REVIEW #1700! One…read moreof the things I enjoy about traveling is the sometimes random discovery of local and historical points of interest. And since part of Gayle's family is from Genoa, and that someday we might actually move here, it's fun to look around and see what I might find. This morning, I started out trying to find a newspaper, but instead just started driving around. And as I drove down Genoa Lane, I came upon the Hanging Tree. One of the worst chapters in the history of Genoa took place in 1897 when a drifter, Adam Uber, accused of murdering a popular teamster, Hans Anderson, was lynched. Uber was dragged from his jail cell in the night and hanged from this tree (along what was then called Boyd's Lane). According to the local legend, all of the perpetrators of the lynching later suffered injuries, great tragedies in their families, or terrible calamities. The story has been immortalized by the Carson Valley Historical Society in their annual progressive play, "The Curse of the Hanging Tree". There is a plaque on the tree east of Genoa on Genoa Lane.

This is really out in the middle of nowhere. It's on hwy 395 right before Bridgeport California…read more Look for the sign and turn off. There's No cell service, only 10 miles of paved road the 3 miles of gravel road. It's windy up there and we were there on June 27th and it was low to mid 60's. My phone was having issues working up there and we couldn't figure out why. My phone was telling me it was hot. So I just turned it off. Not sure what that was about. But Bodie is definitely a cool place to visit. I couldn't imagine living somewhere like that. I told Mark that's where you would move if you were really mad at your kids. Because to live in a place like that would be punishment. It's a harsh environment. No trees, no birds, no grass. I didn't even see a lizard. People just up and left. They left piano's, beds, stoves, clothes, photos. The casinos, bars, gyms. Look like the people just vanished on day. Curtains dangle and weathered in windows. You can look through the windows but you cannot enter the buildings. It's $8.00 for adults and I think $5 for kids to take stamp mill tour it's another $6 dollars that you pay for in the museum inside the park. Check out Mark Clay McGowan on YouTube for a video of our journey.

We saw the sign that said Ghost Town 10 miles, but that it could take 30 minutes to get there. We…read morethought what the heck. Soooo glad we did! The drive is partially paved, and mostly unpaved down a dirt road. There were a couple of cow gates to crossover, a few smaller rocks in the road. We traversed it in a Toyota Camry and were fine. A truck or SUV is ideal, but a sedan was completely workable. You are driving way out in the middle over nowhere then come of the hill and there is a rather large ghost town. We were COMPLETELY surprised at how large it was. Being a State Park there is a nominal entrance fee. See sign of posted prices in pictures! The park is very educational, historical, cool things to see! It is a great way to be outdoors walking and getting exercise without calling it exercise! There are both restrooms at the parking lot and then outhouses down near the hotel for use. There was a water fountain (we brought our own) I only saw that it was working if needed. This park is preserved as is for people to see. There are things on the ground to step over which are natural terrain like rocks and stuff and then there are items like chains to step over to prevent injury. An individual with serious mobility issues would have a hard time unless they utilized a wheelchair or mobility device of some sort. The paths that you walk on are dusty, plan on being dirty, it is a ghost town in nature!! There was a museum to enjoy. In the museum there was the option to purchase tickets to see the mill for $6 per person. We also saw a sign on the church that there would be a talk shortly. There was an indoor area to sit on benches and watch a movie about the history of Bodie. It was neat seeing some of the items inside the buildings like original wall paper, toys, toddler potty chairs, vintage furniture, old tools, wagons... If you are looking for a great way to enjoy a drive, exercise, family time, history, and see the largest preserved ghost town then this is for you! Would we return: ABSOLUTELY.. I was sad I didn't know about this before and didn't have more time to explore and do the Mill tour!! We only spent about an hour there. I'd love to plan appropriately and spend the better part of a day here. What is there to eat, drink and snack on?? NOT A THING OTHER THAN A WATER FOUNTAIN.. PACK ACCORDINGLY AND DONT FORGET AND HAND SANITIZER!!!

Ghost Town Haunted Attraction…read more This little walk-through was so much fun! Lots of laughs, just enough creepy stuff to keep the boys on their toes, and really well done. Perfect level of spooky for my 7- and 9-year-olds -- scary enough to be exciting, but not "Dad, I'm sleeping in your bed tonight" scary. Definitely one of those unexpected little stops that makes the expedition memorable.

So fun and family friendly! While walking around, we happened upon this haunted walkthrough and had…read moreto go in. A couple of jump scares and lots of laughs!

Great hike, the tunnels were so cool. I think the part people "miss" is they are walking over what…read moreis considered China Wall. If you are walking the tunnels you can't see this engineering feat from the trail. You need a side quest or to start from a lower vantage point to see the actual wall.

This place is super unique!!! No idea why they don't advertise this place more. There's a parking…read morelot on your left shortly before you hit the rainbow bridge. If the weather is nice, you'll see a bunch of climbers right here. From the lot, proceed uphill for a short distance and you'll see the petroglyphs on the rocks to your left. Proceed up these and you'll hit the tunnels! Go to the left for the best ones. I'd recommend going with someone as it can be a bit creepy in the darker areas and you never know what can happen. A flashlight or headlamp is a good idea but you're phone will suffice. There are openings every now and then so it's not like a cave or pitch dark. Tons of graffiti everywhere in a tunnel view which make for some awesome photos (reason 2 to have a partner or IG BF on hand). Enjoy!!

Awesome history found here and since we visited Fort Churchill on a previous visit and wondered…read morewhere the rest of the houses went this completed the story for us. They have a short video and it was only a $1 to take a look through the house. The Park Ranger was very knowledgable and gave us all the history and very sweet and showed us around and answered all our questions. The history of the place really is amazing. come check it out for sure if your in the area!

This is one of those spots that you zip by that is really worth the stop…read more Buckland Station is a large white house right next to Highway 95A between Silver Springs and Yerington next to the Carson River. It is now a part of the Nevada State Parks. The house was built in 1870 as a boarding house and served as a stop along the Pony Express Route. As a 21st century traveler it serves as a great rest stop when making the interminable drive from Reno to Las Vegas. There are bathrooms and a small picnic area available behind the house. The house itself is only open on weekends, sometimes, but there are informational signs and lots of open space for dog and kid walking. All of this is free. It is not far off the road, clean and unpopulated. Great place to get out and stretch.

Can you imagine meandering the roads back in the Wild West days of yore? How did the Comstock Lode…read moreStart? It all started with a golden nugget. Today Silver City is a ghost town of its former glory days. Wandering down the hill from Virginia City is Gold Hill. Just down the road a piece from Gold Hill you will find Silver City. The first golden nugget was discovered at Devil's Gate in 1850 just a little north of Silver City. Devil's Gate is the border between Storey County and Lyon County. It is a natural landmark through a narrow gorge. Devil's Gate became a infamous as a hideout for disreputable men or highwaymen. It was an unsavory area and many were robbed so few came through unarmed. Thousands passed through this narrow gorge as it was the only way through the area to the notable Comstock mines. Despite the reputation of the Devil's Gate a boomtown cropped up and became known as Silver City. The City has the notoriety of having one of the first stamp mills in the state of Nevada. In it's heyday it boasted of 4 hotels, boarding houses, saloons, brothels, parlor houses, stables, corrals, freighting center for Gold Hill and Virginia City, and over 1,200 people. Silver City was an important link between the mines of Virginia City and Gold Hill and the processing mills in Dayton. The mines were less productive than Gold Hill or Virginia City.. The town thrived until the V & T (Virginia and Truckee) railroad was completed in 1869 and the town was no longer needed to be a freight center. Today there are remnants of it's former days and there are a handful of historic buildings and structures such as the a cemetery, U.S. Post Office, the Hardwicke House built in 1862, a former ice house and B & B, a mostly intact mining facility etc. Nevada State Route 342 and 341 loop together running through the communities of Silver City, Gold Hill, Virginia City and Carson City. It is a historic road that dates back to the the Comstock lode era. This highway serves as the main road for both Gold Hill and Silver City but has 15% grades and hairpin curves.

Cool little town you drive through on your way to Virginia City. I love the old buildings but wish…read morethere was more of an effort to save them. Silver City is a near ghost town and a small residential community in Lyon County, Nevada, USA, near the Lyon/Carson border. Settled in 1859, the population in 1861 was about 1,200, but began declining after the Virginia and Truckee Railroad was completed in 1869. Construction workers left the area, taking their business with them.The population as of the 2000 census was 170.

We've done the Thunderbird Lodge tour a few times now and it is always an amazing experience…read more The stories vary by the guides, but we always learn something new (this most recent time we learned about the Disney & Hemingway connection) and everyone we've brought with us, has been amazed this treasure exists. It's SO beautiful and such a cool experience! The tour begins (and ends) at the Lake Tahoe Visitor Center in Incline Village. On the bus ride to the Thunderbird Lodge, a recording plays explaining some of the history. Then you're met at the lodge and get more history, stories and a tour, which includes the Lodge, the tunnels, the boat house and grounds. We've done the tour twice this summer, at the end of July and again last Friday (Sept 12), with different visiting family members. Everyone was seriously impressed, especially as many of us grew up in the area &/or have lived here for years and were unaware this gem existed. Check out this great article on the Thunderbird Lodge https://www.carsonnow.org/09/12/2018/nevada-lore-series-captain-and-the-bizarre-history-of-thunderbird-lodge-at-tahoe

Just finished the tour of this spectacular property! Definitely worth it! The views and the…read moreproperty are amazing. The amenities that it has from 1930's is fabulous

What a fantastic stop! They've created a wonderful little museum that provides all the information…read moreyou need. You can also camp and explore the nearby ruins. It's a great spot for lunch, complete with tables, grassy areas, and a designated space for your dogs to enjoy.

Excellent piece of history, nice little campground and right on the Carson River. I would give it a…read more5 star. But Buckland Station is hardly ever open. We got lucky and it's pretty neat historically.

The Donner Pass Railroad Tunnel Hike was one of the reasons for our trip to the area. My boyfriend…read morehad always wanted to check out the Donner Petroglyphs, and I stumbled across the rail tunnels when looking for things to do while in the area. We parked at the Donner Ski Summit - if you are looking to check out this hike, that is the best place to park and access the start of the tunnels. I truly enjoyed this hike, but was ill prepared. I was fully committed once we were in the tunnels & I should have went back to the car and swapped my "barefoot" style shoes for my hiking boots. The large chunk gravel path killed my feet with the thin soles of the shoes I wore. We hiked through about 5-6 tunnels before heading back. We did a total of 6 miles in and back. There were alot of beautiful street art within the tunnels, we found 19 cave ghosts along the trail as well as some other reoccurring variations of different items over the course of the trail. I would like to eventually take the trail past the last tunnel and to the next set of tunnels some day. This is a trail we would do again next time we are in the area. Though the weather was nice, we both wore hooded sweatshirts as the are in the tunnels got quite chilly. If you plan on checking these trails out, take well charged flashlights or head lights with extra batteries. The tunnels can be PITCH Black when you are in the heart of them. Overall this was a really cool thing to see and I would love to do it again with the correct shoes!

We had out of town family in town last week and we made it back to the Donner (Railroad) Tunnels. I…read morelove the tunnels! It's SO beautiful. And as it was a railroad, it's level and easy, and as it's in the tunnels, you're mostly protected from the weather. Bring good trail walking shoes and a flashlight. (And park across from the Donner Ski Ranch.)