Beatty, NV. Ghost towns, burros and the road over the pass.

Beatty is in southwestern Nye County, six miles from the California line, at 3,307 feet. About 1,000 people live here.

• From Las Vegas: about 117 miles northwest on US 95, a little over two hours.
• From Pahrump: about 73 miles, north on Nevada 160 and then US 95, under an hour and a half.
• To Death Valley: State Route 374 climbs over Daylight Pass to Furnace Creek, about 43 miles.
• To Tonopah: 93 miles north on US 95.

Drive times are from a routing service, rounded.

Rhyolite ghost town

Four miles west on State Route 374, Rhyolite was a gold-boom city that emptied almost as fast as it filled. The Cook Bank Building still stands, and Tom Kelly’s bottle house is built from about 50,000 bottles. It is free, open sunrise to sunset, and day use only. More in our Rhyolite ghost town guide.

Goldwell Open Air Museum

Right next to Rhyolite, Belgian artists led by Albert Szukalski set seven large sculptures in the open desert. The grounds are open around the clock; the visitor center opens Monday through Saturday, about 10 AM to 4 PM.

Beatty Museum & Historical Society

Free admission on Main Street, run by the Beatty Museum & Historical Society since 1995.

Eddie World

The candy and nut store that started in 2001 as Death Valley Nut & Candy is now part of Eddie World, with the gas station on the north end of town. Open every day, 6 AM to 10 PM.

Birds, trails and Beatty Days

The Amargosa River runs through town, and the Nature Conservancy’s Torrance Ranch Preserve is about seven miles north on US 95 for birding. Spicer Ranch has trails for mountain biking and hiking year-round. Beatty Days, the town’s fall celebration, runs October 30 to November 1, 2026, at Cottonwood Park.

More than 800 wild burros live around Beatty, and they walk into town like they own it. Feeding them is illegal. Give them room and take the picture from the truck.

The Beatty area network

About 150 miles of easy to moderate routes run out of staging areas off US 95 and off Daylight Pass Road. The Bureau of Land Management’s Tonopah Field Office manages the land. Travel planning is not finished here, so stay on existing roads and trails. The Grapevine Mountains and Queer Mountain wilderness study areas are nearby.

Nye County is off-road friendly: off-highway vehicles can ride county roads, so you can ride from town to the dirt. State and federal highways are the exception. More on our Pahrump OHV page.

Bullfrog Historical Mining District course

A 42.7-mile route through the old Bullfrog mining district for dirt bikes, ATVs and Jeeps. The $10 map is sold at the Chamber of Commerce, the Beatty Museum and the VFW.

Big Dune

Between Pahrump and Beatty, Big Dune covers about five square miles and rises about 500 feet. Off-highway vehicles are allowed, except inside the fenced beetle habitat on the north side. From US 95 about 95 miles north of Las Vegas, take Valley View Road 2.2 miles.

Out-of-state bikes

A plated, street-legal bike does not need a Nevada OHV decal. An off-road bike registered in another state gets 15 days in Nevada without one. More on our dirt bike riding page.

The Chamber’s dining list includes:

• Happy Burro Chili & Beer: chili verde and cold beer.
• Big Tony’s Supper House: all-you-can-eat buffet, coffee from 3:30 AM.
• Smokin’ J’s BBQ: brisket and ribs.
• Gema’s Cafe: breakfast and lunch.
• The Sourdough: pizza and bar snacks.
• Mama Sara’s: Mexican, Tuesday through Saturday.
• Denny’s: open 24 hours.

Gas is at the Arco on US 95 and at Eddie World on the north end of town, and Beatty has the closest fast EV chargers to Death Valley.

More on Beatty food in our dining guide →

The Beatty Chamber lists these. Book direct with each one.

Motels and hotels

• Stagecoach Hotel & Casino: 80 rooms, casino, pool, restaurant and live music on Friday and Saturday. Pet friendly.
• Motel 6: 69 rooms, pool and jacuzzi. Pet friendly.
• Death Valley Inn: 66 rooms, pool and jacuzzi.
• Atomic Inn: 54 rooms, continental breakfast. Pet friendly.
• Exchange Club Motel & Casino: 44 rooms, casino. Pet friendly.
• El Portal Motel: 25 rooms and a pool.
• Cabins: Death Valley Getaway Cabins (each sleeps six, with a full kitchen and fire pit) and Cabin by the Park (sleeps four).

RV parks

• Death Valley Inn & RV Park: 39 pull-through spaces with 50-amp hookups.
• Beatty RV Park: 25 full-hookup spaces, laundromat and propane.
• The Space Station RV Park: 21 spaces along the Amargosa River, with a market.
• Beatty View RV and Tiny Home Resort.

Montillus “Old Man” Beatty bought the ranch here in 1896. In August 1904, Shorty Harris and Ed Cross found gold nearby, and the Bullfrog Mining District took off. The town was laid out on Beatty’s ranch in 1905 and named for him; he became its first postmaster that January.

By 1906 three railroads ran through Beatty. When the gold ran out the other camps collapsed, Rhyolite included. Beatty is the only town in the Bullfrog district still lived in.

Long-term averages from the weather station just north of town:

• January: highs around 54°F, lows around 29°F.
• July: highs around 97°F, lows around 61°F.
• All year: about 6 inches of rain and 3 inches of snow.

Fall through spring is riding season. Summer belongs to the air conditioner.