Location: County: Mono. Nearest City: Bodie (Bridgeport). See map 4.

Campsites, facilities: No campsites. Point of interest to visit while on tour. To preserve the ghost town atmosphere, there are no commercial facilities at Bodie. Restrooms are located at the parking lot. Primitive pit toilets are available in the townsite and in the picnic area. There is no camping at Bodie. U.S. Forest Service campgrounds are located near Bridgeport and Lee Vining. For information call: Bridgeport Ranger Station at 1-619-932-7070 or Lee Vining Ranger Station at 1-619-647-6525.

Reservations, fees: $2 per person, $1 for children under six and $1.00 for dogs. Dogs are welcome to accompany park visitors into the park, but must be on a leash at all times.

Contact: Phone the park at 1-760-647-6445.

Bodie State Historic Park
P.O. Box 515
Bridgeport CA 93517

Operating hours, seasons: Call the park for information; Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day weekend: 9 am to 7 pm. The remainder of the year the park is open from 9 am to 4 pm or as posted. Hours may vary due to weather or season and are posted at all entrances.

Directions: The park is northeast of Yosemite, 13 miles east of Highway 395 on Bodie Road, seven miles south of Bridgeport. From U.S. 395 seven miles south of Bridgeport, take State Route 270. Go east 10 miles to the end of the pavement and continue 3 miles on an unsurfaced road to Bodie. The last 3 miles can at times be rough. Reduced speeds are necessary. You are encouraged to call the park if there are any questions on road conditions.

Weather, clothing: The weather can be changeable; layered clothing is recommended.

Trip notes: Bodie State Historic Park is a genuine California gold-mining ghost town. Visitors can walk down the deserted streets of a town that once had a population of 10,000 people. The town was founded by Waterman S. Body (William Bodey), who had discovered small amounts of gold in hills north of Mono Lake. In 1877, the Standard Company struck pay dirt and a gold rush transformed Bodie from a town of 20 people to a boomtown. Only a small part of the town survives, preserved in a state of "arrested decay." Interiors remain as they were left and stocked with goods. The museum is open daily during summer. The park is closed in winter. Today it looks much the same as it did over 50 years ago when the last residents left. A self guiding brochure describing a brief history of each building is available at the park or by mail. A museum is open from Memorial Day weekend through the end of September, 10 am to 5 pm. Everything in Bodie is part of the historic scene and is fully protected. NOTHING may be collected or removed from the park. Metal detectors are not allowed. For public protection, certain unstable sections of the park are posted as prohibited areas, and are closed to entry by park visitors.

Designated as a National Historic Site and a State Historic Park in 1962, the remains of Bodie are being preserved in a state of "arrested decay". Today this once thriving mining camp is visited by tourists, howling winds and an occasional ghost. Bodie is now listed as one of the worlds 100 most endangered sites by the World Monuments Watch.

 

Where to go Camping

-B-4-

Miwok Lodge 439