Vanderbilt Ghost Town

San Bernardino County, California35.3272, -115.2497

Can you visit?

Public land, open access

Mojave National Preserve · Open to visitors

Nearest town
38 miLaughlin, NV
Mild months
Feb–Nov6 of 12
Next ghost town
8.7 miHart
Illustration of a desert landscape
Illustration of the landscape type, not a picture of Vanderbilt. No free-licensed photo yet.

Vanderbilt, in San Bernardino County, California, is a ghost town.

On the map

20 mi40 miBullhead CityFort MohaveBoulder CitySandy ValleyVanderbilt
  • BLM
  • National Park Service
  • Land trust
  • Tribal
  • Private or unlisted

Star: Vanderbilt. 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 Laughlin, NV, about 38 miles east in a straight line. The nearest city over 50,000 is Enterprise, NV, 47 miles away.

Ghost towns nearby

  1. Hart8.7 mi east
  2. Cima15 mi southwest
  3. Ivanpah22 mi northwest
  4. Borax27 mi north
  5. Providence28 mi southwest
  6. Goffs30 mi south
  7. Kelso32 mi southwest
  8. Quartette34 mi east

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

Who owns the land

National Park Service: Mojave National Preserve

PAD-US places this spot on Mojave National Preserve, land managed by the National Park Service. 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°5438Jan5839Feb6544Mar7348Apr8256May9366Jun9772Jul9671Aug8966Sep7755Oct6344Nov5337DecJan: 1.2 inFeb: 1.5 inMar: 0.7 inApr: 0.4 inMay: 0.1 inJun: 0.0 inJul: 0.8 inAug: 0.8 inSep: 0.5 inOct: 0.5 inNov: 0.3 inDec: 0.9 inrain
Mild month (average high 55–88°F, low above 28°F) 32°F, freezing Rain and snow water, inches

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

NOAA 1991–2020 normals from the Searchlight station (USC00267369), 21 miles away. About 7.7 inches of precipitation a year.

Facts

LocationSan Bernardino County, California
Coordinates35.32722, -115.24972
Also known asVanderbilt, California, Vanderbilt, CA
SourcesWikidata Q7914427 · Wikipedia article

Questions

Where is Vanderbilt ghost town?

In San Bernardino County, California, at 35.3272, -115.2497. The closest town with more than 1,000 people is Laughlin, NV, about 38 miles east in a straight line. The nearest city over 50,000 is Enterprise, NV, 47 miles away.

Can you visit Vanderbilt?

Public land, open access. PAD-US places this spot on Mojave National Preserve, land managed by the National Park Service. 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 Vanderbilt?

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

Are there other ghost towns near Vanderbilt?

Yes. Hart (8.7 mi), Cima (15 mi), Ivanpah (22 mi), Borax (27 mi).

More ghost towns in California

All 240 ghost towns in California · Ghost towns near Las Vegas · Ghost towns near Lake Havasu City