Kearsarge

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

Kearsarge or Kearsarge City is a former mining settlement in Inyo County, eastern California. It was located high on the east slope of the Sierra Nevada, near Kearsage Pass, 8 miles (13 km) west of present-day town of Independence, California. The mining camp was in the Kearsarge Mining District, located just below the 12,621-foot-high (3,847 m) high granite Kearsarge Peak, and east of the Kearsarge Pass.

The on-the-ground condition of Kearsarge 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 Kearsarge 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 Kearsarge is roughly 36.8100, -118.3250 — 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.