Beatty had two advantages for us. It was less expensive (half price) than Death Valley’s hotels, and it had some nearby attractions. The nearby attractions were Rhyolite, local characters gambling or drinking, and interesting, run-down structures. An hour north was Goldfield with the automobiles stuck into the ground, and a half-hour further north was Tonopah, with an old silver mine.

 

Vacant trailers, collapsing houses, non-drivable antique cars, junk littering yards, trucks and cars passing through on their way to Las Vegas, an Arco station with slot machines, a 25 mph speed limit, and older people with vacant looks are our memories of Beatty. Oh yes, and a Tesla charging station next to the Stagecoach, a smoke-filled Casino, but we never saw any Teslas. We like to stay in remote places in which we find more photographic opportunities and different, interesting people.

 

Beatty was a 45-minute drive from Furnace Creek, and has a public library and a museum. We missed both because we spent most of our time in Death Valley and weren’t in Beatty during opening hours.

 

We stayed at the Beatty's El Portal Motel, which was clean, quiet and inexpensive. There are several other accommodations in or near Beatty, Nevada.

 

We photographed a group of 5 wild burros along Highway 374 near the Rhyolite turnoff. One was slowly walking across 375 (see Rhyolite pictures).

 

The ghost town, Rhyolite, is nearby, about 4 miles to the west, and on the way to Death Valley