In its heyday, this gold mining town boasted 65 saloons and was described by one clergyman as 'a sea of sin, lashed by the tempests of lust and passion.' Bodie was abandoned when the gold ran out in 1882. Today it's managed as a historic park in a state of suspended decay, with soft furnishings being allowed to rot away but buildings prevented from actually toppling over. There's a cemetery on the hillside opposite. Many of the headstones have been lost to grave robbers and vandals but a few do remain.
If you go:
It's open all year round but in winter only accessible by ski or snowmobile. The road is unpaved and deeply rutted the rest of the year!
Links:

Bodie Road
Bodie, CA 93517 USA
Mailing address:
P.O. Box 515
Bridgeport, California 93517 USA
Phone Numbers:
Bodie State Historic Park
+1 (760) 647-6445
+1 (760) 647-6445
Message from RoadTrip America