Nelson
The South - Nevada
Nelson
Description: The small ghost town of Nelson is located around 35mi south-east of Las Vegas at the upper part of Eldorado Canyon. Once the birthplace of the first great gold rush in Nevada, Nelson is now just a collection of old scrap metal and all kinds of curiosities. The small town is a magnet for tourists and film crews who use the buildings and the surrounding area as a backdrop.
The old buildings, cars, airplanes and all the other pieces are privately owned, but can be viewed for a small fee. If you want to take photos, you need a photo permit, which you can buy in the small store. During our visit in June 2023, this cost $10.
Our rating: We didn't really know what to expect from this place beforehand due to some reports. We had heard and read everything from horrendous photo permit prices to reports of an extremely unfriendly owner. Once we were there, everything turned out to be completely exaggerated. The owner was very nice and talkative and the photopermit only cost $10 for the two of us. It was worth it and we had a lot of fun walking around the grounds and exploring everything.
The owner also told us that he only charges a fee for visiting and taking photos, because more and more visitors have no respect for the things he has collected here. Despite the barriers, it was not uncommon for his private living area to be entered, things were destroyed, children climbed on everything and things were stolen from the property.
