Eldorado Canyon & Nelson Ghost Town

About Eldorado Canyon & Nelson Ghost Town

Eldorado Canyon runs from the foothills of the McCullough Range down to a Colorado River cove south of Boulder City. The town of Nelson grew up around the Techatticup Mine, which was staked in 1861 and is the oldest, richest, and most notorious gold-and-silver mine in southern Nevada — the canyon was so violent in the 1860s that the U.S. Army garrisoned a small unit nearby. The surface site, owned and operated by the Werly family for decades, is now a working photo location. Rusted vehicles, weathered cabins, vintage gas pumps, and aircraft props are arranged across several acres for self-guided wandering and paid photo shoots. Mine tours run multiple times daily and descend a few hundred feet into the original 19th-century workings. 45 minutes south of the Strip via US-95 to NV-165. $10 cash entry per vehicle covers the surface site; mine tours are extra. Combine with a stop at the Colorado River put-in at the end of the road for a view of the Black Canyon.