The International Car Forest of The Last Church

The living ghost town of Goldfield is located on Highway 95 between Beatty and Tonopah, Nevada. Goldfield is about a 2 hour drive north from Las Vegas, so this is a nice day trip option for visitors of Sin City. Some people might wonder why ghost towns like Goldfield are worth mentioning in a travel destination blog, while others already know. There is plenty of old Nevada mining history to be found in such places and there are some surprises in store as well!

It is usually the intangible reasons why the residents choose to remain in a desolate ghost town, at least to an outsider. Goldfield is a prime example of a gold rush ghost town that refuses to die, because of a steadfast local effort to keep this historic town on the map. Because of recent public interest in touring famous old gold mines and because the ghost town paranormal tourism trend is at a peak, Goldfield is poised to become a popular tourist attraction once again in this modern age. All it takes is some infrastructure to make it happen and this is where funding becomes difficult, because the proposals will amount to some very long term investments. This is why a ghost town like Goldfield may take decades to return to the limelight, yet this is the motivation for the local residents to stick around for the long run. In this way, an old ghost town can hold the remaining residents captive, while waiting to return to life.

Artists seems to understand the sense of die hard reasoning that can be found in a ghost town all too well. Nevada ghost towns are havens for artists that are not attracted to mainstream ways of life. Some of the best desert art that can be imagined can be found in old ghost towns, so it pays to check out the main street galleries when passing through. 

Ghost towns are also famous for being the home of a different kind of artist that specializes in what is known as outdoor apocalyptic art or plain old traditional junkyard art. The rusty metallic remnants of the past are the medium for this art form, which includes everything from old galvanized wash tubs to wrecked luxury cars. In fact, the most popular roadside apocalyptic outdoor art displays are those that incorporate old junkyard automobiles as a medium. The VW Slug Bug Ranch and the Cadillac Ranch on Route 66 in Texas are prime examples of intriguing auto salvage yard apocalyptic art. In Goldfield Ghost Town, the local apocalyptic outdoor art gallery is the International Car Forest Of The Last Church, which truly is something interesting to experience when passing through! 

On the south side of Goldfield Ghost Town there is an off highway vehicle recreation area where the open air art gallery called The International Car Forest of The Last Church can be found. The dirt roads are a bit too rough for an ordinary passenger car in this recreation area, but taking a leisurely stroll through the Car Forest is always an option. In the Car Forest, a visitor will find all sorts of trucks, buses, station wagons and sedans that are planted nose first in the ground. The local artist paints designs on the cars, so as far as apocalyptic art is concerned, the Car Forest is a feast for the eyes. This recreation area is privately funded and the visitor donations at the onsite artist residency are what keeps this cool scene alive. 

The surreal automobile trees that are planted all over the hills truly is a very photogenic sight to see and the pictures will provide plenty of strange memories to ponder over back home. The International Car Forest of The Last Church certainly inspires volumes deep thoughts about modern times. Now that the dawning of sustainably green electric transportation is quickly turning the gas guzzlers into dinosaurs, there may likely be more Car Forests to be seen in the future. Till then, Goldfield Ghost Town is the place to go to experience the one and only International Car Forest Of The Last Church!