A mining road to the ghost town of Belfort in California

Belfort is an old mining village located in Mono County, in the east central portion of the U.S. state of California, near the Nevada border. It’s one of the highest roads of California.

Belfort ghost town

Belfort, at an elevation of 3.136m (10,288ft) above the sea level, was a mining camp in the Patterson Mining District in the 1880's. Located in the Sweetwater Mountains within the Toiyabe National Forest, the scenic road to the summit (with fantastic views) is unpaved. It’s pretty rough and requires using a 4wd vehicle. The road gets very narrow for the last 1/4 mile, you might consider parking below the switchbacks and hiking the remainder of the way.

The village, with several cabins, foundations and mines is accessible from July to October due the snow. The area is dotted with many mines, that were active in the 1880s. The drive is dangerous due to washouts. The drive shouldn’t be taken lightly, or attempted by beginners in any sort of vehicle. Starting from the paved NV-338 road, the drive is 12.87km (8.0 miles) long.
Pic&video: Ghost Towns of Nevada and California.

 

Drive Us to Your Road!

With over 13,000 roads cataloged, we're always on the lookout for unique routes. Know of a road that deserves to be featured? Click here to share your suggestion, and we may add it to dangerousroads.org.