Silver City

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

Silver City is a census-designated place (CDP) in the mountainous area of central Tulare County, California. Silver City sits at an elevation of 6,732 feet (2,052 m). It lies 72 km ENE of Visalia, California, within the boundary of Sequoia National Park. The 2010 and 2020 United States censuses reported that Silver City was uninhabited. Silver City is the name of an inholding in Sequoia National Park located at Mile 21 on the 25-mile road to Mineral King.

With a name like Silver City, nobody had to explain the business plan.

The on-the-ground condition of Silver City 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 Silver City 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 Silver City is roughly 36.4639, -118.6508 — 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.