On the eastern side of the state of Nevada, the Basin and Range region is home to more ghost towns and abandoned mines.
Belmont, Nevada was a thriving silver mining town in the 1860’s. After becoming the county seat, a two story courthouse was completed by 1874. The jail portion was located at the rear of the building and the shipping container-like metal structure of the cells was a unique design element. Several historical buildings, vehicles, equipment and signs remain scattered throughout the town.
As with most of the ghost towns we’ve visited, Belmont was only accessible by driving miles along a dirt road up into the mountains. Considered a semi-ghost town, a small number of people live here, however they are extremely elusive. Good thing we brought our picnic lunch with us, because even though the doors at Dirty Dick’s Saloon were open when we first arrived, by the time we finished exploring the buildings, it was locked and deserted. This is one of the eeriest towns we’ve visited, and that’s saying a lot!
The Belmont Cemetery surprised us with a dead raven lying in the pathway and a snake winding its way among the headstones. We discovered the grave of the owner of the Saloon – Dirty Dick – who was, apparently, famous for his Bloody Mary’s. Which got us wondering exactly who or what had been in the open saloon earlier in the day?!!
Though a bulletin board in the center of the town displayed a list of community events, we didn’t encounter a single person during our daytime visit.
On our way out, we stopped by the campground at the edge of town where sites are centered around a group of giant boulders. Dry camping and a beautiful dark sky location left us marking this place for a return visit…if we dare!
SLIDESHOW: Click following photo to begin
Campground Review: KOA – Ely, NV
We stayed in Ely, NV, which is about 20 miles south of Belmont. We had been at this KOA campground on our way back from our dinosaur fossil hunting trip about 2 years ago and really enjoyed it. The campground is well maintained with easy access to the highway, but surprisingly little road noise. Our pull thru site had a picnic table and fire ring along with full hookups and a level gravel surface. The KOA office/store/gift shop was well stocked and the facilities were very clean. The staff member at registration was super friendly and informative about the area’s points of interest. Several vintage mining pieces of equipment are placed around the property. Hiking and off road vehicle trails are adjacent to the park. Cabins and Covered Wagons are available to rent for non-RVers. There are sites with shade trees as well as open sky sites. We highly recommend this campground.
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Next time – Eastern Nevada’s Great Basin National Park
Their RV Travels 