Starting in Empire, Nevada puts you right in the heart of Washoe County’s rich ghost town history. From here, you can explore Empire City’s preserved ruins, visit the historic cemetery, and hit Highway 50 and Highway 95 for access to sites like Rhyolite, Dayton, and Buckland’s Station. Pack extra water, fuel up often, and load your offline maps before you leave. There’s a lot more to uncover about making this desert road trip unforgettable.
Key Takeaways
- Empire, Nevada in Washoe County serves as an ideal base for exploring ghost towns via Highway 50 and Highway 95.
- Distinguish between Empire, a modern company town, and Empire City, a historic ghost town marked by a preservation sign.
- Pack water, snacks, sun protection, and emergency gear, and pre-load offline maps and GPS coordinates before departing.
- Key ghost towns to visit include Rhyolite, Dayton, and Buckland’s Station, each offering unique historical and photographic opportunities.
- Follow a three-day loop: Day 1 Highway 50, Day 2 Highway 95 mining ruins, Day 3 Rhyolite before heading north.
Why Empire, Nevada Is the Right Base for a Ghost Town Road Trip
Because Nevada’s ghost-town history runs deep through the high desert, Empire makes a smart launching point for a road trip that strings together abandoned settlements, historic markers, and mining-era ruins. You’re positioned in Washoe County with major routes fanning out toward dozens of forgotten places, each holding its own layer of boom-and-bust history.
The area blurs the line between living infrastructure and vanished community. Empire City, the earlier settlement nearby, still has a state historic preservation marker on Highway 50’s south side, grounding your trip in documented history before you even leave the region.
From here, you can chase desert landscapes dotted with mining relics without burning hours on backcountry detours. Most stops sit just a few miles off main highways, giving you flexibility and forward momentum.
Empire City vs. Empire: Two Names, One Confusing History
Though the names sound interchangeable, Empire and Empire City tell two different stories. Empire is the living company town you’ll find on current maps, tied to industrial mineral production and still traceable on your GPS.
Empire and Empire City sound like the same place — but one is living, one is legend.
Empire City is something older and quieter — a ghost town predecessor now marked by a Nevada State Historic Preservation Office sign on the south side of Highway 50.
When you pull over at that marker, you’re standing where desert legends were made and lost. Mining relics and faded ambitions shaped this landscape long before the modern town existed.
Getting to the Empire City cemetery means passing through a Waste Management facility — proof that the past doesn’t always get preserved poetically.
Keep both names in mind as you plan your route.
What to Pack Before You Drive Nevada’s Desert Ghost Town Routes
Before you leave for Empire and the surrounding ghost town routes, you’ll want to pack essential desert survival gear: extra water, snacks, sun protection, and a basic emergency kit, since services can disappear for hours at a stretch.
Nevada’s backcountry roads don’t forgive an empty fuel tank or an unprepared traveler, so treat every reliable town as a resupply checkpoint.
You’ll also need offline maps loaded before departure, because cell coverage drops without warning across large sections of the route, leaving you steering blind if you’re depending on a live signal.
Essential Desert Survival Gear
Nevada’s desert routes don’t forgive poor preparation, so pack your gear carefully before you leave any reliable town behind. Load at least a gallon of water per person daily, plus extra for your radiator. Toss in high-calorie snacks, a basic first-aid kit, and a physical map since cell signals vanish fast across these stretches.
Desert plant identification knowledge helps you avoid toxic vegetation if you’re walking ruins or cemetery grounds. A field guide earns its weight here.
Wildlife encounters are also real, from rattlesnakes near crumbling foundations to scorpions under flat rocks, so wear closed-toe shoes and watch where you step.
Bring sunscreen, a wide-brim hat, and an emergency blanket. Empire’s ghost-town stops reward explorers who arrive ready for whatever the desert throws at them.
Gear fills your trunk, water fills your jugs, and now you need to make sure directions fill your phone before the signal disappears. Cell coverage vanishes fast across Nevada’s desert stretches, and digital maps won’t load without a connection. Download offline navigation files before you leave any town with reliable Wi-Fi.
Prioritize these three steps:
- Download offline maps covering your entire route, including detours toward Empire City and nearby historic stops.
- Save GPS coordinates for each ghost town destination directly to your device.
- Pack a physical backup map as a failsafe when batteries or software fail.
Your freedom depends on preparation. Nevada’s open roads reward the self-sufficient traveler who never relies on a signal that the desert won’t guarantee.
Fuel Stops Along the Nevada Ghost Town Trail
Before you leave for Empire and the surrounding ghost town trail, map out your fuel stops the same way you map out your historic sites.
Gas stations get sparse fast once you leave the main corridors, and running low in the Nevada desert isn’t a risk worth taking.
Top off your tank at every reliable town you pass through, even if your gauge still reads half full.
Plan Fuel Stops Early
Fuel is one thing you can’t afford to gamble on when you’re driving Nevada’s ghost town trail. Gas stations disappear for long stretches, and you’ll often be too focused on historic architecture and desert flora to notice your tank dropping.
Plan your fill-ups before you leave civilization behind.
Follow these three rules:
- Top off your tank at every reliable town, even if you don’t think you need it.
- Research fuel stops along Highway 50 and Highway 95 before departure.
- Download offline maps so you’re never guessing your distance to the next station.
Empire sits in open desert country where freedom feels real and distances deceive.
Don’t let an empty tank cut your adventure short before you reach the good stops.
Top Off At Towns
Towns along Nevada’s ghost town trail aren’t just fuel stops—they’re your lifeline. Every town you pass through is a chance to top off your tank, grab water, and reset before the next long desert stretch pulls you further from civilization. Don’t gamble on making it to the next stop; fill up whenever you can.
These small towns also carry their own weight in historical preservation and mining heritage. Dayton, for example, sits near Empire City and holds deep roots in Nevada’s early settlement story. A quick stop there isn’t just practical—it connects you to the same boom-and-bust cycles that shaped every ghost town on your route.
Use these towns wisely, and you’ll move through Nevada’s history with confidence and freedom.
Ghost Towns Near Empire Worth Taking Highway 95 For
Highway 95 is one of Nevada’s most rewarding ghost-town corridors, linking multiple historic sites with minimal detour time so you’re not burning a full day just reaching one stop.
You’ll find mining relics and railroad history scattered across sites that sit just miles off the main road.
Three stops worth prioritizing:
- Rhyolite – Nevada’s most dramatic ghost town, born from gold discoveries in 1904 and abandoned within a decade.
- Hooten Well – a quiet desert remnant connecting emigrant trail history to early Nevada settlement.
- Dayton – one of Nevada’s oldest communities, layered with mining and railroad history worth an afternoon.
Each stop rewards curiosity without demanding major backroad commitment, keeping your route flexible and your momentum strong.
Is Rhyolite Worth the Detour From Empire?
Rhyolite keeps coming up on Nevada ghost-town lists for good reason, and if you’re already running Highway 95 south from Empire, it’s one of the easier big-payoff stops you’ll make.
Gold and quartz discoveries in 1904 built this town fast, and its collapse came just as quickly. What’s left are dramatic abandoned structures — a three-story bank shell, a train depot, and roofless walls rising out of the desert like an open-air museum.
Desert flora pushes through cracked foundations, and that contrast between brittle stone walls and living desert growth makes every photograph feel effortless. You’re not hunting for subtle traces here. Rhyolite announces itself.
If you’ve got the fuel and the daylight, the detour earns its miles.
Short Side Trips: Buckland’s Station, Dayton, and Hooten Well
While Rhyolite rewards a longer push south, the stops closest to Empire carry their own quiet weight and take far less time to reach. These short detours fit naturally into a flexible day and reveal Nevada’s mining heritage without demanding extra hours on the road.
Three stops worth building into your route:
- Buckland’s Station – an early emigrant and Pony Express stop rooted in frontier movement
- Dayton – Nevada’s oldest settlement, layered with gold-rush and railroad-era history
- Hooten Well – a quiet desert landscapes remnant marking where travelers once stopped for water
Each site sits close to the main highway. You won’t need a full afternoon for any of them, just curiosity and a willingness to pull over.
How to Find the Empire City Cemetery and Historic Marker
Those short detours near Empire satisfy the impulse to stop and look, but one site demands a slightly more deliberate effort to locate: the Empire City cemetery and its Nevada State Historic Preservation Office marker. You’ll spot the marker on the south side of Highway 50, identifying where Empire City once stood amid local legends of mining-era ambition and rapid decline.
To reach the cemetery itself, you’ll pass through a Waste Management facility, a jarring contrast to the abandoned structures and quiet graves waiting beyond it. That juxtaposition captures exactly what makes this stop worth the effort.
You’re not chasing a polished attraction here — you’re steering through living infrastructure to reach something raw, documented, and genuinely forgotten. Give yourself time to absorb it.
A Three-Day Ghost Town Loop From Empire, Nevada
Once you’ve absorbed the quiet strangeness of Empire City, you’re well-positioned to build a three-day loop that connects northern Nevada’s most rewarding ghost-town stops without backtracking or wasted miles. Each day layers local legends, abandoned structures, and open desert into something genuinely memorable.
- Day one — Explore Dayton, Buckland’s Station, and Desert Station along Highway 50.
- Day two — Push south on Highway 95, hitting railroad-era sites and mining ruins with minimal detours.
- Day three — Swing through Rhyolite before looping back north.
Pack water, top off fuel at every reliable town, and keep your maps downloaded offline. This route rewards flexibility, not rigid scheduling, so leave room to linger wherever the landscape pulls you in.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can You Visit Empire, Nevada Ghost Town Sites With Young Children?
Yes, you can! Empire’s ghost town sites offer family-friendly historical preservation experiences. Pack water, snacks, and sun protection for family safety, and you’ll create unforgettable desert adventures your young explorers will love.
Are Nevada Ghost Town Roads Accessible for Standard Passenger Vehicles?
Coincidentally, your standard car’s already built for this adventure! Most Nevada ghost town road conditions suit regular passenger vehicles, though vehicle requirements include high clearance for some gravel paths. You’ll handle most historic sites without specialty gear.
What Is the Best Time of Year to Visit Empire?
Spring and fall offer you the best seasonal weather for exploring Empire’s historical preservation sites. You’ll dodge brutal summer heat and icy winter roads, making your ghost town adventure comfortable, flexible, and truly unforgettable.
Do Any Empire Area Ghost Towns Require Paid Admission or Permits?
Over 600 Nevada ghost towns exist, and most won’t charge you entrance fees or impose permit requirements. You’re free to explore Empire’s historic sites, markers, and nearby ruins without paying a dime — just respect the land.
Is Dispersed Camping Allowed Near Empire City Historic Sites?
You’ll want to check local camping regulations before pitching camp near Empire City’s historic sites. BLM land may allow dispersed camping, but historic preservation rules restrict overnight stays directly at protected locations.
References
- https://nvtami.com/2020/06/19/empire-city-nevada/
- https://travelnevada.com/ghost-town/
- https://www.roadunraveled.com/blog/et-highway-ghost-towns-nevada/
- https://www.wanderthewest.com/threads/ghost-town-tour.15966/
- https://nvtami.com/2025/01/03/highway-95-ghost-towns/
- https://www.visitcalifornia.com/road-trips/ghost-towns/
- https://www.visitcalifornia.com/now/california-ghost-towns-road-trip/
- https://www.moontravelguides.com/travel/trip-ideas/nevada-ghost-towns/
- https://pinintheatlas.com/travel-blogs/hwy-95-road-trip/
