8 Texas Ghost Towns You Need to See to Believe

The rural Texas countryside is dotted with an estimated 900 ghost towns—once active communities that succumbed to the test of time and have been left to decay. Each of these eight road trip-worthy, very sparsely populated or abandoned towns tells a story of the Lone Star State that you won’t hear anywhere else. Discover one that piques your interest, and find spooky places to camp nearby.

Terlingua

A mining boomtown turned gateway to Big Bend National Park

This West Texas small town got its start as a mining camp for the Chisos Mining Company, which brought many immigrant workers to the town in the early 1900s. As quicksilver production peaked during World War I—some 40 percent of the quicksilver mined in the US at the time came from Terlingua—so too did the mining town’s population. Production slowed through the 1930s, and the Chisos Mining Company had filed for bankruptcy by the end of World War II.

In the 1970s, a community of desert-loving residents was established among the ruins of the ghost town. These days, tourism pays the bills for many of the town’s hundred or so residents thanks to its proximity to Big Bend National Park and the popularity of its annual chili cook-off.

Our favorite Terlingua campsites

• The Bus Stop Camp Ground (15 minutes away)
• Goat Pens, Cigar Springs Ranch (7 minutes away)
• Lynn y B’s Land (12 minutes away)
• Coyote Crossing (10 minutes away)

Glenrio

A Route 66 road stop on the Texas-New Mexico border

This dusty desert ghost town straddles the border between Texas and New Mexico. Originally an agricultural community of farmers who settled on 150-acre plots, the town thrived with the arrival of the Chicago, Rock Island and Gulf Railway Company and its shipments of cattle and freight in 1906. 

The closure of the railroad depot and rerouting of Route 66 to become Interstate 40 caused the town’s decline. By 2000, the population was listed as just five on the census. 

If traveling along I-40, take a detour along the old Route 66 through Glenrio, now considered among the country’s best-preserved, mid-century ghost towns. Among its remaining structures are the Little Juarez Diner, State Line Motel, and Streamline Moderne Texaco station.

Our favorite campsites near Glenrio ghost town

• Coyote Breaks Farm (45 minutes away)
• The Silos RV Park & Campground (1 hour away)
• Valle De Oro RV Pad (1 hour away)

Independence

The original home of Baylor University and a legendary Texan

Modern-day Waco is what the town of Independence might have been. Founded in the 1820s, the town was chosen as the site of Baylor University in 1845. It was already the wealthiest community in Texas at the time and quickly became an educational and economic center.

The town’s own leadership played a key role in its downfall. The Santa Fe railroad wanted to establish a line through Independence, but city officials and Baylor administrators refused. With railway lines bringing trade to competing towns (and making it more difficult for students to get transportation to Baylor), officials decided to relocate Baylor University to Waco in 1885. 

Several historical points of interest remain, including the Independence Baptist Church (where Sam Houston was baptized in 1854), the Old Independence Cemetery, and the Margaret Houston House, where Sam and his wife lived for several years between his time as president of the Republic of Texas and governor.

Our favorite campsites near Independence ghost town

• The Dam Spot (15 minutes away)
• Kamani Creek (12 minutes away)
• The Navasota River Ranch (30 minutes away)

Indianola

A debarkation point for camels and European immigrants

This once-thriving port city on Matagorda Bay, founded in 1846 and the seat of Calhoun County from 1852 to 1886, was a terminus for a New York-based steamship line. It quickly became the second most important port in Texas, where European immigrants (many from Germany) entered the US. In 1856 and 1857, two shiploads of camels came to Indianola to carry military supplies across the southwestern United States—part of a bizarre experiment by then Secretary of War Jefferson Davis.

The population then peaked at more than 5,000—until a hurricane wiped out much of the town in 1875. Another storm in 1886 all but obliterated what had been rebuilt, and the site was abandoned. 

Not much of the town remains beyond the old cemetery and a small fishing marina. You’ll also find a granite monument to French explorer La Salle standing watch over the shores of Matagorda Bay.

Our favorite campsites near Indianola ghost town

• Magnolia Beach RV Park (10 minutes away)
• Waterfront Getaway Lavaca Bay (30 minutes away)
• Palacious Weekend Camp (1 hour away)

Belle Plain

The victim of a fierce West Texas rivalry

The history—and downfall—of Belle Plain is inextricably tied to the town of Callahan City. These two rivals literally fought over the Callahan County seat status. Belle Plain originally won a county seat election in 1877, but after midnight raids and gunfire exchanges, a second election gave the county seat to Callahan City, triggering the rapid decline of Belle Plain.

Adding to the town’s woes were a new railroad built through nearby Baird, a harsh winter, and a drought. Belle Plain College closed in 1892, and by 1897, only four families remained in town.

You can still visit the cemetery, where the oldest marked grave is that of 16-year-old Virgil Hill, dating back to 1878. Several other deteriorating structures remain, including the ruins of Belle Plain College and the former dean’s residence.

Our favorite campsites near Belle Plain ghost town

• A Starry Night (20 minutes away)
• Lake Cisco Campground (40 minutes away)
• Inez Spring Riverfront RV Resort (45 minutes away)
• Cisco Happy Camper and More (40 minutes away)
• AE Ranch (25 minutes away)

Medicine Mound

Dolomite hills and sacred Comanche ceremonial sites

This ghost town gets its name from four dolomite mounds onced used by the Comanches as camps and ceremonial sites. In its heyday, Medicine Mound had a population of around 500 people with 22 businesses. A 1932 fire destroyed many of the buildings—then its school, post office, and gin shut down in the 1950s.

Today, visitors can still see a few remaining abandoned buildings, including the former Hicks-Cobb general store, the post office, a gas station with some rusty pumps, and the W.W. Cole Building, formerly home to a bank and pharmacy.

Our favorite campsites near Medicine Mound ghost town

• The Happy Acre (25 minutes away)
• Rocky Acres (30 minutes away)
• FMF Blank Canvas Campground (45 minutes away)

Toyah

A recent ghost town with a haunted reputation

Near Pecos, Toyah was established as a trading post for area ranches in the early 1880s, making it the oldest townsite in Reeves County. The arrival of a stagecoach line and Union Pacific depot boosted the prosperity of the town, which at its height had four churches, two hotels, two banks, a drugstore, and a pair of lumberyards.

Unlike some of the other ghost towns on this list, Toyah’s slow decline throughout the 20th century can’t be traced back to any defining event, decision, or disaster. With a population of 90 as of 2010, you’re unlikely to see another soul walking the streets. 

Many of the town’s buildings still stand, complete with furnishings and fixtures. These include the sizable Toyah High School, which is purportedly haunted by the ghosts of children who wander the streets at night. Some even posit that these hauntings are what ultimately drove residents away, making the Toyah a piece of Texas history.

Our favorite campsites near Toyah ghost town

• Apache Park and Trail (1 hour away)
• Tumbleweed Ranch RV Park (1 hour away)
• Red Feather (1 hour and 25 minutes away)

Bluffton

The lost city in Lake Buchanan

Bluffton is the Lone Star State’s own lost city of Atlantis, set outside Austin. After the Buchanan Dam was built in 1937, the town was completely submerged in the waters of the resulting Lake Buchanan. As water levels dropped after a 2009 drought, the remains of the town resurfaced.

When water levels are low, visitors can see the remains of Old Bluffton—cracked tombstones and the ruins of the old cotton gin, bank, hotel, and homes—along the sandy Bluffton Peninsula. A few local operators offer boat tours to the site.

Our favorite campsites near Bluffton ghost town

• Down Horn Ranch (7 minutes away)
• Lake Buchanan RV and Cabin Resort (15 minutes away)
• Tiny Casita by the Lake (20 minutes away)
• Brown Chicken Brown Cow Ranch (20 minutes away)

More fall camping inspiration

Is autumn the best time of year for camping? Start planning your next trip below, whether it’s for foliage, Halloween, or campsgiving.

• Nature Alert: The Ultimate Guide to Fall Camping for Peak Foliage
• 7 Must-See Ghost Towns in Arizona
• 5 Cozy Fall Foliage Road Trips Across the US
• 10 Ways to Get Outside on Thanksgiving
• 5 Desert Oases Perfect for Fall Camping in California