castle dome mines museum & ghost town

Long, long, long drive but once there, it was great. Allow at least an hour to explore this fascinating old mining town. I would compare it to Calico Ghost Town in Barstow, California or maybe Bodie in California but this place actually has old buildings you can go inside to explore and lots of antique old battered furniture, kitchen ware, dishes, bedding, old mechanical items and much more. So much fun and great picture taking opportunities. Fun to talk to the different people you meet from all over, mostly the USA.

Any time that we have out-of-town guests, we do the Castle Dome museum. The owners have accumulated a ton of buildings and artifacts of the early Arizona mining era, and have situated them in an easy walking tour. Each time that we go, they have added new things, and the tour never goes into boring mode.Access is an excellent gravel road that leaves Hiway 95 at milepost 55. It's another 10 miles to the town, but we usually take the Cadillac, it's that good of a road.

Castle Dome Mines Museum & Ghost Town is very unique! There is so much to see and to enjoy. There is a lot of walking. You can bring a picnic lunch and have lunch there. Very interesting, must see if you come to Yuma, AZ

i have seen the growth of this attraction and it carries many personal memories for me. my father was lyman wall and much of our history is on display there for people to see. but i lived the experience with my father,mother and siblings as our mining opperation was a family affair.as you enjoy the sights remember we are not all dead yet. larry wall

Attraction fee is $10 & it includes 2 areas... the mines & the mining town that they have recreated. Self guided tour. The buildings are well displayed & have written information to read. The staff are dressed in period clothing & we're very informative & helpful. If you are interested in local history or ghost towns this is definately worth the visit. Be careful though on the roads as the 10 miles of gravel has sharp rocks & can give you a flat tire. One visiting vehicle at the site had one & our relatives who visited last year got one too.

Castle Dome is an interesting place; but don't expect the same as level as National Park Service or even many State historic sites. There has been a lot of effort put into re-creating the former mining "old west" town; and it appears to mostly have been a volunteer effort. The write-ups in the buildings and through-out the site are very interesting & informative and along with the re-created buildings do a good job of explaining history of the mining efforts and life there.The last 7 miles or so to the site are a very rough gravel road (speed limit 25 mph).Admission is $10 for adults.Site is mostly rough desert gravel/rock - not wheelchair or stroller friendly. I'm glad in a way that my 8 and 11 year-old boys were not along; I'm sure they would have been throwing rocks and climbing on stuff they should not.I would say it is worth $10 for 1 visit; probably would not go back again.

Loved the re-creation of times past. Informative displays put you back in time to relive what it was actually like. It's a rough road to get there but not even close tot the hardships of the past.

The old buildings you might expect, but the collection of antique glass and equipment is incredible.

Wonderful old mining town just about 45-60 min. from Yuma. History is from around the 1860's to mid-1970's.....yes, 1970's. Now, it is indeed off the general/paved road. Paved for about 2 miles then graded dirt road after that. If you are driving a Porche or other low bodied vehicle, do not make the trek. Otherwise, it's very dusty, but manageable. Some narrow spots so watch for oncoming traffic and yield to the side as they pass....then wait a few seconds for the dust to clear. Posted speed limit is 25 mph and we ran at this speed....we found that initially running at a slower speed, say 5-10mph and you feel all the bumps in the road. Take water and a lunch, hat, tennis or hiking shoes and sunscreen. Do not wear open toed/heeled shoes....just not comfortable.....your walking out in an old mining area. Picnic tables are available at the museum to use.......but nothing to purchase to eat. Bring cash, cost is $10 for both tours; no discount for only one and you do want to do both! Old buildings have been restored and lots to see and read on the history of this once working mining town.....at one time the town was larger than Yuma! Museum closes at 5pm and I would allow at least 2 hours minimum. We arrived at 3:30pm and used up all our time on both tours.....wishing we had another hour. Do not forget your camera. Great views of the local mountains and Castle Dome along with the buildings.

And easy trek up Hwy 95 from Yuma - until the last 8 miles of dirt road - but my Corolla did just fine. A great collection of buildings, history and artifacts from a 25 mile radius are gathered here. We spent about 5 hours and brought a picnic lunch and thoroughly enjoyed it.

Great little old mining town with many buildings and history to explore. loved all the artifacts in the houses, the cafe, the church , the saloons and even a jail, the men were interested to see all the mining equipment. Gives you a good perspective on mining in the early days and the hardships of getting silver out of the ground in those days. It was a great day. and well worth seeing. It's out of town a ways and you have to travel on a dirt road for about 10 miles. but you get to see the desert in all its glory and some wildlife. we saw the cacti blooming, vivid yellows and fusia.

If you like history don't skip this mining town. Take cash no credit cards accepted. It is $10 per adult to enter. Keep in mind this is off the beat and path. It is about 10 miles off the main road and the last 10 miles is a dirt road. You won't go above 10 - 15 mph. They do have restrooms (out houses) no running water, but clean and they do provide hand sanitizer. Take your own water or you can purchase there for a small fee. Go and enjoy the self walking tour of the town and mine. Wear good walking shoes.

Talk about rough old days this is the place to see it. The site is set up to show all the hardships of living our here in the middle of no where. Really nice displays of the living conditions of the time.

This place is jam-packed with history, interesting stories and photo opportunities. The best part is that you can go into most of the building spaces and touch a lot of the displays. (I've been to some ghost towns where you couldn't go into the buildings, let alone touch anything.) Yes, the road is rough for the last few miles, but it's worth it. Bring some water and sunscreen.

I drove out here with my family, looking for some Old West awesomeness. And boy did we find it. Bring Cash, it's $10 per adult and $5 per kid age 7 and older. 6 and under are free. The buildings are jumbled together due to the government trying to bulldoze part of the town and the owners drug the buildings onto their private property and off the Kofa Wildlife Refuge. However, they are very well preserved. We had a great time and will return!