Weird Day Trips
Goldfield and the International Car Forest
Goldfield is about 2.5 to 3 hours up US-95, before Tonopah. That is a planning number for a dry day, not live traffic. What you actually see is a living town and cars set upright in the desert. It is not a half day.
Goldfield is about 2.5 to 3 hours from central Las Vegas on US-95, before Tonopah. That is a rounded planning number for a dry day, not live traffic. It is a living remnant, not an empty park. The International Car Forest of the Last Church is the weird roadside art stop: cars set upright in the desert.
- From Las Vegas
- About 2.5 to 3 hours
- Distance
- On US-95, before Tonopah
- Road
- Paved US-95
- Time to allow
- Full day, or a stop before Tonopah
Short history
The town still has people in it. The car forest is outdoor art beside that town, not a staffed museum. This page does not list hours.
Visit
Worth a look if you want a break on the way to Tonopah, or a long day of your own if the art is the point.
Camp
This is not a campground stop. Goldfield is a town. The car forest is a look, not a place to spend the night.
Skip
You might leave it off if Tonopah is already a long enough day and the art does not matter.
The call is yours.
Practical visitor info
Hours and fees change. Check the site, the park, or the business before you go. This page does not quote a current price or a current opening time.
The numbers match the drive times and distances page. Read desert day-trip tips before a hot day, and see sample itineraries if you want to combine stops. The town list is Ghost Towns Near Las Vegas. Tonopah and the Extraterrestrial Highway are indexed under Weird Day Trips.
How long is the drive to Goldfield?
Plan on about 2.5 to 3 hours up US-95. Tonopah is farther along the same highway. Goldfield can be the break on that drive, or the day itself if the art is the point. It is not a half day from the Strip.
Is the drive to Goldfield paved?
US-95 into Goldfield is paved. A normal rental car is the usual vehicle for the town and the car forest.
What you can see
Old buildings in a town where people live, and cars standing in the desert.
Heat and safety
Summer afternoons commonly sit above 100°F (38°C). The car forest has little shade. Read the desert tips if the day runs long.
On the ground
What you can see
You can see a living mining town and the cars set upright at the International Car Forest.
Private or off limits
This is not a campground. The car forest is a look, not a night’s lodging.
Summer and the season
Summer afternoons are hot and the art has little shade. It sits before Tonopah, not as a half day from Las Vegas.
The upright cars with desert around them.
Get directions
Get directions from Las Vegas. The link opens a map. It is not a live traffic report.
Combine this
Times below are planning figures. Conditions change. A north stop and a south stop do not belong in the same day. The return drive eats it.
On US-95 before Tonopah, about 2.5 to 3 hours. Not a half day, and not a same-day pair with Laughlin.