St. Thomas Ghost Town From Las Vegas - What To Expect!

Key Points:

• St. Thomas is 90 minutes from Las Vegas and was swallowed by Lake Mead after the construction of the Hoover Dam.

• Because of drought and declining lake levels, the town's ruins are accessible again.

• "Eerie" and "Fascinating" are two words I would use to describe my experience exploring St. Thomas. It's a history buff's dream.

History intrigues me.

I'm the kind of guy who spent his childhood buried in WWII books, watching The History Channel, and begging my parents to take me to museums. What I'm trying to articulate is that... I'm a nerd.

In my ever-expanding hunt for things to do outdoors in Las Vegas, driving out to the St. Thomas ghost town was a no-brainer.

According to the National Park Service, Mormon settlers founded St. Thomas in 1865. Settlers were drawn to the area for its proximity to the Muddy and Virgin Rivers, which made farming and daily life possible.

At its peak, the town's population reached about 500, and they were sent packing when the Hoover Dam was built and Lake Mead began to rise behind it in 1935.

Homes, businesses, a school, and the way of life residents knew were left behind to be engulfed by the newly formed reservoir.

St. Thomas has been covered by up to 70 feet of water at times but has emerged from the lake several times over the years.

During those times, former residents have come back for reunions and to celebrate their connection to the site.

Currently, historic drought has gripped the western United States and lowered Lake Mead's water levels, re-exposing St. Thomas, which is accessible by a "maintained" road and a short hike.

More on why I used quotation marks around "maintained" below.

Below, I'll share my experience at St. Thomas and a ton of photos to help you decide whether to include the ghost town near Las Vegas in your itinerary.

Specific facts and information that I reference are sourced either from the National Parks Service page about St. Thomas or from the numerous informational placards scattered around the ruins.

Getting To St. Thomas From Las Vegas

The St. Thomas Ghost Town is located along the Overton Arm of Lake Mead, which is about 1.5 hours from Las Vegas.

Apple Maps and Google Maps use two common routes to get you there from Las Vegas, and I used both on this visit.

The prescribed route to St. Thomas will likely depend on where in Las Vegas you are. If you're further south, or at the airport, your app is likely to select the first option:

Route 1 to St. Thomas

Heading out to St. Thomas from Vegas, I took I-215 and NV-564 through Henderson toward Lake Mead.

You'll enter the Lake Mead Recreational Area ($25 per car charge) and stay on the winding, scenic, Northshore Road for 45 miles before turning onto Old St. Thomas Rd.

Route 2 to St. Thomas

The second route will send you north on I-15 to Valley of Fire Drive, which is absurdly beautiful, but costs $10 per carload... even if you're just driving through the park.

After you exit Valley of Fire State Park, you need to enter the Lake Mead Recreational Area which will cause you to incur an additional $25 charge per car.

Both routes are beautiful in their own way, but you'll want to opt for route 1 if you want to save $10, and not pay to drive through Valley of Fire.

Here's how the two routes differ via Google Maps:

• Route 1 through the Lake Mead Recreation Area is highlighted in Blue
• Route 2 through Valley of Fire State Park in Gray

Caution Advised on Old St. Thomas Rd.

No matter which route you take, you'll have to make the challenging 3.3-mile drive down Old St. Thomas Rd. to reach the parking area for the ghost town.

I chuckle about it now, but for the life of me, I couldn't figure out why my phone was saying I was 10 miles away from the ghost town, but also saying it was going to take an hour to get there. How could it take an hour to cover 10 miles?!

I found out the moment I turned onto Old St. Thomas Rd.

While the dirt road is "maintained", it wasn't in good enough condition to do more than idle at about 5 mph. Granted, I was driving a little Nissan Altima, but this road was ROUGH, getting progressively worse as I got further from civilization.

The road had large fist-sized rocks, deep ruts (I heard the front of my car scrape the ground a few times), washouts from rain, and soft sand. At times, I was driving on a bed of bumpy, solid stone with rocks scattered about it.

It was a bumpy ride, to say the least.

The combination of spotty cell service and being by myself had me worried I'd blow a tire on a sharp rock, get stuck, or damage my car in some other way.

I was white-knuckling the whole way, desperately surveying the road ahead to ensure I avoided any rock that looked pointy. Honestly, not sure if I blinked my eyes once.

There were a few occasions I actually considered scrapping my plans and turning back, not wanting to risk being stranded.

Look, I made it, but I'd recommend tackling that drive with a larger truck or SUV.

I only snapped photos of the easier stretches along Old St. Thomas Rd, because the rougher parts were too stressful to be multitasking. They don't do justice to how challenging it was, but here they are.

My Experience at the St. Thomas Ghost Town

The Hike into St. Thomas

I finally, after a nerve-wracking 40-minute, 3-mile drive, exhaled loudly as I parked my car in the lot.

There were 2 other cars present, which provided some comfort as I wasn't alone. That sense of relief quickly vanished as both parties left just after I arrived.

While the remnants of St. Thomas are visible from the parking lot, it's a good hike to get to the ghost town.

The trail is "not maintained", but I found it to be easy to follow and not overly challenging. Here are a few pictures of what you'll see on your way to the ghost town site.

When you reach the town, there are some helpful informational placards that describe the town's history, where specific landmarks are/were, and explain how the construction of the Hoover Dam and the subsequent creation of Lake Mead affected the town.

Here are a couple that provide additional background about St. Thomas and what happened to it:

As I hiked into St. Thomas from the parking lot, I saw a LOT of animal feces... from large creatures. I assume the culprit is bighorn sheep, but never actually saw one. I did, however, hear plenty of animal noises in the distance.

I have to admit, it made me a tad nervous as I was alone at the site.

Millions of seashells were also scattered across the ground, which looked out of place but made sense, since the area had been underwater for an extended period.

Inside the St. Thomas Ghost Town

A lot of thoughts and emotions kind of hit me once I made it into the vacant foundations and structures that make up St. Thomas. Eerie, creepy, sad, and nostalgic were top of mind, but I also couldn't shake how cool it was to be there.

I stood next to the first foundation, looked up, and imagined 70 feet of water overhead, as there had been for years and years. I felt fortunate to have had a chance to explore.

Here are a few of the most interesting finds I made as I wandered St. Thomas, some of which had informational placards nearby to provide background:

Various Foundations Along The Path

Hanning Store

The Hanning Store doubled as both a home for the family, and a business that sold ice cream, soda, groceries, and gas. Easily ranking as one of the most intact and eerie ruins at St. Thomas, the Hanning Store is tough to miss.

St. Thomas School House

Below is what's left of what used to be a 2-story school, built in 1915 and in use until 1932. It's wild to compare the busted-up structure to what once was, as depicted in the informational placard.

Gentry Family Hotel

According to the placard pictured below, the 14-room brick hotel reportedly had a number of notable politicians, including President Calvin Coolidge, as customers.

Today, the hotel is nothing more than a collection of bricks scattered around a foundation.

Other Notable Finds at St. Thomas

One thing that I found really cool was that there are still steel parts, wheels, etc scattered about the town. One has to wonder what other treasures lay beneath the dirt.

Here are a few artifacts I stumbled across:

Another thing that struck me were these rows of logs protruding from the ground, which I assume were used as fence posts.

For me, the eeriest part of St. Thomas was the numerous sets of stairs that once led into homes, the schoolhouse, etc.

I couldn't help but picture kids playing on them and parents climbing them after a long day at work.

Not sure why, but the stairs, which were usually the best-preserved part of the structure, made me feel nostalgic for the past.

I tried, but can't find any information regarding the last unique find I made at St. Thomas.

On the otherwise unremarkable slab of concrete pictured below were what appeared to be shoe prints and words/symbols etched into it.

Now, it's possible these were recent additions (I doubt it)... but it looked almost like someone intentionally marked it before it dried.

Is the St. Thomas Ghost Town Worth Visiting from Vegas?

It's a haul, but if you're remotely into hiking and/or history, it's a pretty surreal scene.

A 3-hour round-trip drive is no joke, and I even considered kicking the can down the road and doing it another day, but I'm glad I went.

The ruins are eerie, and being there elicits some unique emotions. It's pretty wild that these scattered foundations were once a bustling 500-person community.

As you can tell from my photos, the National Park Service has done a great job placing educational placards that help visitors understand why St. Thomas came to be, what life was like in there, and what ultimately happened.

The coolest placards were near specific buildings, telling their stories and showing images of what they once looked like.

While I'd recommend a vehicle slightly more rugged than a Nissan Sentra, I think you'll find this gem in the middle of the open desert to be well worth your time.

For most of us, exploring a ghost town that spent decades underwater, only to re-emerge, is a rare opportunity.

If you're on the fence, I'd encourage you to check it out. Take a break from the crowds and noise in Las Vegas, head out to the open desert, and explore historic St. Thomas, Nevada.

Related Outdoor Activities in Las Vegas:

• Day Trip from Las Vegas to the Valley of Fire State Park

• Day Trip from Las Vegas to Red Rock Canyon

• Day Trip from Las Vegas to the Hoover Dam