California Photo Scout

Old Car in Rhyolite

Rhyolite is a shining example of high hopes and hard reality. The ghost town that boasted nearly 10,000 inhabitants in its heyday declined as quickly as it grew. Residents simply abandoned the city, starting after the financial unrest of 1907. Today the city is one of the most famous ghost towns near Death Valley and a superb destination for photographers seeking to explore the west.

Most of the buildings still standing are stone structures such as the train depot, the bank, and the school. The best-preserved and most curious building is a house made entirely of bottles.

Personally, I prefer ghost towns with wooden buildings such as Randsburgh in California, but there is still a lot to see and shoot here to make the trip worthwhile even for me.

How to get there

Follow the signs to Beatty leading out of Death Valley. Shortly after crossing the California / Nevada border, you will see a road sign directing you towards Rhyolite. From the Rhyolite Road turnoff on NV374 drive about 1.5 miles north to reach the town.

GPS position

36°54’4.37″N 116°49’44.77″W

How to photograph the Ghost Town of Rhyolite

Phone Booth

Rhyolite is a popular place for nighttime photography. Wide-open spaces, clear view of the sky, easily accessible and a variety of spooky foregrounds are a perfect combination to spend the remainder of a long day.

Graphic elements, lines, textures and compositions are plenty in Rhyolite. One of the most interesting buildings, the depot, is unfortunately fenced off.  The space around the other buildings is wide open and you can walk anywhere at your heart’s content seeking out unique perspectives.

• J.S. Cook Bank Building: This ruin looks good in black and white or sepia and should look awesome on infrared, especially if you have clouds.
• Bottle House: Take some close-up shots of the bottles cemented into the wall. Frame tightly.
• School: The large school building looks like any other abandoned building.
• Porter Brothers Store: Use the store windows to frame the hills behind it or shoot a wide-angle composition
• Train Wagon: Shoot from the inside and outside. The textures of the peeling paint inside the wagon are especially attractive

Around the parking lot next to the bottle house are other interesting features like the old truck and the telephone booth.

Best Time of the Day and Best Season

Safety Zone

You can find great shots here any time of the day. I often come to one of these places during the day, since I reserve the golden hour shootings for one of the grand landscapes of Death Valley. Landscapes often look flat and washed out during the day, but great photographs are still possible in locations such as this.

Winter often has skies that are more dramatic, but you can take good photos here any time of the year.

Time required

Depending on your preference for Ghost towns, you can spend a long time exploring the few ruins or you can leave within 30 minutes to one hour. The drive time from Furnace Creek is about one hour.

Equipment

• Lenses with focal length from ultra-wide to short telephoto
• Polarizing Filter
• Tripod, Cable Release, Flashlight for night shots (light painting, star trails, sunsets)

Close Locations in Death Valley

• Titus Canyon and Leadfield Ghost town
• Furnace Creek
• Mesquite Flat Dunes (near Stovepipe Wells)
• Zabriskie Point
• Dante’s View
• Badwater
• Badwater Basin
• Harrisburg Ghost Town
• Skidoo Ghost  Town
• Scotty’s Castle
• Racetrack

Close Locations outside Death Valley

• Goldwell Open Air Museum
• Amargosa Opera House
• Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area Nevada

Useful Resources

Official Website of Rhyolite

Ghost Town Website with more pictures

Rhyolite on NPS.gov

Rhyolite images on Flickr

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