Gas Point

California wrote the book on ghost towns, from Gold Rush tent cities to Owens Valley farm towns the aqueduct dried up.

Gas Point () is a former unincorporated community and former ghost town in Shasta County, California, United States, on Cottonwood Creek. It was also known as Pinckney and Janesville and started as a 1849 California Gold Rush mining town after gold was found at Reading's Bar. Gas Point, by then a true ghost town only visited occasionally by tourists, burned to the ground on April 8, 2008. The cause of the fire remains unknown.

The on-the-ground condition of Gas Point is unverified — it's listed here with unknown status. That could mean standing buildings, or an empty field. Go prepared for either, and consider sharing what you find so the record improves.

Nobody has confirmed the access situation, so treat any visit as reconnaissance: verify land ownership first, and be ready to admire from the road.

Here's the honest truth: access to Gas Point is unverified. We couldn't confirm whether the site sits on public land, private property, or something in between — so verify land ownership and local rules before visiting, and respect private property at all times. The mapped point for Gas Point is roughly 40.4156, -122.5344 — use it as a starting point and cross-reference a current topographic map before leaving pavement.

Ghost-town etiquette is simple: take only photographs. Removing artifacts is illegal on public lands and disrespectful everywhere else — and on federal land it can be a serious offense.