International Car Forest of the Last Church

The International Car Forest of the Last Church is exactly what it sounds like: a two-acre patch of desert outside the mining ghost town of Goldfield where local artists Chad Sorg and Mark Rippie planted 40 old cars, trucks and buses nose-first into the sand, then invited every graffiti artist within 500 miles to paint them. The result is an ever-changing outdoor gallery — layer after layer of tags, murals and folk art over rusting Ford station wagons and Greyhound coaches. It's the essence of the open-desert Nevada road trip: bizarre, remote, free, and completely unforgettable.

The 'forest' is a five-minute drive off US-95 down a rutted dirt road (any car with reasonable clearance can make it in dry weather). Park at the wooden gate, walk in, and wander among the cars — there is no path, no order, no fee, no staff. Some vehicles are stood on end 12 feet tall; others are stacked two high. Bring a camera; the surfaces change every few months as new artists paint over old work. The site's official record-holder claim is the world's largest national sculpture park by a private artist, though nobody's checked.

Come 60-90 minutes before sunset for the light. Middays in summer are brutal (110°F, zero shade). Combine with the Goldfield Hotel (a supposedly haunted 1908 four-storey shell), the Goldfield Historic District, and the International Car Forest's spiritual cousin the Rocket Bob Ford truck outside Beatty. Tonopah (26 miles north) has fuel, the Mizpah Hotel and the Historic Mining Park. Skip in rain — the dirt access road becomes impassable and cars have been stranded overnight.

Hours & entry

Always free · $2 suggested donation to keep the site maintained

Open 24 hours year-round · Self-service, no staff on site · Best light 1 hour before sunset

What to see

• The 'Last Church' stacked-bus tower — Central cluster, 100 metres east of the wooden entry gate
• Nose-planted school bus with mural face — Southern edge of the site
• The bright-red graffiti-covered Cadillac — North-west corner near the road pull-in

Tips from the ground

• Bring $2-$5 cash for the donation box — the site is maintained by volunteers.
• Do not spray-paint unless you're a serious artist adding real work; casual tagging is discouraged by the community.
• Fill the tank in Tonopah before driving south — Goldfield has one erratic pump.